European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a strongly worded statement on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Saturday.
Saturday 27 January marks the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet Union troops in 1945. Since 2005, the United Nations has designated it as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
"We must remember how it all started: antisemitism and hatred led to the Shoah (Holocaust). It is our duty, as Europeans, to build a European Union free from antisemitism and any form of racism and discrimination. If Europe fails the Jews, Europe will have failed us all. Never again is now!"
On Saturday, the European Commission chief noted that since the "despicable" Hamas terror attack on 7 October, "remembering the Holocaust has taken on a new meaning."
"Jewish people are bullied, harassed, and attacked on the street, in school and university. Synagogues have been vandalised. Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated," von der Leyen said.
Since the Israel-Hamas war, the Jewish community in Belgium has stated it feels increasingly unsafe – with five times as many reports of antisemitism than usual having been reported in November. Belgium's equal opportunities centre Unia received 18 Dutch-speaking reports of antisemitism and 11 French-speaking ones.
Preserving the memory
In November 2023, European Commission stepped up the protection of public spaces, in particular Jewish places of worship, and the fight against online hatred.
Von der Leyen also mentioned a "Network of Places Where the Holocaust Happened', a flagship action of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism while preserving places of memory for educational and remembrance purposes.
"As we mark this year the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we shall remember the 6 million Jewish women, men and children, and all other victims, among them hundreds of thousands of Roma, murdered during the Holocaust," von der Leyen said.
