Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Friday, honoring the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including 67,000 Greek Jews who perished in Nazi concentration camps.
In a statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Mitsotakis described the occasion as a time for reflection and a call to action against rising hate and historical revisionism.
“Eight decades after the liberation of Auschwitz, we bow to the courage of those who survived and resisted, and we honor the millions of victims,” Mitsotakis said. “This includes the 67,000 Greek Jews who were lost, as well as the countless others who were tortured or deported.”
The prime minister emphasized the need to safeguard human dignity and combat racism, antisemitism, and discrimination, warning of the resurgence of these threats through populist ideologies and divisive rhetoric.
“Ignorance and frustration with the imperfections of political systems often serve as fertile ground for hate,” he said. “But the answer cannot be hostility and destruction. Instead, it must be found in democracy, justice, and solidarity.”
Mitsotakis also stressed the importance of preserving historical knowledge and cultural values as tools to counter the spread of hatred and division. “Vigilance is our defense, and memory is our hope,” he added.
In a message shared on social media, the prime minister reaffirmed Greece’s commitment to honoring Holocaust survivors and preserving the legacy of those who were lost. “We bow to the courage of those who survived and those who resisted,” he wrote, underscoring the significance of learning from history to ensure such atrocities are never repeated.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed annually on Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945.