The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has appealed for a thorough approach to Holocaust denial.
Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the UN, expressed this in his video message during the media engagement to honor the International Day in remembrance of Holocaust victims.
The event, themed: “It began with words: How hate speech can inflict real damage”, was coordinated by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) on Thursday in Abuja.
Guterres stated, “We commemorate the six million Jewish children, women and men, along with the Roma and Sinti, individuals with disabilities, and countless others who vanished.”
“As we grieve the absence of so many and so much, we also acknowledge that the Holocaust was not preordained; no genocide ever is.”
“In recalling the Holocaust, we identify threats to freedom, dignity, and humanity, including in our present era.”
“Today, amidst growing economic dissatisfaction and political turbulence, rising white supremacist terrorism, escalating hatred, and religious intolerance, we must be more vocal than ever.”
“We must never forget, nor allow others to overlook, distort, or deny the Holocaust; let us commit to never remain silent in the presence of evil and to always defend the dignity and rights of all.”
Speaking at the gathering, the Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria emphasized the importance of early education on the dangers posed by the Holocaust to avert its recurrence.
He highlighted the necessity to educate the public on the threats of hate speech to ensure the prevention of future atrocities.
“To contemplate how 6 million of those individuals and their entire world were annihilated, and how all future generations were erased.”
“We cannot truly grasp what they endured, but what we can do is learn from the lessons on how to guarantee it does not happen again.”
“We can ensure that it does not transpire again through the sincere commitment of all of us; confronting intolerance wherever we encounter it.”
“Hate speech does not emerge spontaneously, but in environments where hate speech exists, we have to advocate for others, safeguard minorities, and do what is right, even when it is challenging,” Freeman stated.
He reiterated that the lessons from the Holocaust’s tragedy are not solely about the Nazis and their collaborators, but about all who stood for nothing.
Mr. Mathias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, mentioned that the UN has implemented measures to foster vigilance.
According to him, observing Holocaust Day is intended to remind the world of lessons to be learned to avert future acts of genocide.
“We focus on eliminating all forms of Holocaust at the source, so that whenever we detect elements of hate speech, we act immediately.”
“We need to be concerned with every manifestation of hate speech and particularly not tolerating racial disparities.
“Your skin color must not be a basis for derogatory names or association with an ethnic group.
“Education against hate speech and racial discrimination is a continuous process that never ceases, thus it is our collective duty to reshape global values,” Schmale remarked.
He further stated that full respect for the tolerance of diverse individuals is essential for progress. (NAN)
