In her first speech as the newly elected Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, delivered on 12 September at the annual commemoration of Norwegian and Dutch prisoners at the former Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, Tanja Gonggrijp stressed that preserving the memory of the Holocaust, fighting impunity, and standing against intolerance and discrimination are at the heart of the Organisation’s work.

Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, the Council of Europe was built on the conviction that lasting peace in Europe requires respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.  At a time when Europe is again confronted with the atrocities of the war, with intolerance and hatred, when facts are again distorted and relativised, “remembrance matters – not as an exercise of looking backwards, but as a way of understanding what is at stake today and will be even more so tomorrow”, Deputy Secretary General stated.  

“This is also why we are currently building the New Democratic Pact for Europe under the leadership of the Secretary General. ‘Never again’ requires strong democratic institutions, trust in those institutions and innovation to meet the challenges of today. It requires full dedication from governments, civil society, companies, and also from us, individuals”, she concluded.

Children and grandchildren of former camp prisonners, as well as representatives of the Dutch and Norwegian governments took part in the event organised by the International Natzweiler Committee and the Dutch and Norwegian Friends' Associations of former Natzweiler prisoners. The commemoration ceremony included a minute of silence and wreath-laying at the site of the former concentration camp site and at Rothau railway station, the arrival point for the prisoners.