On Tuesday, the 23rd of August, which is the day when Europe commemorates the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, members of the Slovenian Democratic Youth (Slovenska demokratska mladina – SDM), which is the youth section of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), paid tribute to all those who suffered under Nazism, fascism and communism, by laying a wreath at the memorial to the victims of all wards.
In 2009, the European Parliament adopted a European conscience and totalitarianism resolution, declaring the 23rd of August as the European Day of remembrance for the victims of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. In 2012, the then-Slovenian government also proclaimed this day to be the Day of Remembrance. On this day, we commemorate the millions of victims who have died because of their fight against the regimes that restricted their human rights and freedoms.
This day should be a lesson to all about what happens when radicalism trumps reason in the social sphere, and when a particular political structure subjugates all branches of power. In addition to all this, Remembrance Day must also have a moral note from which we, young and old, can learn and clearly condemn these crimes.
Not all parties in the temple of democracy were able to take this important step
“We, the Slovenian Democratic Youth, support the resolution on European conscience and totalitarianism, as it strongly and clearly condemns all crimes against humanity and the massive violations of human rights that have taken place under totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. This resolution expresses sympathy, understanding and recognition for the suffering of the victims of these crimes and their families. However, we also want to express our concern about the fact that not all parties in the Slovenian National Assembly are able to do the same thing, which was also demonstrated by the last vote on the resolution on the 28th of June this year, when the coalition MPs rejected the resolution,” members of the Slovenian Democratic Youth said in a public statement.
The Slovenian Democratic Youth had also invited the other youth wings of other Slovenian parties to join them in the wreath-laying ceremony, but none of them decided to attend it.
Sara Kovač
