Remarks by H.E. Ambassador András Dékányat the opening of the Wallenberg exhibitionPalais des Nations, Geneva, July 4, 2012
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my privilege to be able to be part of this opening ceremony, honouring the Swedish diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg, “a Man amidst inhumanity”. It gives me a particular pleasure to see in our midst the members of the Wallenberg family. Mr. Wallenberg’s courageous choice was not to remain passive in the face of murderous evil. At great risk to his own life, Wallenberg developed, together with his Hungarian aides, a network of Swedish safe houses in Budapest, where about 15,000 Jews found shelter and issued thousands of documents to save Hungarian Jews from being shot or deported. Despite repeated calls from his friends and acquaintances to seek safety, Wallenberg decided to confront head-on the darkest side of human nature. This earned him the respect and admiration, not only of Jews and Hungarians but also of the world at large. Unfortunately, he was unable to experience the gratitude of the survivors and of the whole Hungarian nation, as he was taken away by force and disappeared in the Stalinist prison system. His fate still remains unclear.
Even today, Hungarians are still coming to terms with the horrors of the Holocaust, when a large part of our population was massacred. It was a tragedy not only for the Jews of Hungary, but for the whole nation. The Jewish community and culture was and remains an intrinsic part of Hungarian heritage. Thanks to the fearless actions of Wallenberg, the Jewish presence and traditions could survive and today we are proud to have a flourishing vibrant Jewish cultural life in Hungary.
At the centennial of his birth, as an expression of our remembrance and gratitude, the Government of Hungary declared 2012 as the Wallenberg Year, with yearlong series of events, including a high level opening ceremony in Budapest, a photo exhibition, scientific conferences, memorial concerts and events. We cooperate across the world with our partners from Sweden, Israel and the United States in order to ensure a commemoration worthy of Wallenberg, a real “knight of humanism”.
Remembering alone, however, is not sufficient. If we truly want to honour those who perished in the Holocaust, we have to do our utmost to actively prevent such a tragedy from repeating itself. We therefore have the moral obligation to actively condemn and fight all forms and expressions of anti-Semitism. Hungary continues to make every effort to put into practice the lessons learnt from the Holocaust as well as from the example set by Raoul Wallenberg. We therefore strongly reject statements that hurt human dignity and we are committed to act against extremism, racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of intolerance. Hungary has passed important laws that made Holocaust denial a crime, and there is a strict ban imposed on paramilitary groupings. The Government pays special attention to enforce these laws and regulations.
It is very pertinent that this exhibition takes place at the United Nations in the margins of the 20th session of the Human Rights Council. Wallenberg’s example sends out a clear message to Governments and human rights defenders alike that genocide and crimes against humanity must be confronted, condemned and prevented. It also shows that it is possible to stand up against evil and that those who do, can count on the protection and support of all of us.
Raoul Wallenberg is the true embodiment of the noble Swedish traditions of humanism and compassion. We, Hungarians also cherish his legacy. I sincerely thank our friends at the Permanent Mission of Sweden for arranging for this important exhibition.