The accompanying photograph was published by the BBC World Service. It shows a group of children, in camp uniform photographed by the Soviet soldiers who liberated Auschwitz. Children who were too young to be of use as forced labour were often killed as soon as they arrived at Auschwitz.
Doctors under the infamous Josef Mengele conducted pseudo-scientific experiments on twins. They received blood transfusions, mysterious injections and eye drops that caused temporary or permanent blindness.
Over a million people perished in Auschwitz, the majority of them Jews. They were exterminated by the Nazis as part of the 'final solution' ordered by Hitler and directed first and foremost against the Jews and then the gypsies (Roma people), disabled people, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners of war and dissidents. Auschwitz was not the only Nazi death camp, it was the largest one of them all. Had Hitler's plans succeeded, the Slavs would perhaps have been next on his list.
On Thursday, Europe commemorated the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In Malta the event passed largely unnoticed. Life plodded on here with attention fully riveted on major developments of Lilliputian proportions. It will be a mistake if we think for a moment that what happened then cannot repeat itself. We have seen other atrocities of the same kind occurring in recent years in, among others, the Balkans, in Rwanda, the Congo and in the Darfur province of Sudan.
Between April and July 1994 as many as a million Rwandans were killed by their own kith and kin.
The European Union was created to strengthen the bonds that unite people rather than the differences which separate them. It was created to put an end to war once and for all and to ensure that what happened in Auschwitz would never happen again. Racism is one of the most dangerous human maladies and we have to be continuously on our guard against it. We just cannot take it easy or casually.
Unhappily for us in Malta racism has not been taken seriously. Open and offensive racist statements have not only been left unchallenged by the forces of law and order but were also allowed to be repeated in sections of the media with impunity. This will not do. We are playing with fire. Do the authorities believe they can ride the tiger?
Who commemorated Auschwitz?
In Malta the Auschwitz commemoration went nearly unnoticed. Although we did not survey all the Maltese media, it seems that of the dailies only The Times tried hardest to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on the day. It published two pages of photographs taken in the death camp 60 years ago and it dedicated its editorial to the Holocaust. Well done.
In-Nazzjon, l-Orizzont and The Malta Independent just did not get it if you see what we mean. However, on Friday all the newspapers and most media reported the events that took place in Europe the day before.
The duty of remembrance
On behalf of the EU Presidency and in the name of the EU, the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn, addressing the 28th Extraordinary Session of the United Nations on January 24 on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz stressed the duty of remembrance.
Remembrance requires the denunciation of ideologies of hate and exclusion based on anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia. It also imposes obligations towards the younger generation.
Jean Asselborn said that there were some places and events that were never lost in history; they would always remain present in the minds of men. Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bergen-Belsen, Treblinka and other death camps were such emblematic places that would never go away; they remained "an ever-open wound in the moral conscience of humanity". It was in the Nazi death factories, where the intentional, planned and organised extermination of millions of human beings was carried out. In those camps, the experience of humiliation and the negation of humanity found its most absolute expression.
The memory of the victims, he said, demanded that the international community seek to understand the sequence of causes and effects, the horrific reasoning that led millions of human beings to a death that, 60 years on, remained incomprehensible. "Because only this work on the historical facts can enable us to draw moral and political lessons from this concentration camp hell, so that it never happens again."
The duty of memory also bestowed an obligation to educate, particularly the young generations. That was not just a moral obligation, but also a civic duty of the highest order. It was especially fitting, he added, that the commemoration was being held inside the very walls of the United Nations, an organisation born out of the agony of war, which, in the preamble of its Charter, mentioned "the untold sorrow" inflicted on humanity.
European Parliament adopts resolution against racism
Last Thursday the European Parliament voted by 617 votes in favour with none against and 10 abstentions, to adopt a resolution to commemorate the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp 60 years ago.
The resolution states that "the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Nazi Germany's death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where a combined total of up to 1.5 million Jews, Roma, Poles, Russians and prisoners of various other nationalities, and homosexuals were murdered, is not only a major occasion for European citizens to remember and condemn the enormous horror and tragedy of the Holocaust, but also for addressing the disturbing rise in anti-Semitism and especially anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, and for learning anew the wider lessons about the dangers of victimising people on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, political or sexual orientation, or social classification."
