As antisemitism renews, so must the fight against it – which is what 34 governments are doing today

Today, as the spectre of antisemitism has re-emerged, we restate our commitment to stopping this evil – in the form of a new intergovernmental agreement

Kathrin Meyer
Saturday 18 January 2020 13:07 GMT
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"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. So said philosopher George Santayana. This weekend, as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) brings together ministers from 34 countries in Brussels (to re-affirm their commitment to strengthen and advance Holocaust education, remembrance and research) these words take on a striking resonance. We must remember the atrocities of the past and face the challenges of today if we truly are to create a world without hatred, discrimination, and, ultimately, genocide.

Countless times since the Holocaust, it has been said that a human tragedy like this would never happen again. Yet too often this promise has fallen short. That’s why today, as the spectre of antisemitism has emerged back into prevailing discourse, we restate our commitment to concrete action to stand up against it.

It’s important we take a moment to reflect upon the treatment of communities around the world, on the long arc of history, that have been subjected to this hatred. It is an outrage and scandal that today in Europe and North America Jews cannot walk through their local communities or worship in their religious centres, without being abused, attacked or, in some cases murdered. Jewish communities are of course not the only ones confronted with threats. The same is true for Roma in Europe today whose persecution by the Nazis has been long neglected.

The Holocaust fundamentally challenged the foundations of civilization and its unprecedented character will always hold universal meaning. This watershed event conferred on us the responsibility to commemorate the victims and to honour those who stood against it. And if we take this responsibility seriously, we owe it to the victims and to ourselves to openly and honestly face our past and to prevent discrimination, antisemitism and hate crimes today. As executive secretary of the IHRA, it’s perhaps predictable that these are my views. I make no apology for that.

It is with this sense of responsibility that the IHRA has gathered foreign ministers from around the world in Brussels today to stand together and put their full support behind the new IHRA ministerial declaration, intentionally, 20 years since the Stockholm Declaration was adopted. I am proud that an intergovernmental agreement of this calibre has been unanimously agreed upon. Through the relentless efforts of IHRA and the Chair country Luxembourg, under the guidance of Ambassador Georges Santer – a proactive and passionate advocate for this cause – we have made history today.

Together with the Ambassador, we have taken a historic step to fight antisemitism and remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.

The Stockholm Declaration set the precedent for governmental responsibility for Holocaust education, remembrance and research as well as the fight against antisemitism but – as crucial as it has been – the commitments enshrined within the document need now to be reaffirmed and broadened to face energised opponents. In the last 20 years, as technology and civil society has advanced, so too have Holocaust distortion, denial and antisemitism. These new manifestations require new responses.

Today foreign ministers and governmental representatives will commit to:

  1. Accept responsibility as governments continue to work together to counter Holocaust denial and distortion, antisemitism, and all forms of racism and discrimination that undermine fundamental democratic principles
  2. Lead efforts to promote education, remembrance and research on the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma to counter the influence of historical distortion, hate speech and incitement to violence and hatred
  3. Identify, preserve and make available archival material, testimonies and authentic sites for educational purposes, commemoration and research

This is a historic landmark. In times of deeply divided societies with antisemitism and Holocaust denial gaining strength and being propagated openly - 34 governments stand united in facing these shared evils. In the spirit of the words of Santayana, we commit to never allowing the horrors of the past to be repeated.

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