Remembrance Day, efforts to counter the distortion of the Holocaust to fight hate and protect democracy

ROME – Greater international cooperation is needed to counter Holocaust denial and distortion, not only to combat hateful ideologies but also to defend democracy, said theOSCE on the occasion of today’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “Today we honor the memory of the six million Jews and all other victims brutally murdered in the Holocaust for who they were, for what they believed or even for who they loved. Last year was yet another chilling reminder that 21st century Europe is not immune to new mass atrocities when the Holocaust is distorted, the UN Charter violated and the Helsinki Final Act failed to respect,” said OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani. “The Holocaust involved millions of men, women and children who were murdered for not adapting to fascist ideas. Holocaust education must continue to focus on people when addressing anti-Semitism in all its forms,” Osmani added, “with the first Chairmanship event in 2023 dedicated to this end.”

The phenomenon of the distortion of the Holocaust. Which seeks to minimize the crimes and impact of the Holocaust. In addition to fueling a rise in anti-Semitism, it threatens our democracies by spreading disinformation and undermining the mutual trust, respect and tolerance that are among their founding principles. As International Holocaust Remembrance Day is celebrated around the world, young people’s awareness of the tragedy of the Holocaust is dwindling at a time when fewer and fewer survivors share their experiences. At the same time, Holocaust denial and distortion are increasingly reaching the political mainstream, with social media posts excusing, minimizing, or misrepresenting the well-known historical record of the Holocaust spreading rapidly and often out of control online.

The disastrous consequences. “The denial and distortion of the Holocaust have disastrous consequences for our societies and our democracy,” said Matteo Mecacci, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). “Trivializing, belittling and misappropriating the Holocaust not only diminishes the suffering of its victims, but it also hinders our ability to understand the causes of the genocide and prevent it from happening again. By spreading disinformation, it undermines trust and respect between people and therefore also the quality of democratic participation”.

The global awareness campaign. ODIHR recently joined other international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Commission, in #ProtectTheFacts, a global awareness campaign created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance that focuses on combating the distortion of ‘Holocaust. “Today we face the dual challenge of politicians who distort the reality of the Holocaust to fit nationalist and populist narratives and a growing number of young adults who are ignorant of the most basic facts of the Jewish genocide,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism. “On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must redouble our educational efforts as the very future of democracy depends on an informed electorate.”

An unequivocal condemnation. All OSCE countries unequivocally condemned intolerance and anti-Semitism and pledged to promote effective measures aimed at their eradication. The current challenges to combating anti-Semitism in the OSCE region will be discussed at an OSCE-wide conference on 6 and 7 February, organized by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office of North Macedonia in consultation with the ODIHR.