PARIS, January 27. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron has highlighted the role of Soviet soldiers in the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, he said during a speech at the Shoah memorial in Paris during a memorial ceremony timed to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
"On January 27, 1945, the brave soldiers of the Red Army set foot behind the barbed wire of the concentration camp," the president reminded. "They did not know yet at that moment that they are walking over the ashes of a mass grave where over a million people had perished." There were over 75,000 French citizens killed at the camp.
"Our duty is to remember the past, remember all Holocaust victims to build the present," Macron continued. "We need to keep telling the new generations about this tragedy."
The French leader warned of the danger of the return of antisemitism in Europe. "The return of antisemitism is not the problem of the Jewish nation, it is our common problem," he stressed. According to Macron, "it is unacceptable to tolerate racism, denial of Nazi crimes, encroachment on historic heritage and ideals." "We must not give in," the president said.
"The work on immortalizing the memory of the victims is not over, we need to gather all the facts and fight against obscurity," Macron stated. "This is the goal of the Holocaust memorial, where an updated memorial wall has been inaugurated today," he said.
January 27 marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day when the world honors the memory of millions of innocent people murdered at the hands of Nazi Germany. On this date 75 years ago, the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army. According to various sources, 1.5-2 mln people were killed at the camp, including 15,000 Soviet citizens.