President Iohannis: Forgetting victims of fascism and communism, falsifying history are serious blows to humanity

President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday delivered a message on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism, in which he underlined that the victims of the totalitarian regimes must be commemorated always, and that the current generation must remain active in fighting to defend democracy and rule of law state. 

"Today, after more than a century since the first totalitarian regime seized the power, we can say, without fearing to be wrong, that no utopia proved bloodier than fascism and communism. The regimes inspired by these ideologies, as opposed to liberalism and democracy, had major repercussions on the political development of the states in Central and Eastern Europe. The lives of millions of persons were destroyed by them. In trying to create the new man, by using such policies directed against the human condition and building societies exclusively on terror, the two regimes left millions of victims to whom we are expressing today our gratitude and compassion," said the head of the state in his message.

He went on to say that the totalitarian regimes ruined the rule of law state, tried to shutter freedom of expression, flagrantly violated the citizens' rights and liberties, but they did not succeed in repressing people's will for liberty and the attachment to the democratic values of millions of people, who strongly believed that such regimes can be defeated.

"Those who opposed the dictatorships were deprived of their liberty, tortured, humiliated, and many of them paid with their own life for the blame to have militated for a liberal society, built on healthy principles, according to the fundamental values of the humankind. The abnegation showed by the victims of fascism and communism proved that, in fighting the dangers that trouble the correct development of a society, we need courage and a strong feeling of civic patriotism. The victims of the totalitarian regimes must be remembered always, they must be protected from trivialisation and banalisation, so that the legitimacy of their courage and sacrifice will be brought into light. Forgetting about the victims of fascism and communism and falsifying history are serious blows to humanity," said President Iohannis.

He mentioned August 23 as a fatidic date in Romania's history. 

"The division of Europe into spheres of influence through the signing on August 23 1939 of the Ribbentrop-Molotov caused us the territorial losses from 1940 and hurried the totalitarian disaster that would last here for many decades. The years of dictatorship led to the economic and social stagnation of Romania, with its effects still visible in the Romanian society including after the fall of the communism and transition to democracy," showed the head of the state.

President Iohannis pointed out that the citizens must fight any such extremist trend.

"We are celebrating this year the 100th anniversary since the formation of the Romanian national unitary state and acknowledging the historic truth, while also carrying out a serious analysis of the events that marked our society, represents a priority. Today, the temptation of iliberalism is very strong. We must do our duty as responsible citizens and fight any extremist trend that could drive us away from the European principles and values," said Iohannis.

He also added that, in the recent time, he could notice a series of attacks meant to make the Romanian democracy more vulnerable.

"We cannot afford to give up our commitments taken once with our accession to the European Union and neither to return to those practices that characterized the communist regime. Let's not forget that, during the dictatorship, the destruction of the civil society, the annihilation of the fundamental rights that follows, meant, in fact, the systematic destruction of the rule of law state. The current generation must remain active in fighting to defend democracy and rule of law state, and in paying homage to those who made possible for Romania to act today, with honor and in good-faith, to strengthen the state institutions and consolidate the Romanian state's position at external level. Let it bee that the memory of the victims remains always alive in our hearts!," concluded Iohannis.