UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an end to anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls on Jan. 27.
"Today, we honor the victims of the Holocaust, an incomparable tragedy in human history. The world has a duty to remember that the Holocaust was a systematic attempt to eliminate the Jewish people and so many others," said Guterres in a video message broadcast on UN Web TV.
"It would be a dangerous error to think of the Holocaust as simply the result of the insanity of a group of criminal Nazis. On the contrary, the Holocaust was the culmination of millennia of hatred, scapegoating and discrimination targeting the Jews, what we now call anti-Semitism."
"Tragically, and contrary to our resolve, anti-Semitism continues to thrive," he warned. "We are also seeing a deeply troubling rise in extremism, xenophobia, racism and anti-Muslim hatred. Irrationality and intolerance are back."
He said the world should never remain silent or indifferent when human beings are suffering so much. "We must always defend the vulnerable and bring tormentors to justice."
He stressed the importance of education. After the horrors of the 20th century, there should be no room for intolerance in the 21st, he said.
Guterres pledged to be "in the front line" of the battle against anti-Semitism and all other forms of hatred. "Let us build a future of dignity and equality for all -- and thus honor the victims of the Holocaust who we will never allow to be forgotten."
