Australian Human Rights Commission marks Auschwitz liberation day
The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Hugh de Kretser, Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman and Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay have honoured the memory of the six million Jewish men, women, and children, as well as millions of others, who were systematically murdered during the Holocaust.
Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the day Soviet troops liberated the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. Today is the 80th anniversary of the liberation.
The AHRC president said: “Australia is home to one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors and their descendants outside of Israel. The survivors and their families have profoundly enriched our society. They continue to speak up about the lessons of the past so that the horrors are not repeated.
We pay tribute to their resistance and strength and we acknowledge the enduring legacy of intergenerational trauma.”
He noted International Holocaust Remembrance Day is being marked this year at a time when Australia is experiencing an overwhelming increase in antisemitism.
Commissioner Sivaraman added: “Antisemitism is an insidious form of racism. Rising antisemitic incidents in Australia are abhorrent and serve as a call to action for people across the country to stand together in unity for an anti-racist Australia. Everyone should feel free to live their true selves and practice their faith without fear of persecution, intimidation, violence or discrimination.”
“The Jewish community should not be left to face the rising tide of antisemitism alone. While antisemitism directly targets Jewish people, its impacts are much broader. It ultimately damages all of us by eroding our social fabric and undermining the peaceful diversity that is at the heart of modern Australia,” Commissioner Finlay said.
This International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Commission has encouraged all Australians to reflect on the importance of unity, respect and the shared responsibility to combat hate.
“By remembering the past, we strengthen our resolve to build a future free from discrimination and violence.”
