President Tsai delivers remarks at International Holocaust Remembrance Day event
On the afternoon of April 17, President Tsai Ing-wen attended an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event and delivered remarks, in which she said that unity is imperative in combating hatred and developing understanding. The president stated that as we are confronted with the growing threats of terrorism and authoritarianism, Taiwan has been taking initiatives, through collaboration with our international partners, to enhance regional religious freedom, to fight against discrimination, and to promote equality. She stated that Taiwan will continue to be a strong advocate for human rights and democracy, so we can leave the world a better place for future generations.
Upon arrival, President Tsai took in a musical performance and watched as a rabbi recited a prayer before joining other distinguished guests to light candles in memory of the Holocaust's victims.
A transcript of President Tsai's remarks follows:
I would like to begin by thanking the Israel Economic and Cultural Office (ISECO) in Taipei, the German Institute Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy for co-organizing this important event.
I also want to thank you all for making time to come here today to remember those who lost their lives in the Holocaust. We are also here to pay tribute to those who survived, and to acknowledge the sufferings of all who were affected by this dark chapter of human history.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge Mr. Peter Gaspar, who is joining us virtually today. I am grateful for his participation in this year's event and for sharing his harrowing experience with all of us.
Every year, we come here together to remember those who perished in the Holocaust, as well as those who endured unimaginable sufferings because of this tragedy. We must pledge to never forget this period in history, when human dignity was cast aside for political ideology. We should also never stop fighting against discrimination and bigotry.
We must also be reminded that there are still countless people who continue to suffer at the hands of authoritarian regimes and dictatorships, just because they are of different ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or political ideology. In other words, there is still much work needed to be done.
In the pursuit of justice and truth, we can learn from Israel and Germany – Israel in its efforts to preserve the historical accounts of the Holocaust, especially its victims, and Germany in its courage to face the past.
In Taiwan, we have been working to ensure that we address the injustices of the past and uncover the truth of atrocities in the authoritarian era. In addition to the annual commemoration of the 228 Incident, my government has built a solid foundation for the realization of transitional justice. We elevated transitional justice as a priority at the highest government level.
The Executive Yuan established government bodies to further emphasize the values of transitional justice in policy implementation. The newly amended Political Archives Act came into effect this year, on the 77th anniversary of the 228 Incident. This is an important element in my government's effort to restore truth in the pursuit of transitional justice. We hope this will further help bring some closure and comfort to the victims of the White Terror era and their families.
Even though we have come quite a long way on upholding human rights and fighting against bigotry, the world must continue to confront antisemitism and authoritarian aggression. We are also seeing the horrifying effects of such aggressions in Ukraine and in Hamas' terroristic attack on Israel. This is why we stress the importance of working alongside the international community to safeguard what we fought so hard to achieve, that is, democracy, freedom, equality, and peace.
As part of our collaborative efforts, starting from 2021, the Israel office here, our Ministry of Education's human rights resource center, and Yad Vashem, Israel's World Holocaust Remembrance Center, co-organized workshops and held traveling exhibitions to raise awareness on the history of the Holocaust. We also continue to donate to Yad Ezer Lechaver, an NGO that works with our representative office in Tel Aviv, to help provide daily necessities to Holocaust survivors.
Through collaboration with our international partners, Taiwan has been proactively taking initiatives to enhance regional religious freedom, to fight against discrimination, and to promote equality. Taiwan will continue to be a strong advocate for human rights and democracy.
History has taught us time and again that unity is imperative in combating hatred and developing understanding. As we are confronted with the growing threats of terrorism and authoritarianism, it is even more important that we work together, so we can leave the world a better place for future generations. We owe it to the memory of those who lost their precious lives to a tragedy like the Holocaust and those who sacrificed themselves to protect the value of democracy. We should also remind ourselves to remain vigilant, while we reaffirm our vow to not let this tragedy happen again.
In closing, I want to thank everyone for taking part in this meaningful event, and for keeping the names and stories of the victims of the Holocaust living in our memory.
Also in attendance at the event were Chair of the Knesset Taiwan friendship group Boaz Toporovsky, ISECO Representative Maya Yaron, and German Institute Taipei Director General Jörg Polster.