A solemn ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the plenary sitting of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday was marred when a far-right Polish lawmaker shouted, “Let’s pray for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza.’’
While the assembly was observing a minute’s silence for the six million Jews exterminated by the Nazis, the MEP, Grezegor Braun, a member of the Confederation of the Polish Crown party, again shouted: “Thank you for praying for the victims of the Jewish genocide in Gaza.’’
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola retorted: “Can I ask for silence in the gallery?”
Metsola then asked for the MEP to leave the room and apologized to the crowd, before the ceremony ended with a musical performance of “Kaddish”, the Jewish prayer for the deceased, by Maurice Ravel.
Metsola opened the ceremony, which marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, with the words: “We can never forget and we must act.’’
“Ours is the last generation to have the privilege of knowing Holocaust survivors and hearing their stories first-hand. Their voices, their courage, their memories are a bridge to a past that must never be forgotten,” she said, adding that “antisemitism did not disappear. It persisted. It evolved.’’
Corrie Hermann, daughter of Hungarian Holocaust victim Pál Hermann, addressed the MEPs and shared the story of how her father, considered one of the finest cellists of his time, was murdered by the Nazis in 1944. “This story about one Holocaust victim is dedicated to every one of the six million victims whom we deplore today”, she said.
Despite his tragic fate, Hermann’s music continues to inspire people across the world. Over 80 years after his death, his Gagliano cello was rediscovered, and his compositions have been performed by renowned international artists.
“Hitler burned books, destroyed paintings and murdered millions; but music is invincible,” Corrie Hermann.
