Skip to main content

Key Points from the Speech by the President of Ireland at National Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 1. Importance of Remembering the Holocaust The commemoration marks the eve of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Holocaust remembrance is crucial for humanity, especially for those who were targeted for extermination. The suffering and experiences of survivors serve as powerful testimony. 2. The Role of Memory and Ethical Remembrance Remembering the Holocaust should include understanding the range of victims: Jewish people, the disabled, Romani people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others deemed ‘Other’ by the Nazis. Preserved objects from concentration camps provide intimate connections to the past. Each generation must confront the consequences of genocide and the dangers of silence, indifference, and inaction. 3. Education as a Tool Against Hatred Holocaust education is vital to preventing future atrocities and fostering peace. Holocaust Education Ireland plays a key role in countering antisemitism, Holocaust denial, racism, and xenophobia. Education must emphasize the consequences of hatred, misinformation, and discrimination. 4. Learning from the Past to Address the Present The Holocaust represents the depths to which humanity can fall when dehumanization and authoritarianism take hold. Many political and media figures in Europe initially welcomed authoritarian policies under the guise of maintaining order. The lesson of the Holocaust is a call to reject indifference and stand against human rights abuses. 5. The Dangers of Rising Hate and Authoritarianism Today There is an increase in political authoritarianism, hate speech, racism, and social division. Indifference to injustice is becoming normalized, making ethical resistance more necessary. Diplomacy and peace-building should replace the current global focus on war and conflict. 6. The Need for a Mindset of Peace Rather than preparing for war, the world should cultivate a "mind of peace." Israeli and Palestinian peace activists demonstrate the importance of reconciliation despite personal loss. Forgiveness and understanding must be encouraged to prevent future cycles of violence. 7. The Holocaust’s Relevance to Current Conflicts The suffering caused by war today, including in Israel and Gaza, demands urgent humanitarian aid and diplomatic action. The international community must address the root causes of conflict to ensure lasting peace. The current ceasefire in Gaza must lead to real dialogue and human rights protections for all affected communities. 8. Challenging Hatred and Persecution in All Forms The Holocaust began with the manipulation of language and the spread of fear. Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia must be confronted wherever they arise. Hate speech and anti-migrant sentiment must be actively resisted in Ireland, Europe, and beyond. 9. Hope as an Active Choice Hope is not just an aspiration but an action. The world must actively plant "seeds of hope and peace" for future generations. Ethical remembrance should lead to concrete efforts to combat hate and promote coexistence. 10. A Call for Global Solidarity and Collective Consciousness Humanity must evolve towards greater empathy and cooperation. True justice and peace require addressing past injustices and preventing future ones. The speech concludes with a wish for peace and a commitment to ethical remembrance. These key points capture the essence of the President’s speech, emphasizing memory, education, justice, and peace. Key Points.

 

        HE Michael D. Higins. The President of Ireland. 

Key Points frMichaelom the Speech by the President of Ireland at National Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

1. Importance of Remembering the Holocaust

  • The commemoration marks the eve of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
  • Holocaust remembrance is crucial for humanity, especially for those who were targeted for extermination.
  • The suffering and experiences of survivors serve as powerful testimony.

2. The Role of Memory and Ethical Remembrance

  • Remembering the Holocaust should include understanding the range of victims: Jewish people, the disabled, Romani people and others deemed ‘Other’ by the Nazis.
  • Preserved objects from concentration camps provide intimate connections to the past.
  • Each generation must confront the consequences of genocide and the dangers of silence, indifference, and inaction.

3. Education as a Tool Against Hatred

  • Holocaust education is vital to preventing future atrocities and fostering peace.
  • Holocaust Education Ireland plays a key role in countering antisemitism, Holocaust denial, racism, and xenophobia.
  • Education must emphasize the consequences of hatred, misinformation, and discrimination.

4. Learning from the Past to Address the Present

  • The Holocaust represents the depths to which humanity can fall when dehumanization and authoritarianism take hold.
  • Many political and media figures in Europe initially welcomed authoritarian policies under the guise of maintaining order.
  • The lesson of the Holocaust is a call to reject indifference and stand against human rights abuses.

5. The Dangers of Rising Hate and Authoritarianism Today

  • There is an increase in political authoritarianism, hate speech, racism, and social division.
  • Indifference to injustice is becoming normalized, making ethical resistance more necessary.
  • Diplomacy and peace-building should replace the current global focus on war and conflict.

6. The Need for a Mindset of Peace

  • Rather than preparing for war, the world should cultivate a "mind of peace."
  • Israeli and Palestinian peace activists demonstrate the importance of reconciliation despite personal loss.
  • Forgiveness and understanding must be encouraged to prevent future cycles of violence.

7. The Holocaust’s Relevance to Current Conflicts

  • The suffering caused by war today, including in Israel and Gaza, demands urgent humanitarian aid and diplomatic action.
  • The international community must address the root causes of conflict to ensure lasting peace.
  • The current ceasefire in Gaza must lead to real dialogue and human rights protections for all affected communities.

8. Challenging Hatred and Persecution in All Forms

  • The Holocaust began with the manipulation of language and the spread of fear.
  • Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia must be confronted wherever they arise.
  • Hate speech and anti-migrant sentiment must be actively resisted in Ireland, Europe, and beyond.

9. Hope as an Active Choice

  • Hope is not just an aspiration but an action.
  • The world must actively plant "seeds of hope and peace" for future generations.
  • Ethical remembrance should lead to concrete efforts to combat hate and promote coexistence.

