We regularly comment on current events that overlap with the IHRA's mandate. Statements can come from the IHRA Chair, IHRA Secretary General, or, when consensus is reached among all Member Countries, by the IHRA in the form of an IHRA Statement.
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.”
IHRA Chair Michaela Küchler states:
“We view with great concern how historians researching the Holocaust are being sued in Poland for presenting the findings of their work. Together, the Member Countries of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) have pledged to uphold the Stockholm Declaration and the 2020 IHRA Ministerial Declaration. In doing so, they have committed themselves to aiding in ‘efforts to promote education, remembrance, and research about the Holocaust,’ encouraging ‘the study of the Holocaust in all its dimensions,’ and encouraging ‘all countries and societies to address their respective pasts by dealing openly and accurately with the historical record.’ It is now in light of these commitments that we address the Polish government, calling upon it to ensure the viability of free and independent research.”
Dr Kathrin Meyer, Executive Secretary of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) said: “It was with deep shock that I learned of the knife attack at a rabbi’s house in New York State on Saturday 28 December, the seventh night of Hannukah. I express my deepest solidarity with those wounded and threatened in the attack and with the whole Jewish community across Rockland County.
We condemn this antisemitic hate crime. A Rockland County legislator said the Jewish community was “scared but not surprised” by this latest abhorrent incident which is a frightening indication of the growing number of antisemitic threats and attacks we are seeing throughout the United States and beyond.
IHRA’s 34 Member Countries work tirelessly to counter antisemitism in all of its forms. We call on political, social and religious leaders to speak out against all hate crimes, acts of violence or incitement, and to support social and educational efforts to address them.
Antisemitism is not a Jewish issue. It is an issue for all societies in which it grows.”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) unites governments and experts to strengthen, advance and promote Holocaust education, research and remembrance and to uphold the commitments to the 2000 Stockholm Declaration.
IHRA Chair Ambassador Küchler states, “It is simply unacceptable to compare the inconveniences brought about by coronavirus measures with any part of the persecution and murder of Europe’s Jews. Doing so scorns the memory of the millions of victims of the Holocaust. I strongly condemn the Holocaust distortion and antisemitic conspiracy myths gaining traction at so-called ‘Querdenker’ demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions around Germany. Comparisons between coronavirus measures and the 1933 Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz), or social distancing guidelines and the horrors experienced by Anne Frank and Sophie Scholl are not only outrageous; they twist our understanding of what led up to the Holocaust and the enormity of its devastation. Such comparisons erode our understanding of historical truth.
“The importance of remembering the Holocaust, of respecting the victims, of safeguarding the record – all fundamental to preserving democratic values – only grows as the memory of the Holocaust grows more distant and fewer survivors are with us to share their testimony. The ‘Querdenker’ demonstrations remind us of our responsibility to counter distortion and to insist upon truth in these challenging times. It is with this responsibility in mind that the German Presidency of the IHRA has made the fight against Holocaust distortion an urgent priority.”
IHRA Chair Ambassador Michaela Küchler says, “The recent antisemitic actions coordinated by the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement in the days leading up to Yom Kippur are deeply troubling. Some of the incidents are now under police investigation. This dangerous campaign is antisemitic and poses a threat to our Jewish citizens.
“When antisemitism and incitement to hatred or violence occur, all of society is affected. More and more, we see how extremist groups feel emboldened to spread their hate-filled messages. This is unacceptable.
“With international cooperation, we can address the erosive effect extremist ideologies have on democratic values and pluralistic societies. I am joined by the Heads of Delegation of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in condemning the actions of such groups and underlining our shared understanding of their harmful nature. Together, the IHRA’s 34 Member Countries will continue to encourage the strengthening of Holocaust education, remembrance and research, developing and implementing practical tools and guidelines to help combat them.”
IHRA Chair Ambassador Michaela Küchler states, “The news of yesterday’s attack on a Hamburg synagogue left me with a deep feeling of unease. The IHRA stands in solidarity with the Jewish community in Hamburg and wishes the victim a speedy recovery.
“This is, as German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas rightly pointed out, unfortunately not a one-off case. One year after the attack in Halle, we see that the threat to Germany’s Jewish community remains. Beyond this recent attack in Hamburg, the rise in antisemitic incidents, both in Germany and beyond, reveal a worrying trend where people, radicalized and filled with hate, feel increasingly emboldened to act upon dangerous ideas. These actions pose a threat not only to our Jewish communities, but to all of society. A society in which antisemitism grows is one in which its core principles are under attack.”
The IHRA condemns all attempts to rehabilitate the reputations of persons who were complicit in the crimes of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma.
Therefore, in light of rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, the IHRA is resolved to address the phenomenon of rehabilitation in member countries and across the organization. In the spirit of its 2020 Ministerial Declaration, the IHRA encourages “all countries and societies to address their respective pasts by dealing openly and accurately with the historical record.” Therefore, it is imperative for the IHRA to promote research, public awareness, and political responsibility around the issue of rehabilitation.
The countries affected by the Holocaust have long wrestled with the challenges of confronting the past and with thorny questions surrounding complicity for the crimes planned and carried out by Nazi Germany and those fascist and extreme nationalist partners and other collaborators who participated in these crimes.
These developments are not unique to any single country or historical experience, and they appear in IHRA member countries and beyond, including in those lands not directly affected by the Holocaust. Countries must engage with their national histories as they pertain to the Holocaust, as well as with the histories of those individuals who were complicit in its crimes.
Failure to remember truthfully demeans the living and disrespects the dead.
The 2020 IHRA Ministerial Declaration emphasized the importance of remembering the genocide of the Roma and acknowledging the impact that the neglect of this genocide has had on the continued marginalization and widespread discrimination of Roma communities.
Three years ago, the need for a working definition of anti-Roma racism as a useful tool to help guide the IHRA in its work became overwhelmingly clear. Today’s coronavirus pandemic, which has fanned the flames of anti-Roma racism, has made the adoption of such a definition all the more urgent.
Over the last three years the experts in the Committee on the Genocide of the Roma have deliberated and consulted with Roma representatives and communities, as well as IHRA Working Group and Committee Chairs to develop the draft presented to IHRA Member Countries at the 2020 Berlin Plenary session.
Following the fruitful discussions at the Plenary session, we now find ourselves in the final phase of this process. The adoption of a working definition on anti-Roma racism has been a priority of the German Presidency and I thank the experts for their excellent work. The working definition has received overwhelming support and I am confident that the IHRA will adopt a non-legally binding working definition in due course and prior to the Leipzig Plenary in December.
The IHRA recognizes the responsibility of societies as a whole to remember the genocide of the Roma and to combat anti-Roma racism. The adoption of this working definition will contribute significantly to furthering this essential work.
