Prime Minister Robert Golob delivers a keynote address at the ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz
Prime Minister Robert Golob attended a ceremony at Gimnazija Kranj to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz | Author Katja Kodba/STA
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Golob thanked all those who preserve the memory of the horrors of the camps. "There is nothing worse in life and in the world than children being separated from their parents. The suffering of children in labour, re-education and concentration camps all over Europe is one of the darkest chapters of history. And even though it is 80 years since the liberation of the camps, the gazes of those girls and boys still touch our hearts and rouse our consciences. Above all, they are mirrored in the eyes of wounded, stolen and displaced children in Ukraine, Gaza and other war zones around the world. We must always keep in mind those two words: ‘Never again!’"
"Even today, those who stir up hatred do not work towards peace and the future. Who convince us that just because people are different from us, we should be afraid of them. Who get their power by insulting, humiliating and excluding others," the Prime Minister said.
He continued that he hoped the students would grow up in a society of acceptance. "Where you can, first of all, accept yourself – in all your fullness and uniqueness. Where you can develop and live your identity freely. Where you can dress the way you want, listen to the music you like. Where you can travel safely in digital worlds and around the planet. I wish you the courage to help build such a future for yourselves. May our guests of honour today be an inspiration to you and to us all."
The Prime Minister concluded his address with a tribute and a pledge: "...that the door, both mine and the Government's, will always be wide open to all civil society organisations working for peace, harmony and respect among nations."
Earlier, a reportage exhibition on Auschwitz featuring letters written by students of Gimnazija Kranj was opened at the high school, and the Museum of Recent History in Celje shed more light on this dark side of history by staging an exhibition on stolen children. The students talked to the witnesses Janez Žmavc and Vladimir Guna, who were stolen as children during the war and taken to a concentration camp.
The event was organised by students of Gimnazija Kranj and the Society of Concentration Camp Survivors – Stolen Children.