Holocaust Remembrance Day

The fence around Auschwitz“The Holocaust is not only a tragedy of the Jewish people, but also a catastrophe of humanity. The Holocaust showed how easy it is to break the fuses that protect us from aggression, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an international forum held for the first time as part of commemorative events in 2006. The Russian leader said he was ashamed of anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Russia.

“Recently, the German chancellor said that he was ashamed of the past, but this is the past, and we should be ashamed of today, because even in Russia, which did most to defeat fascism, to liberate the Jews, we often see the manifestation of this disease,” Putin said. The president’s words were met with a standing ovation. Putin said that Russia will always not only condemn any manifestations of racial and religious intolerance, but also fight them by force of law and public opinion.

Historical tragedies recur when society begins to forget them. Therefore, neither the atrocities of the Nazis nor the horror of Auschwitz should be forgotten, no matter how many years have passed since the defeat of the Nazis. Russia, which celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Victory in 2005, faced the aggravation of the national theme, the activation of nationalist organizations and the emergence of pro-fascist ideas on the political level.