10. A Call for Global Solidarity and Collective Consciousness

  • Humanity must evolve towards greater empathy and cooperation.
  • True justice and peace require addressing past injustices and preventing future ones.
  • The speech concludes with a wish for peace and a commitment to ethical remembrance.

These key points capture the essence of the President’s speech, emphasizing memory, education, justice, and peace.


Source:


https://president.ie/en/media-library/speeches/speech-at-national-holocaust-memorial-day-commemoration

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Famine by design, Silence by Choice: 90,000 children are dying and still the UN can't find it's Spine.

  ✍️ By Malik Mukhtar | July 22, 2025 📍 From the graveyard of global morality: Gaza Let’s be clear. If a three-month-old baby named Yehia dies of starvation in his mother’s arms at Nasser Hospital, that should be enough for the world to say: “Enough.” But in today’s U.N., apparently 90,000 malnourished children, daily starvation deaths, and food rotting at the Gaza border still don’t meet the “technical ” threshold for famine . Welcome to the age of data-driven genocide , where unless a corpse is tagged with the right IPC Level 5 barcode , it's not really dead enough to matter. 📉 No Data? No Problem. Just Ignore the Bones. Let’s break this down. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — a bureaucratic tool forged in the fires of humanitarian intention — tells us that famine exists when: 20% of households face extreme food shortage, Acute malnutrition in children exceeds 30%, Deaths exceed 2 per 10,000 per day. But wait — Gaza’s under siege, aid...
Post a Comment
Read more

🏗️ Corporate Complicity in Genocide: The Global Economy Behind Gaza’s Ruin.

📅 July 5, 2025 “We are witnessing not just genocide in Gaza—but a genocide made profitable.” — UN Special Rapporteur, A/HRC/59/23 “This report is written from the heart of darkness . It is penned with a broken hand from a broken land for a broken people . But its words are not broken . They are the words of law and of longing . They are the words of those who are not yet silenced . It is written for Palestinians , first and foremost. It is also addressed to those who remain silent , indifferent or complicit . And it is a call to action for those who are not.” — Introduction, UN Report A/HRC/59/23 In an unprecedented and unflinching report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has laid bare the truth that much of the world’s corporate, academic, and financial architecture is actively complicit in Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and now, genocide in Gaza. This isn’t just about military aggression . This is about the mac...
3 comments
Read more

"Globalize the Intifada”—Or How to Offend Power by Naming Its Crimes

  📰 The New York Times and the Art of Grieving Selectively ✍️ By Malik Mukhtar 📍 ainnbeen.blogspot.com 📅 July 2, 2025 Bret Stephens is upset. Again. Apparently, he’s still recovering from Café Moment. And Passover in Netanya. And that one horrific morning in 2004 when he saw carnage on Azza Street. And he has every right to grieve those losses. Every human does. But here’s the thing: Some corpses get columns. Others get erased. Stephens, perched on the prestigious opinion page of The New York Times , just spent a full-length sermon condemning Zohran Mamdani—not for what he said, but for what he refused to denounce: the phrase “ globalize the intifada.” According to Bret, refusing to ritually cleanse your political career with the holy water of pro-Israel respectability is now akin to blessing bus bombings. What “ globalize the intifada” really means, Mr. Stephens, is refusing to accept a world where genocide is livestreamed, and the world just shrugs. It means dari...
Post a Comment
Read more

“Starving to Death, But Very Politely” — Gaza’s Famine and the Theater of Moral Collapse

📍Blog: ainnbeen.blogspot.com ✍️ By Malik Mukhtar | July 25, 2025 Let us all pause and thank the New York Times . After 21 months of bombing , blockade, and bullets , we finally have permission — no, confirmation — from America’s journal of record that yes, Gazans are, in fact, dying of starvation. The paper even sent reporters to Haifa, Jerusalem, and London — not Gaza, of course — to deliver the news. Skeletal toddlers, lactating mothers without milk, IV drips rationed like treasure — all neatly documented, sanitized, and wrapped in diplomatic passive voice. But fear not. The famine is not the fault of any one side. It's simply the result of “human failings , ” the report says. Ah yes, the tragedy of equal blame . A little siege here, a little looting there — and voilà! Starvation appears like a natural disaster . Like a famine tsunami . No perpetrators. Just poor little victims. Meanwhile, Israel, the world’s most moral occupier™ , is gallantly uploading videos of...
Post a Comment
Read more

🩸 "If It Were Really Genocide, Wouldn’t More People Be Dead?" — The Cruel Logic of Bret Stephens

  ✍️ By Malik Mukhtar | July 23, 2025 So let’s all take a moment to appreciate the cold brilliance of Bret Stephens , New York Times columnist and self-appointed moral compass for the apocalypse. In his latest masterstroke of ethical reasoning , he argues that the claim of genocide in Gaza rings hollow — not because tens of thousands haven’t been killed , but because not enough have. “It may seem harsh to say, but there is a glaring dissonance to the charge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.” “If the Israeli government’s intentions and actions are truly genocidal — if it is so malevolent that it is committed to the annihilation of Gazans — why hasn’t it been more methodical and vastly more deadly?” Ah yes, the ol’ “ not genocidal enough” defense — a timeless classic. You see, according to Stephens, genocide must be more “ methodical ,” more “ deadly .” A mere 60,000 deaths (as reported by Gaza’s health ministry) over two years of war doesn’t meet the qu...
Post a Comment
Read more