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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) brings homage to the memory of the victims of the tragic events during World War II and pleads for powerful action, on the national and international level, to combat the proliferation of online hate speech and anti-Semitism, shows a message of the MAE sent on the National Holocaust Remembrance Day, according to Agerpres.
"Respecting fundamental rights and freedoms, inherent values of a modern democratic society, have represented the basis of significant recent efforts on the part of Romania to assume its past, to condemn Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism," the quoted source mentions.
They have included, MAE recalls, the exercise of the Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), the adoption of the IHRA working definition of anti-Semitism, the adoption in 2018 of a special law to combat anti-Semitism, the inclusion of combating anti-Semitism as a priority topic of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the preparation of a National Strategy to prevent and combat anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech.
"In the context of the current health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which generated a proliferation of conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pleads for powerful actions, on the national and international level, to combat the online proliferation of hate speech and anti-Semitism," the release mentions.
Furthermore, MAE shows "maintaining the memory of the past for future generations, supporting and protecting survivors are part of the duty of honor that Romania assumed at the moment of recognizing its responsibility in the events of the Holocaust."
On this occasion, MAE evokes the role of Romanian diplomats who, unlike the majority that watched passively the horrors of the Holocaust, were involved in saving a great number of Jews during the Holocaust. The diplomatic activity of Constantin Karadja and Florian Manoliu is well-known, the two being honored with the title Righteous among Nations by the Yad Vashem Institute. Recent research revealed the role of several Romanian diplomats, among them Eugen Filotti, Dumitru Metta, Mihai Marina and the entire team of the Romanian consulate in Oradea (which functioned between 1941-1944), in activities to save Jews in the context of the tragic events of World War II.
In Romania, by Government Decision no. 672/ May 5, 2004, the date of October 9 (date which marks the beginning of deportation to Transnistria of Jews in 1941) was approved for official commemoration, nationally, of the Holocaust. On the basis of this decision, each year, on October 9, Romanian authorities organize manifestations dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust including: conferences, seminars, book launches, shows, school competitions.
