We live in a time and years when the last direct witnesses of the Holocaust – one of the most terrible crimes in the history of mankind – will die, which makes our obligation to remember the victims and preserve the anti-fascist tradition even greater, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Janković said at a meeting of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality on the occasion of the International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day.

Serbia is not one of the countries where anti-Semitism is on the rise, and sporadic incidents are always condemned by the institution of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality as well as the competent authorities, which shows, the Commissioner pointed out, that Serbia vociferously and consistently nurtures a culture of remembrance of the common suffering of Jewish, Roma and Serbian people in the Second World War.

Hatred, fear of the other and the different, and intolerance have too high a price, which is measured in millions of victims. Our people must not forget this, and there is no need to remind that, besides Jews, Serbs and Roma are among those who suffered the greatest sacrifices in the Second World War and that Serbia rightfully inherits the anti-fascist tradition, said the Commissioner.

Respect for human rights, prohibition of discrimination, and fostering a culture of tolerance and dialogue are the best defenses against all threats that could endanger the highest civilizational values of any society. That is why learning about tolerance and respect for diversity must begin from the earliest childhood, through the school system, with constant reminders of the Holocaust and the sacrifices suffered during one of the darkest periods in history, the Commissioner pointed out.