The group of survivors of the Holocaust and genocide committed recently signed an open letter urging everyone, especially members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and Perov (nobility), to take into account the effect of his words, at a time when there is so much hatred and division in the world. Among them are Sabit Jakupovic and Safet Vukalić who survived the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The letter is the entire
“We are a group of survivors of the Holocaust and the recent genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur and we are writing this open letter because we look around us, which is why we are concerned.
Incidents of hate crimes in the United Kingdom are growing with alarming speed. Dangerous divisions are formed in our society, and inflaming them extreme and polarizing language of those in power, all of which serves to insecure environment becomes more and more unstable. We are living witnesses of what can happen if this caustic public discourse can not be recognized, challenged and stopped.
Each of us is a first-hand experience hostility based on the identity of the genocidal regimes that persecuted us. History has shown that division and hatred broke society marginalizing certain groups, making the “other” of them. We felt the horror and fear of crashing on our community. We saw how these calls divisions rooted in identity and what starts as polling, gets permission for the mutilation and murder.
We know what can happen when hatred and division go unnoticed and we believe that we are all responsible for their stop at the very roots. Therefore, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day – to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia – we demand from all that well thought about using their language.
We invite our members of Parliament and Perov to think about the truth, beyond their political obtaining points, and on the long-term impact of their words. We invite them to be the example to take responsibility for their use of language and to make a positive choice not using words hazardous potential to ignite tensions in the short moment of political benefits.
Our society is divided and words alone will not unite us. But calling those who have the power to change the way the debate to pay more attention to the language they use, we hope that we can help to create a softer, the air filled with reverence in which these divisions can begin to heal.
Yours,
Steven Frank BEM, survived the Holocaust
Ivor Perl BEM, Holocaust survivor
Hannah Lewis MBE, survived the Holocaust
Joan Salter MBE, Holocaust survivor
Dr. Martin Stern MBE, survived the Holocaust
Bernd Koschland MBE, rescuer of Jewish children from Germany
Sabit Jakupovic, the survivors of genocide in BiH
Safet Vukalić BEM, the survivors of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Where Ashe Houston, survivors of genocide in Cambodia
Sokphal Din BEM, the survivors of the genocide in Cambodia
Eric Eugene Murangwa MBE, the survivors of genocide in Rwanda
Zina Abbas, survivor of the genocide in Darfur
ISAM Agieb, survivors of genocide in Darfur ”
