Krakow, 28 January 2025 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova spoke Tuesday about the atmosphere at the ceremony observing the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi German death camp Auschwitz.

President Siljanovska Davkova said the mood was both distressing and powerful. Poliicians went silent, survivors spoke and said history should be remembered, whereas memories hurt.

"Some stories of the survivors sounded apocalyptic and when people see the buildings and the train cars they hurt, especially when hearing that silence in many countries opened the path to what happened," said Siljanovska Davkova.

She also referred to the significance of keeping up the memory, noting that survivors celebrate the day of their liberation besides their birthday.

"Survivors highlighted it is not enough to show compassion, it is not enough to manifest empathy, it is not enough even to have individual or collective memory, but to alert and inform that evil should not be permitted. I will never forget what one survivor said - those who remained silent are also guilty," said Siljanovska Davkova.

The President also mentioned the hate speech that is sometimes tolerated and is flooding social media, noting "when hidden, people think they can say anything".

"The event seemed like collective therapy and lesson for humanity. From more than a million prisoners, only about 7,000 survived Auschwitz. This is a drop in the ocean of human lives that never even started nor blossomed," underlined Siljanovska Davkova.

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