The horrors of war and genocide are a reminder of the worst that can result from the agency of humans. The massacre of Muslims in the former Yugoslavia and the brutal slaughter of Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda are recent examples of genocide. One such historical incident was the Holocaust.

 

The 27th of January was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to commemorate the genocide that resulted in the death of millions of Jews as well as many Roma, homosexuals and disabled people.

We reject any denial of the Holocaust as an event that deeply injured various European communities, most notably European Jewry. We acknowledge that in such instances the legacy of oppression and suffering continues long after the initial event, at times extending to communities not involved in the initial horror.

On this day we reaffirm our commitment to condemning all forms of intolerance, discrimination, harassment and violence against people based on race, ethnicity, religious belief, gender or sexual orientation. We reassert our commitment to the protection and advancement of human dignity and liberty for all and to the struggle for freedom for all oppressed people.

Tomorrow the Palestine solidarity and human rights organization BDS South Africa (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel in South Africa) will join the millions of people around the world in commemorating the the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

We commemorate this day in the recognition that the Nazi Holocaust was a human tragedy of unspeakable proportions. We are also tired of the Nazi Holocaust being monopolized to serve a pro-Israeli narrow, racist and ethnic interests; we want to mourn and commemorate with those who truly believe that an injury to one is an injury to all - that when we say, 'Never Again!' we mean ‘Never Again!’ to any and all groups of people - Jews, Christians, Muslims, Palestinains or any other group.