EP members pay homage to "all the victims of the Nazis" and strongly reject and condemn "revisionist views and the denial of the Holocaust as shameful and contrary to historical truth," while expressing concern over the rise of extremist and xenophobic parties and growing public acceptance of their views.
Furthermore, MEPs reaffirm that "remembrance" of the Holocaust and a reinforced education in schools "are vital components of the effort to make intolerance, discrimination and racism a thing of the past". MEPs suggested that for this reason January 27 should be declared "European Holocaust Memorial Day" across the EU.
They stress that "Europe must not forget its own history: the concentration and extermination camps built by the Nazis are among the most shameful and painful pages of the history of our continent."
The resolution calls on the EU institutions and member states to co-ordinate better their efforts to combat anti-Semitism in Europe and attacks on minority groups "including Roma and third country nationals," and it "urges the Council to reach agreement on a Europe-wide ban on incitement to racial and religious hatred throughout the EU."
MEPs showed their concern to all kinds of victimisation, not only on the basis of race or ethnic origin but also religion, political or sexual orientation. The resolution also raises the issue of racist violence against Jewish and Muslim communities, and other minority groups like the Roma.
Poles are irked
During the debate in the European Parliament on the Resolution on Auschwitz, some Polish MEPs were irked and rightly so by what they termed as another "falsification of history".
Representing the IND/DEM group, Bogdan PDK (PL) felt that he needed to respond to an attack on Poland. "On behalf of the Polish Members of Parliament, I wish to say that the Holocaust was an unprecedented crime. But we have a particular view on this resolution. The Western media finds it hard to understand our reaction."
He then explained that the "English language press" often refers to "Polish concentration camps", which was a "gross falsification of history." In his belief, "we should refer to German concentration camps, in German-occupied Poland." He added, "We all agree that Guantanamo is not a Cuban camp, for example."
Extremists should be given no comfort
The local media implicated two persons in far-right activities of some sorts: Alexis Callus, the Nationalist deputy mayor of Safi, and Joe Meli, an MLP local council candidate.
Mr Callus becomes involved in a radical right-wing Website and helps promote a right-wing activity. He is reported to have attended the same political activity at Safi he had helped to promote and which was called to publicly show solidarity with the Armed Forces after the incidents the week before involving illegal immigrants.
Mr Callus later hotly denied that he supported yesterday week's protest or the speech given at Safi. He was reported to have described his role in this activity as that of some kind of protector of public morality.
The Times also reported that the PN had claimed that "Mr Callus was honest enough to admit having made a mistake". For that reason the Nationalist Party was reported not to be contemplating disciplinary action against him.
The MLP sought to take advantage of the situation created by Mr Callus. But hold on a minute: was it not the MLP who in the run-up to the EU referendum was trying to scare the living day, lights out of voters with the phantom prospects that if it joined the EU, Malta would be invaded by foreigners, particularly "l-Isqallin"?
Meanwhile, MLP general secretary Jason Micallef said the party will not allow "self-proclaimed fascist" Joe Meli to contest local elections as a Labour candidate ever again.
On Thursday, at a meeting of the MLP St Paul's Bay committee, where Mr Meli is a member, committee president Keith Grech tabled a motion of no confidence in him.
Mr Meli, according to the reports in the media, openly talks of his admiration of Benito Mussolini and fascism.
There is no end to political hypocrisy. Both Mr Callus and Mr Meli should be thrown out of their party. It is not enough for Mr Callus to make a public apology. For if the reports are correct, Mr Callus' behaviour is not just a difference of opinion over "party policy".
In the meantime a self-professed adherent to far-right policies should be nowhere within an inch of the MLP. Both Mr Callus and Mr Meli should be thrown out of their respective parties and allowed to join their first loves.
Racism in Malta?
A singer-presenter on a local party TV refers to the Germans as "Dawk ta' Heil Hitler!" Programme guests are shocked, absolutely. They draw the presenter's attention that Germans are deeply offended by such remarks. Singer-presenter changes tact. But she does not apologise for her gaffe. We are not surprised. She never does.
Dr Pace is chairman of the European Movement (Malta).