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| You are here: 2000 / Opening Session: Messages and speeches / Message by the Prime Minister of the French Republic, Lionel Jospin | |||||||||
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Message by the Prime Minister of the French Republic, Lionel Jospin Jospin, Lionel Message by the Prime Minister of the French Republic at the Ceremonial Opening Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of State and Government,Ladies and Gentlemen, Ministers of State, Ladies and Gentlemen,
«If the echo of their voices should fade, we shall perish». These words of the poet Paul Éluard express the full extent of the duty of remembrance which has brought together here today the representatives of so many nations that paid so dearly for the greatest nightmare of the 20th century. They bear witness to our determination to ensure that neither the cries of the victims nor the words of the survivors shall fade. We all share a common sentiment – that to speak of the Holocaust means shouldering our responsibilities as human beings in the present day, and working to make the world of tomorrow more humane. Despite the thousands of publications devoted to the «final solution», the mystery nevertheless remains: how, in the context of European civilization, could the organized massacre of millions of human beings ever have come about? The Holocaust did not affect all of our nations in the same manner, but it has left its mark on all. Today, every nation has a duty to examine its past in a spirit of lucidity – lucidity, the courage of the intellect. Such courage is necessary if we are to understand the lesson of history. The gas chambers did not emerge «from nowhere». They were preceded by an exacerbation of nationalist sentiments, a rising tide of intolerance, a slow disintegration of conscience, the entrenchment of racism and anti-Semitism, the teaching of contempt – all of which over time desensitized entire peoples and planted in the minds of a whole chain of subordinates the idea that it was possible to kill women, men and children in extermination camps, but impossible to disobey the order of a superior. Many of the murderers and their accomplices were very ordinary people, embodying what Hannah Arendt called the «banality of evil». In the light of this knowledge, how can we invent a world in which such monstrous events are not only prohibited, but unthinkable? This question encapsulates the full significance of the present gathering of political leaders here in Stockholm. Our gathering here is grounds for hope. That the very first world conference of the new century is devoted not to economic affairs or financial policy but to human dignity, to ethical values and to education, seems to me to be fundamental. Respect for human dignity necessarily entails remembrance of the past. The task of establishing the truth of that remembrance is the responsibility of historians. They enable us to contemplate our past with lucidity. A past in all its brilliance – its works of the mind, its cultures, its great historical accomplishments. But also a past with an enormous shadow veiling a world we would wish to see as wholly the fruit of the Enlightenment. For this reason, I wish to pay homage to the researchers who continually deepen our knowledge of the Holocaust, of evil pushed to absolute limits – a knowledge that is indispensable if we are to combat denial and pass on the memory of the events to later generations. Education on the Holocaust, understanding of the causes that made it possible, and homage to those who fought it, are a moral duty. We in France now subscribe fully to this duty of remembrance and education. While French governments have been slow to acknowledge the responsibility of the French state in the persecution of Jews in France and the looting of their property during the second world war, the last few years have seen very substantial progress. On 3 February 1993, President François Mitterrand declared a National Day for remembrance of racist and anti-Semitic persecution. This falls on the first Sunday after 16 July, the anniversary of the police round-up of Jews and their internment in the «Vélodrome d’Hiver». In July 1995, President Jacques Chirac acknowledged the responsibility of government in the persecution that occurred in France over the period 1940-1944. We are continuing to shed light on the darkest years of our past. A committee chaired by Jean Mattéoli – who was himself a deportee – has been set up to investigate the looting to which Jews resident in France fell victim during the war. In the light of a final report to be submitted to me in the near future by that committee, France will redress what can be redressed. I have already proposed to the government that a committee for the compensation of the victims should be formed. Similarly, we have decided to make a substantial contribution to the funding of the extension of the Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr, which houses the Centre for Contemporary Jewish Documentation. We shall also be developing Holocaust education in schools still further. I am informed that a French publisher has offered to distribute to all primary schools a work devoted to the Holocaust. This initiative will receive support from the French government. We intend to create a foundation whose main concern will be Holocaust education. No such foundation can hope to reach a real audience unless government aid and assistance are provided to it over the long term. Such aid and assistance will be forthcoming. Where the future is concerned, it is my wish that a substantial part of our effort should be devoted to the cultural dimension of remembrance. The diversity of cultures is our common heritage. When a culture disappears, all cultures are impoverished. When the Jews in Europe were exterminated, whole cultures were buried with them, and here I am thinking particularly of Judaism in Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine. It is for this reason that we must teach people what the Yiddish world once was. I am very pleased to see projects focused upon that goal, especially the creation of a European Centre for Yiddish Culture in Strasbourg. Ladies and Gentlemen, Our nations did not open their ears to the cries of the Holocaust victims. We today are responsible for the echoes of those cries; it is our duty to amplify them to ensure that they are heard among all the peoples we are representing here today. To enable them to bear witness. To keep faith with all those who lost their lives in the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century. To ensure that respect for human dignity is in the first rank of the values guiding our nations. To hand down to future generations an assertion of total rejection and a message of hope founded on lucidity. >> Back to top |
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Introduction Opening Session: Messages and speeches
Workshops, Panels and Seminars Closing Session and Declaration Other Activities |
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| For information about this production and the Stockholm International Forum Conference Series please go to www.humanrights.gov.se or contact Information Rosenbad, SE-103 33 Stockholm, Sweden | |||||||||