SpeechesPublished on 10 February 2025

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter took part in the commemoration day and received Swiss survivors in Bern.

Lunch in honour of Swiss Holocaust survivors

Mediagallery

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

Meeting with Holocaust survivors and President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter (Bern, 10.02.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes / Bundeskanzlei

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Ceremony marking 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation

• Message from the President of the Swiss Confederation on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

  Eighty years ago, the liberation of Auschwitz revealed to the world man’s capacity for inflicting cruelty on other human beings. More than one million men, women and children were intentionally sent to an atrocious death. Today, we bow our heads in remembrance of the six million Jews murdered in Auschwitz and other places during the Holocaust. We also remember the Roma and all the other victims of the senseless extermination policy of Nazi Germany, its collaborators and accomplices. Together with heads of state and government from around the world, I came to the Auschwitz commemorations to stress the importance of never forgetting the immeasurable crime that took place here.

  My greatest respect goes to the survivors, some of whom are with me today. After suffering so much, they have had to rebuild their lives, often while coping with the grief of losing loved ones. Their testimonies, moving and revealing, are of immense value. In the face of misrepresentation, misperceptions and falsehoods, amplified by social media, they bear witness to the reality. But the number of survivors is declining every year, and their voices, which connect us directly to the historical facts, are fading. We must therefore redouble our efforts, particularly in the area of education, to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, particularly among future generations.

  Knowing how anti-Semitism has been used in the past to justify horrendous crimes, its current resurgence – also in Switzerland – is of great concern. In a number of countries, the rise of political forces advocating exclusion on the basis of perceived superiority is disturbing. We must reaffirm with strength of conviction that it is unacceptable for our fellow citizens of the Jewish faith to be subject to discrimination, intimidation or violence. The democratic values of tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence are incompatible with expressions or acts of hatred based on race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Switzerland is currently developing a national strategy and an action plan with measures in various areas to combat racism and anti-Semitism.

  In the aftermath of the Second World War and the Holocaust, an international order was built on the promise of ‹never again›. International law and multilateral institutions such as the United Nations were given a mandate to prevent the recurrence of mass crimes. But the foundations of this system are now being eroded. While it has faced setbacks, the system has also made progress and acted as a safeguard. The increasing and repeated violation of international humanitarian law in many of today's conflicts should be a warning. To curb indiscriminate violence, especially against civilians, all states must work within a common regulatory framework and respect the international institutions responsible for its implementation.

  In the face of these many challenges, Switzerland is of the firm conviction that the memory of the Holocaust must be kept alive. It is our duty and responsibility to prevent another Holocaust. We must therefore redouble our efforts in the area of information and education. The creation of a national place of remembrance for the victims of Nazism in Bern, in cooperation with the municipal authorities, is an important step in this direction. A cross-border information centre on refugees is also being planned in the canton of St Gallen. As part of a national network of sites, these places will show how Switzerland responded to the regime of persecution by the Nazis at its borders. While many people who were in danger were granted asylum in Switzerland, others were turned away, particularly because they were Jewish. Learning from the past means taking on responsibility. The resilience of the survivors should inspire us to do our utmost, united in the conviction of the equal worth and inherent dignity of every human being. That is the very antithesis of what Auschwitz represents.

Mediagallery

Visit of Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27.01.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes

Visit of Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27.01.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes

Visit of Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27.01.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes

Visit of Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27.01.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes

Visit of Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27.01.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes

Visit of Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz-Birkenau, 27.01.2025) — © Béatrice Devènes

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See also

Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter