International Holocaust Remembrance Day

A government delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milošević and Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek paid tribute to Holocaust victims at Zagreb's Mirogoj on Thursday.

“Today we came here to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was established primarily so that young people know what happened in the past and as a reminder for the future, not to do it again. That no one would be persecuted, tortured, imprisoned or killed because of their national or racial affiliation, political or any other affiliation,” said Boris Milošević at Mirogoj in front of the monument to Moses.

He pointed out that the topic of the Holocaust is still relevant today because there are numerous attempts to diminish or deny it.

“It is a global problem, but also in Croatia. Just a week ago, the United Nations Assembly adopted a resolution calling on all states, NGOs and IT companies to adopt and get actively involved in the fight against Holocaust reduction or denial,” said Milošević.

“The commemoration of Holocaust victims has been set for today because it is the date of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, but we cannot bypass Croatia because the Holocaust took place here in the Jasenovac, Slana, Jadovno and Gospić camps,” he added.

“Therefore, it is important that we nurture memory, especially since Croatia is a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Union (IHRA), where about thirty countries gather. Next year, Croatia will chair IHRA, an international alliance where we will dedicate ourselves to the fight against the reduction and denial of crimes in the Second World War,” announced Milošević.

Plenković: We have a responsibility to never forget the crimes

“The victims of the Holocaust are a constant reminder and warning to us of the dimensions of evil that can arise from hatred. The Holocaust is a terrible legacy of our history. We have a responsibility to never forget and an obligation to do everything to ensure that crimes never happen again,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Milanović: Our obligation is to respect the victim and send a message of peace

“Today, marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember with great respect the unprecedented suffering of the Jewish people. We sincerely mourn the millions of people killed. We all need to continue to respect and commemorate their sacrifice. Our obligation, especially towards future generations, is to send a message of peace, understanding and friendship among nations,” said President Zoran Milanović.

Croatian Parliament observed a minute of silence in honor of all Holocaust victims

On Thursday, Croatian Parliament observed a minute of silence in honor of all the victims of the Holocaust, which, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković reminded, began with hate speech and ended with acts of evil.

“The Holocaust is an eternal warning of the evils that can arise from xenophobia and racism,” said Jandroković on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Namely, on January 27, 1945, the Red Army liberated the largest Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz, the infamous symbol of the Holocaust and the unimaginable suffering of the Jewish people in World War II.

Jandroković recalled that the Holocaust was carried out by the Nazi regime against more than six million Jews, but also members of other groups who, according to the shameful Nazi ideology, were undesirable.

“Monstrous crimes took place in Auschwitz and remained a permanent symbol of all places where people were systematically tortured and brutally killed just because they belonged to a certain nation,” he said, recalling the infamous Ustasha camp Jasenovac where members of the Jewish people were killed, but also Roma, Serbs and Croats.

Source: HRT