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Zagreb - The six million Jews killed in WWII are the most horrific reminder of how low man can get, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Friday, on the occasion of tomorrow's International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
27 January was chosen for marking the biggest tragedy of the Jewish people in memory of the liberation of Auschwitz, which occurred 79 years ago, Jandroković said in parliament, which observed a minute's silence for all victims.
Although there were numerous places in Europe where Jews were killed in WWII, "rarely does a name so strongly symbolise horror, suffering and human cruelty as Auschwitz," he said.
The six million Jews killed in WWII are the most awful reminder also of how short the path can be from a failed idea and unfounded hate to brutality towards another man, he added.
"At the core of such an approach is a shallow, primitive and criminal ideology and the ostensible impossibility to coexist with people of another faith, ethnicity, race or political beliefs. And nothing good can ever come of that."
The 130 people in Croatia named Righteous Among the Nations successfully passed the most difficult test of humanity, and their actions and protection of those persecuted during the crimes of the (1941-45) Independent State of Croatia testify that it is possible to remain humane and noble also in the most dangerous circumstances, Jandroković said.
Living under two totalitarian regimes in the 20th century was painful and shocking for Croatia, he said.
They strongly guided the founders of our modern state, in fighting for our freedom, independence and democracy, to build a society on foundations that were diametrically opposite to totalitarian ones, and we have the obligation to continue to build our country and the world as places where diversity will always be respected and mutual understanding strongly encouraged, Jandroković said.
Since March 2023, Croatia chairs the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and it is among the leaders of global attempts to combat Holocaust denial and distortion, antisemitism and Roma discrimination, he said.
The theme of Croatia's chairmanship, "Future of Remembrance", raises awareness of the fact that ours is the last generation to have the chance to meet Holocaust survivors and witnesses, he added.
Auschwitz and Jasenovac, like Vukovar, Škabrnja and Srebrenica, are symbols of inhumane crimes from which our civilisation should learn and grow, but it seems we live in times when dangerous ideas and radical policies are again taking hold, Jandroković said.
"We have been watching their most drastic consequences for nearly two years in Ukraine. Hamas' senseless and brutal attack on Israel on 7 October last year had a similar radical pattern. As instability is rising in different parts of the world, it seems the warnings of the past are not enough. Yet they should be. Evil should be strongly and resolutely opposed," he said, calling on everyone to jointly and strongly oppose extremist ideas and tendencies.