Holocaust memorial hour
Bärbel Bas: Countering hatred and anti-Semitism
Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) speaks at the beginning of the German Bundestag’s memorial hour on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
The Bundestag commemorates the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz 79 years ago. Parliament President Bas sees very current references this time.
When commemorating the millions of victims of the Holocaust Bärbel Bas called on people in Germany to stand up against anti-Semitism and hatred. “Let us all have the courage not to remain silent, but to resolutely confront hatred and misanthropy,” said the SPD politician at a memorial ceremony in the Bundestag.
She thanked the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets in recent weeks for democracy and against right-wing extremism. “They have all shown that our democracy is diverse, lively and resilient.” In everyday life, too, it is important to counteract when you hear anti-Semitic and racist slogans, whether in the subway or among colleagues or at school. “Everyone can show that we are a society that respects every single person, regardless of religion, origin or appearance.”
The occasion for the memorial act was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It commemorates the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp by the Red Army of the Soviet Union on January 27, 1945. The National Socialists persecuted numerous population groups during their rule from 1933 to 1945. Above all, on the basis of anti-Semitic agitation, Jews were systematically excluded, disenfranchised, forced to flee, deported and murdered. More than six million Jewish people from across Europe were killed, with only a few in Nazi-controlled areas surviving.