Looking back. Looking ahead. 2020-2025

190   SPEECHES | POLITICS AND SOCIETY Politics and Society ©Bavarian State Parliament Photo Archive / R. Poss Ladies and Gentlemen! For 24 years now, 27 January has been the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. This year, the date also marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. During the Nazi era, Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest site of killing and extermination – where some 1.1 million people were murdered. Ladies and Gentlemen, 27 January has become a vital symbol of our commitment to remembering the horrific crimes committed during the darkest chapters of our history. Each year, it should serve as a warning against the resurgence of hatred and racism. The purpose of remembrance is to relate the past to our   present and future, so that we may draw lessons from it. Ladies and Gentlemen, In Austria, we observe this day of remembrance on 5 May each year. This date marks the liberation of the Mauthausen concen- tration camp and its subcamps. Between 1938 and 1945, more than 90,000 people from over 40 nations were murdered in Mauthausen and its subcamps. Today, the Mauthausen concentration camp serves as a   memorial – a place of international remembrance, warning and political education. In times like these, maintaining a vibrant culture of remem- brance is more important than ever. Young people and schools should visit these memorial sites to learn about the atrocities. Today, Ms Anna Hackl – a contemporary witness from Upper Austria – will once again speak about the horrors she endured in the Mauthausen concentration camp. Since 1995, Ms Hackl Viktor Sigl President of the Upper Austrian State Parliament Act of remembrance for the victims  of National Socialism in Passau   24 January 2020 has been visiting schools to educate students about what hap- pened. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for her work. Beyond remembrance, these memorials make one thing   particularly clear: Democracy requires constant vigilance against anything that might enable a resurgence of extrem- ism.We must not take democracy for granted; it must be preserved and actively nurtured. Ladies and Gentlemen! Each of us has a duty to pass on the values of democracy – along with all the opportunities and challenges that come with it – whenever we can. By conveying the fundamental principles of democracy, show- ing genuine interest in democratic processes and political contexts, participating in civic live – even critically – and acting as ambassadors of democracy, we help to strengthen the foun- dations of our society. Events such as today’s commemoration serve an important dual purpose: They preserve the memory of past atrocities and reinforce our commitment to democracy. Ladies and Gentlemen, we can all agree on one thing:   This must never happen again! Even today, people around the world are still persecuted, oppressed, humiliated, marginalised, imprisoned or murdered – simply because they look different, hold a different opinion, belong to another religion or are part of a minority. Never again should anyone have to fear for their life simply for being different or thinking differently! We are called upon each day to shape our society according to the standards of humanity. All political and social action must be guided by our core values: tolerance, respect and the protec- tion of human dignity. And not only on days of remembrance!