The Commissioner for Human Rights paid a moving tribute to the victims of Nazism during the ceremony held on 27 January 2026 to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Commissioner particularly praised the commitment of young people to perpetuating collective memory. Addressing the children and teenagers present directly, he emphasised the importance of their role: "To the young people here today, I would like to remind you that memory survives only through your willingness to pass it on. Not as a burden, but as a constant commitment to dignity, justice and the uncompromising rejection of hatred in all its forms. Your presence is precious. Your voices resonate. We are inspired by your dedication as Ambassadors of Memory. "

Why Rothau?

Rothau, an Alsatian village deeply marked by history, was the arrival point for convoys of deportees to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp during the Second World War. Rothau railway station, an emblematic place of remembrance, is now the starting point of the Chemin des déportés (Deportees' Trail), an 8 km walking route that retraces the journey taken by the victims between the station and the former camp. This trail, marked with explanatory panels, is an important historical and memorial introduction, inviting reflection and vigilance. Commemorative walks are organised there every year.

In the immediate vicinity of the station, the Rothau Human Rights Garden, inaugurated in 2017, is the result of a partnership between the Regards d'enfants association, the municipality of Rothau and the International Centre for Human Rights. This garden, designed and maintained by young people, is a place for meeting and raising awareness of human rights values. It hosts commemorative ceremonies and educational activities in connection with the European Path for Peace and the prevention of crimes against humanity.

An educational and commemorative approach

The Regards d'enfants association, in collaboration with the municipality and the European Centre for Deportees and Resistance Fighters, organises an annual ceremony at the Human Rights Garden involving several classes and their teachers. The pupils actively participate in the preparation of the event by reading texts, singing songs and presenting individual stories, such as those of Hélène Faller and Adalbert Eckstein, two victims of the Vichy regime's ‘anti-nomad’ policy and the Nazis' ‘anti-Gypsy’ measures in the annexed zone[1]. Their fates, highlighted in a podcast produced by the Grand Est Region, are also part of the project to inaugurate a Wall of Names near the Alsace-Moselle Memorial in Schirmeck.

This monument, the first stone of which was laid in 2024, will pay tribute to the civilians and military personnel of Alsace and Moselle who died during the Second World War.

The Roma and Travellers Division was represented at this ceremony to demonstrate its interest in this work of remembrance. This work helps to raise the profile of the victims, which is one of the objectives shared with the RomaMemory joint programme of the Council of Europe and European Union. The latter aims more broadly to perpetuate the recognition, memory and education of younger generations about the Roma Holocaust.