The Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers but with hate speech—propaganda that promoted the superiority of one race. We urge the politicians in power, who bear a special responsibility, to end the propaganda of division and take responsibility for protecting the public space from hate speech.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the remaining prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, the largest and most notorious camp of Nazi Germany. Auschwitz became a symbol of the utmost human cruelty, where approximately 1.1 million people were systematically murdered, including one million Jews, as well as Roma, Polish, and Soviet prisoners. At the end of the war, the Soviet Red Army liberated 7,500 Auschwitz survivors, while the Nazis forced 60,000 others to march westward in what became known as the ‘death march.

Montenegro is one of the few countries in Europe that did not have a concentration or transit camp from which Jews were sent to Nazi death camps. However, data from the Jewish community in Montenegro reveals that between September 1943 and February 1944, when Germany occupied Montenegro following Italy’s surrender, the Gestapo identified a significant number of Jews who remained in the country. Most of them were deported in smaller groups, first to the Sajmište camp in Belgrade, and from there to other death camps.

Unfortunately, 80 years later, Montenegro is witnessing a rise in hate speech, division, prejudice, and intolerance. Hate speech remains prevalent in public discourse, especially on social media. Some government representatives either encourage or tolerate this speech directed at those with opposing views, sometimes even flirting with war propaganda and threatening violence. We call on all those in power to uphold and protect the civic character of the Montenegrin state, as outlined in the Constitution, and to adhere to the constitutional ban on inciting and promoting hatred and intolerance on any grounds.

We also urge the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation to incorporate mandatory civic education into school curricula, starting from primary school, to educate young people about the devastating consequences of racist ideologies that promote the superiority of one nation over another, deny human rights, and seek to destroy human lives.

In 2005, the UN declared January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The term ‘holocaust’ originates from the Greek word holókaustos, meaning ‘completely burned,’ and refers to the organized, systematic extermination of approximately 6 million European Jews during the Nazi regime in Germany (1939-1944).