Global Holocaust Remembrance Day, UNSG Remembers and Reaffirms Our United Resolve

Speaking today (28 Jan) at a ceremony to mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust, Secretary-General António Guterres said that as we remember the Holocaust’s victims, “we also reaffirm our resolve to fight the hatred that still plagues our world today.” Guterres said that in the face of anti-Semitic violence such as in the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, it was “necessary – more and more – that we sound an alarm.” He said, “not only is anti-Semitism still strong – it is getting worse. And we must rise up against rising anti-Semitism.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, he noted, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased by 57 per cent in 2017. The European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency reported last year that 28 per cent of Jews had experienced some form of harassment for being Jewish. Other communities are also facing greater harassment, the Secretary-General warned, He said, “across the world, we are seeing a disturbing rise in other forms of bigotry. Attacks on Muslims in several societies are on the rise, sometimes even outpacing other forms of hatred. Rohingyas, Yazidis and many others have faced persecution simply for who they are. Intolerance today spreads at lightning speed across the Internet and social media. And perhaps most disturbingly, hate is moving into the mainstream – in liberal democracies but in authoritarian systems alike.” Guterres also warned about political figures who in the past used the so-called “dog whistle” to signal their followers, but today “feel able to trumpet their noxious views for all to hear.” Also addressing today’s event, Holocaust Survivor Inge Auerbacher recalled her experiences. Auerbacher said, “we got used to the carts piled with dead bodies. Three times a day we stood in long lines holding our metal dishes to get our meagre food rations. Hunger, overcrowding, bad hygiene, mice, rats, flees, bedbugs, lice, and fear of being sent to the east plagued us daily.” As part of today’s events in remembrance of the Holocaust, there is the opening of an exhibit, “Beyond Duty: Diplomats Recognized as Righteous Among the Nations” at UN Headquarters.