Caputova: Tens of Thousands of Slovak Citizens among Holocaust Victims

Warsaw, January 28 (TASR) - President Zuzana Caputova at the former Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on Monday paid tribute to the victims of fascism and pointed out that tens of thousands of Slovak citizens were among the Holocaust victims. Caputova, along with other presidents, premiers and members of royal families from almost 60 countries, was attending a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camp on Monday. "I came to Auschwitz to commemorate the horrors of fascism and pay tribute to its victims," wrote the president on Facebook. "Among the Holocaust victims were tens of thousands of our fellow citizens, forcibly taken from Slovak towns and villages," wrote the president. Caputova noted that these people were sent to certain death by the fascist regime that was in power in Slovakia. "Times are different today, and perpetrators use different words, but the essence of evil remains the same - fascism is still present in our society. Let's never allow it to gain power again," said the president. "Fascism is still alive [in Slovakia], in our society, that's why I think it's essential that we, by joint efforts, do our utmost to prevent it from coming back to power," stated the president for the media, adding that she participated in the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem a few days before for this exact reason. am/df