European Day of the Righteous Proclaimed!

The body which applied to the European Union for the proclamation of a Day of the Righteous was Gariwo, an Italian non-profit, partner of the Polish Righteous – Recalling Forgotten History project. Over many months, Gariwo gathered signatures on a petition. Among those who signed it were Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Władysław Bartoszewski.

Gariwo intends for the Day of the Righteous to not only honour those Righteous as recognised by Yad Vashem (i.e. those who helped Jews during World War II), but also those who helped victims in the face of other genocides and who defended human dignity against totalitarianism and in contravention of official laws. As Gariwo wrote:

Today, we also consider as Righteous those who resisted the Armenian genocide, those who helped victims of war in Rwanda and Cambodia, and during the ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia. Those who defend human dignity and freedom under totalitarian regimes and who did not hesitate to speak openly of the criminal systems in the gulags – they also deserve the title of Righteous. They all contributed to the unification of Europe.

In this context, the concept of Righteous takes on a universal meaning, touching many people who actively resisted regimes in various European countries and around the world. The Day of the Righteous will promote their moral stance and will recall their heroic acts.

Comitato per la Foresta dei Giusti – Gariwo (The Wold Committee for a Garden of the Righteous) is an Italian non-profit organisation, promoting Gardens of the Righteous around the world, similar to that at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

www.gariwo.net

Translation: Andrew Rajcher