Turkey marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day

ANKARA

Turkey on Jan. 27 observed the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in memory of the victims of the genocide under the Nazi regime of Germany.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited all humanity to adopt a global attitude towards genocide and crimes against humanity and to display this attitude with determination.

“We call on the international community to take the necessary measures to prevent tragedies such as the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda and Cambodia from happening again,” Erdoğan said in a video message.

The world witnesses that racist and discriminatory ideologies are getting stronger in various parts of the world and that there is a drastic escalation in hate speech and crimes, the president said.

The violent attacks, especially against places of worship such as mosques, synagogues and churches, are spreading. Cultural racism turns into a security threat that captures politics, makes daily life difficult, and undermines people’s will to live together, he added.

With the coronavirus pandemic, discrimination against some segments of society with different ethnic identities, religions, languages, and appearances has also climbed, he said and added, “The prevalence of these actions to digital platforms today should also be carefully monitored.”

The Foreign Ministry also recalled the memories of the Holocaust victims.

“On this occasion, I respectfully recall the memories of the victims of the genocide and wish peace, security and prosperity for the whole world, with the hope of a future where all kinds of discriminatory and hate speech will end, and genocide and crimes against humanity will not be experienced,” Erdoğan said.

“On this day, we remember with respect 11 million victims of the Holocaust, including 6 million Jews, the Roma people and the disabled persons, who were systematically and brutally murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. We once again honor the memories of the Turkish diplomats who extended a helping hand to victims fleeing the atrocities,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.

Ankara recalled that in a resolution dated Nov. 1, 2005 and co-sponsored by Turkey, the United Nations General Assembly designated Jan. 27 as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The ministry noted Turkey has been participating in the activities of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which was established with the aim of researching the Holocaust thoroughly, remembering the sufferings of its victims as well as passing this awareness to new generations, as an observer country since 2008.

“Despite the unprecedented grim reality of the Holocaust, we observe with concern a global rise in hate speech and crimes as well as the still existing discriminatory ideologies of Antisemitism, racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia,” said the statement.

Turkey will continue to resolutely fight against these hate-based phenomena and all kinds of discrimination that pose threats to global peace and security, said the ministry.

Ankara cited the fact that in the past, Turkey saved by hosting thousands of Jews fleeing Nazi persecution from the Holocaust. “Today, our doors remain open to that fleeing violence and we continue to provide protection to millions of people,” the statement added.