The façade of the Greek Parliament commemorated the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust by displaying the slogan "We remember" with a photo of prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp.
The Holocaust, also called as the Shoah, was Hitler’s “Final Solution” for eliminating Jews within Germany’s grasp. By the end of the heinous act, around two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population had been killed, according to Holocaust encyclopedia.
The UN General Assembly in its 42nd plenary session adopted the 60/7 resolution and declared January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day on November 1, 2005.
January 27 was chosen as the date as it was this day when the Auschwitz concentration camp, the biggest concentration camp in Germany was liberated by the Soviet Army in 1945. The resolution condemns all forms of Nazi denial and urges member states to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.
The UN organises Holocaust commemorative and educational activities through various themes and ceremonies to draw attention to the actions taken by the survivors to reclaim their rights, history, cultural heritage and traditions, and their dignity.
The UN marks the day to commemorate the victims of the Nazi regime and to promote Holocaust education across the globe. The theme of this year’s Holocaust remembrance and education is “Home and Belonging”.
This year’s theme highlights the plight of the Holocaust victims. It is to make an individual aware of his/her responsibilities towards victims of atrocities, to fight hate speech, holocaust distortion and to prevent genocides, according to UN.
Elsewhere, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said such a situation will “never, ever, happen again” in the country as today “Israel protects itself by itself”.
“Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and exactly 78 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp," Netanyahu said in a set of tweets.
"We in Israel mark this event by honoring the sacred memory of those who perished at the hands of a murderous Nazi regime. And we vow that this will never, ever, happen again to our people.
“The difference now is that the Jewish people have the State of Israel. Israel protects itself by itself,” he added.
Israel is a “strong and vibrant nation,” said Netanyahu, adding, “we have built up a powerful state that will not allow our enemies to inflict the very pain, suffering and devastating loss our people experienced during the Holocaust.”
“And there are those who still call for our destruction, day in and day out. We will not cower in fear nor will we allow the threats of these tyrants to intimidate us,” he said.
“For this enemy knows that at the end of the day, if needed, we can and will defend ourselves, and we will not allow our enemies to possess an ability to carry out its murderous agenda.
"We see them on their steady march towards obtaining the most lethal of weapons and I say to them here and now – we will stop you from obtaining them. And we do not forget or forgive the evil deniers of the Holocaust, which for them – one Holocaust was not enough,” the Israeli PM added.
He further reiterated that Israel will remain “vigilant, strong and never allow the Holocaust to happen again.”
“On behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, on behalf of the survivors and those who perished, I vow to you as Prime Minister of the one and only Jewish state, that we will remain vigilant, strong and never allow the Holocaust to happen again. Never,” he noted.
READ MORE: Commemorating Jews of Greece: International Holocaust Remembrance Day.