Statement

2019

IHRA Chair commends removal of plaque honouring Jonas Noreika in Lithuania 01.08.2019

IHRA Chair Ambassador Georges Santer commends Mayor Remigijus Šimašius’s actions to disallow the public honouring of individuals involved in and connected to the execution of hate crimes during the Holocaust.

“The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance commends the brave action taken by Mayor Remigijus Šimašius to remove the plaque honouring Jonas Noreika due to the controversy surrounding his actions during the Holocaust, including his role in the ghettoization and expropriation of property of Jews in Siauliai district in 1941.

It is important to remember that any distortion of the history of the Holocaust can allow for more violent and more dangerous forms of Holocaust denial and antisemitism to take place. We will continue to work with the governments of our 33 Member Countries to counter distortion and antisemitism to honour the memory of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.”

Ambassador Georges Santer
IHRA Chair