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The National School for Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA) has requested on Tuesday a "firm" reaction on part of society towards extremist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic discourse.
"The academic community in SNSPA notes with worry an intensification in presence in the Romanian public and media landscape of a discourse that tries to relativize and caution condemnable political actors and events, which belong to a dark history of Romania and humanity. The political leaders and actors in question are known for attitudes, decisions and actions which were profoundly antidemocratic, extremist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic," shows a press release sent on Tuesday to AGERPRES.
According to the SNSPA, the proliferation of such a discourse is "toxic" for Romanian democracy and "contrary" to the European direction of the country.
"This does not have place in a civilized society, which manifests respect towards people, towards fundamental human rights and towards one of the greatest dramas in the history of humanity, the Holocaust. Any public person has the duty to respect the memory of millions of people who were mass murdered without blame and to have an adequate public discourse, one which would not belittle this drama of humanity. SNSPA firmly condemns anti-Semitism, racism in all its instances and manifestations," the release emphasizes.
SNSPA is appealing to all actors in Romanian public space to "show responsibility and deference" towards the past, Agerpres.ro informs.
"We believe it a matter of urgency for a reaction to come from civil society, academic community, professional organizations and, of course, media. Denial of historically attested facts is an act of complicity to the crimes that have happened in those years. Just as toxic is the indifference towards these manifestations," the quoted release also shows.
According to SNSPA, the cultivation of the memory of the Holocaust is a "fundamental" part of democratic education. "For this reason, we cannot ignore these statements, which we condemn with all firmness," the release also states.
