Following up with developments which took place at recently held discussion “Holocaust and Remembrance” within the Festival of Tolerance, in the organisation of NGO 35 mm (member of Civic alliance), where the participant Boris Raonić stated “what is happening at the moment on the territory of Israel against some other Semitic nations is a new form of holocaust, perhaps the greatest in this century…”, representatives of NGOs working in the area of human rights protection express a clear stance that such relation towards the crime and its victims, who are also a minority in Montenegro, is unacceptable. Furthermore, we express our protest and regret due to the inappropriate comments against Jewish people that overwhelmed social networks last few days, as a consequence of polemics that started at this panel.
Montenegro strives for multiculturalism, tolerance and multi-ethnic harmony, whereby civil society organisations are specifically the ones who have been investing and they still invest efforts for this purpose. Regardless of motives and intentions, public discussion concerning holocaust should be carefully conducted with the use of precise formulations which does not relativize the crime.
Holocaust cannot be identified with violations of human rights of Palestinians. Systematic extermination of 5 to 6 million Jews by Nazi regime in Germany was genocide which without comparison in global history.
We support the appeals of human rights organisations to conduct continued dialogue on the violations of human rights wherever they may occur, but not in a manner which insults any of the victims or annuls the gravity of any crime.
Goran Đurović, Representative of NGOs from the area of protection of human rights in the Council of RTCG
Ana Novaković, Executive director of Centre for Development of Non-Governmental Organisations (CDNGO)
Daliborka Uljarević, Executive director of Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Zlatko Vujović, President of Managing Board of Centre for Monitoring and Research (CEMI)
Danijel Kalezić, President of Managing Board of Queer Montenegro
Ivana Vujović, President of Managing Board of Juventas
Biljana Zeković, Executive director of SOS Phones for Women and Children Victims of Violence Podgorica