27/01/2025 Equality and Non-Discrimination
Francesco Verducci (Italy, SOC), the General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), made the following statement to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January 2025:
“Today, as we commemorate once again the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camps, we are aware of the solemn importance of this date. Eighty years have now passed since 27 January 1945, when the entire world became fully aware of the abominable Holocaust planned by the Nazis. Eighty years during which we have never honoured enough the six million Jews and millions of other victims, including Roma and Travellers, LGBTI persons, those with disabilities and political opponents, who were exterminated in the lagers of the Nazi regime, in the culmination of the inhumane ideology of annihilation of the Jewish people and other minorities.
Over the last decades, we have built peace and democracy based on the remembrance of the Shoah and the commitment that it will never happen again. However, this year’s commemoration is dense with disquiet, underscoring our obligation to be vigilant and determined. The dangerous resurgence of anti-Semitism is a poison that erodes what we have built.
Moreover, across Europe and beyond, the resurgence of far-right movements poses a grave threat to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. These forces exploit fear and inequality, attempting to undermine the foundations of social cohesion and eroding trust in democratic institutions. Once again, they target vulnerable groups and endanger them through stigmatisation, scapegoating and dehumanisation. The Jewish community and the other groups victimised by the Nazis are, tragically, still among the main targets. Other groups, such as asylum seekers and refugees, migrants, Muslims, people of African and Asian descent, also face mounting acts of violence and intolerance.
The danger of extremist movements becomes ever more evident both within Europe and outside our borders, fuelled by targeted hate speech campaigns, disinformation, authoritarian and discriminatory tendencies. It is the duty of all those who believe in human values to work together to strengthen our democracies.
It is crucial that all politicians and citizens remain united against the dangers of racism, discrimination and intolerance. I welcome the timely and relevant initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly to hold a special event in its Chamber on Wednesday 29 January 2025. Chief Rabbi Meir Lau, Honorary President of Yad Vashem, as well as representatives of the Roma and Traveller and LGBTI communities, will honour all those who have been lost in the Holocaust and will share their experiences with schoolchildren.”