Photo: Matjaž Klemenc/UPRS
"Let this anniversary serve as a reminder and a warning to all of us, especially politicians and opinion leaders, how lucky we were not to find ourselves on the other side of the fence."
The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, attended a commemoration marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27 Jan 2025
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The ceremony was attended by heads of state and high-level representatives from numerous countries, as well as former internees. The Slovenian delegation included Janez Žmavc, representing the stolen children who were separated from their parents and placed in Germanisation camps, and Mira Lipičar, a former internee. President Pirc Musar stressed that remembering the internees allows us to preserve our humanity and honour our commitment never to repeat these unspeakable atrocities.
During World War II, the Auschwitz concentration camp was a death factory, killing between 1.1 and 1.6 million men, women and children of 25 nationalities. The largest group of internees were Polish Jews and Soviet nationals. On this day 80 years ago, the Red Army arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau, finding about 7,500 surviving internees. During World War II, 58,522 Slovenians were interned in concentration camps and more than a hundred subcamps. Of these, 12,360 never came back, ending up in gas chambers, crematoriums or mass graves in a foreign land. The anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp is of universal importance, marking the annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January.
In a statement at the commemoration, the Slovenian President noted that dozens of wars are raging around the world today, all resulting in the deaths of innocent women and children: "Our future, to which we pledge ourselves in various forums, is dying. And with it our sense of empathy, our efforts to protect basic human dignity. What have we become if today, 80 years after the end of World War II, we are incapable of granting everyone what is granted to us when we are born into this world: peace, survival, security? It hurts to witness the discourse of trampled values, the ignorant, even contemptuous attitude to international law and institutions, including from the authorities in Israel, a country whose people will forever be marked by the Holocaust. Let us not forget: when international law dies, brute force triumphs. History clearly shows that any demonstration or exertion of such force ultimately leads to the defeat of everyone, and to the regression and decline of our civilisation."
After the ceremony, President Pirc Musar joined the other heads of state and surviving internees in lighting candles by the memorial train car, in memory of everyone who made their final journey onboard such trains. "Let this anniversary serve as a reminder and a warning to all of us, especially politicians and opinion leaders, how lucky we were not to find ourselves on the other side of the fence. Let this anniversary also be an opportunity for self-reflection. The memory of all the victims of World War II and its aftermath can best be honoured by remaining firm and consistent in our commitment with regard to ‘Never Again’ and, above all, by respecting international law and ensuring the protection of human dignity," added the Slovenian President.