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Opening remarks by Ms Tanja Gonggrijp, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Dear families of the Norwegian and Dutch prisoners,

Dear Ambassadors, Judges and commander,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a privilege, and a deeply solemn responsibility, to stand with you today at the Ash Grave of Natzweiler-Struthof.

This is my first speech as the newly elected Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. I cannot imagine a more meaningful place in which to begin.

I am here as a representative of the Council of Europe, but also as a Dutch citizen, as a granddaughter. For the Netherlands, as for Norway and other countries, this memory is part of our national history. But it is also part of our common European history.

We are gathered here to remember those who survived here, and those who never returned home. To remember the suffering and pain put on so many. But also to remember their courage.

This year, that remembrance carries a particular poignancy.

Recently, on 16 August, Henry Grand died, the last surviving deportee of Natzweiler-Struthof.

With his death, another living link to this chapter of our history has disappeared.

For decades, survivors gave us testimony. They told us what happened and made it possible for generations to understand what had taken place here.

Now that responsibility is fully ours.

It is ours at a time when Europe is again confronted with the atrocities of war.

It is ours at a time when Europe is again confronted with intolerance and hatred, and when the far right is gaining ground.

It is ours at a time when facts of are again distorted, relativised and, at times, deliberately rewritten.

This is why remembrance matters. Not as an exercise in looking backwards, but as a way of understanding what is at stake today and will be even more so tomorrow.

The Council of Europe itself was born from that understanding. Founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, it was built on the conviction that lasting peace in Europe requires respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

This is why the organisation, together with the European Court for Human Rights stands for Justice. Impunity is not an option.

This is why Holocaust remembrance, together with the fight against every form of intolerance and discrimination, is at the heart of the organisation’s work.

And 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.

Today, we are here to honour the prisoners. And may their memory continue to remain an inspiration for all of us to educate the next generations, to stand up against any form of backsliding and to be courageous when circumstances require.

This is the least we can do while we carry the responsibility to remember. [I feel this responsibility in my formal capacity, but also as a granddaughter and as a mother.]

This is the responsibility we carry forward.

Thank you.