Press Advisories

27. 1. 201013:10

Prime Minister Speaking on the Occasion of the Holocaust Memorial Day

Prime Minister Jan Fischer took part in a ceremony marking the Holocaust Memorial Day

Prime Minister Jan Fischer today made a speech at a ceremony commemorating the Holocaust Memorial Day in the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

In his speech the Prime Minister described the Holocaust as pure evil and warned the evil could be revived. At the same time he pointed out it was necessary to oppose ideas, which initiate violence.

"The Holocaust was not a brutal spontaneous pogrom, the Holocaust represented homicide as a project, a well-prepared plan. The Holocaust represented homicide as a field of industry, as an administration, as a timetable. It was preceded by a perfect registration of persons and property. The monstrous thing about it was that the Jewish communities in Germany and the occupied territories had to organize it themselves,” the Prime Minister said.

Taking part in the ceremony in the upper chamber of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, which marked the liberation day of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army, was the former prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and vice-chairman of the International Auschwitz Committee, Felix Kolier.

Ensuing from the advance of the Red Army the SS command ordered evacuation of prisoners. Almost sixty thousand of them were forced out on a death march to other camps. Only the sick escaped these marches, most of which were shot dead or died of hunger. The mere 7,650 people survived to be liberated. Over 1.1 million people died in Auschwitz – one million Jews, up to 75 thousand Poles, 21 thousand Roma people, 15 thousand Soviet war prisoners and further 15 thousand people of other nationalities.

In 2003 the Czech Parliament approved January 27 as the Holocaust Memorial Day.