Blanar: Holocaust Remembrance Day Highlights Need to Protect Human Rights

Bratislava, 9 September (TASR) - On Wednesday, remembering the Holocaust victims reminds us of the need to protect human rights and the dignity of every person even more resolutely, regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity or religion, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) has stated to mark Holocaust Victims and Racial Violence Remembrance Day. "The Holocaust is a tragic reminder of where hatred, racism, anti-semitism and applying the principle of collective guilt can lead," stated Blanar. "It's a message that we mustn't forget even today, when hatred, rejection of differing opinions, or questioning of fundamental rights and freedoms must have no place in our society," he stressed. According to Blanar, it's the responsibility of the entire international community to promote the values of peace, mutual respect and tolerance, as well as equal human rights for all. Slovakia has commemorated Holocaust Victims and Racial Violence Remembrance Day on 9 September of each year since 2001, noted Blanar. "The Slovak Republic stands on the strong pillars of the anti-fascist legacy, which is a firm part of our modern history. We also commemorated it recently on the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising, which united people of various nationalities, faiths and convictions, including the Jewish inhabitants of Slovakia, to stand up against fascism. It's therefore particularly important that we preserve this historical memory and pass it on to future generations. Only then can we prevent a tragic history from repeating itself," urged Blanar. He stated that the fight against anti-semitism, racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance is one of Slovakia's long-term priorities on the international level. Slovakia has also been a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) since 2005, actively striving to improve international cooperation in education, research and the remembrance of the Holocaust and the Roma genocide, as well as in preventing anti-semitism. Slovakia is commemorating the 85th anniversary of the adoption of the Jewish Code, one of the most brutal anti-Jewish laws in Europe. Slovakia's Jewish population was stripped of basic civil, political, economic and social rights, and it faced systematic persecution and discrimination. More than 70,000 people were subsequently deported from the territory of wartime Slovak state to Nazi concentration and extermination camps. Only very few of them survived. jrg/df