Statement

2021

IHRA Chair’s Statement on the storming of the U.S. Capitol Open configuration options

IHRA Chair Ambassador Michaela Küchler condemns the storming of the US Capitol building and the increasing antidemocratic trends it represents.

IHRA Chair Ambassador Michaela Küchler states, “As the world watched yesterday in shock at the storming of the US Capitol building, the consequences of hate speech and baseless conspiracy myths were laid bare. This latest antidemocratic outburst reveals the increasingly violent nature of this dangerous trend, found all over the world. It erodes democratic principles and values, incites hate and encourages scapegoating of minorities. It is one, which time and again, provides a platform for antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion. That yesterday’s events featured right-wing militia groups and antisemitic extremists should come as no surprise; these phenomena have always attacked the very heart of our democracies and pluralistic societies.

“As a consequence of the darkest period of our history, the Member Countries of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance pledged to strengthen the moral commitment of our peoples and governments, accepting their responsibility to safeguard democratic institutions to uphold universal human rights. With this in mind, we strongly condemn this antidemocratic display and call for its unambiguous denunciation by all political parties and officials, international institutions and civil society leaders from around the world – our freedoms, our lives and the viability of our democracies depends on it.”