January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. By marking this day, we honor and remember more than six million Jews and others who died as a result of Nazism. The Public Defender once again expresses her condolences to the victims of this horrific crime and their beloved ones.

This day reminds us of the consequences of intolerance, harassment, violence and hatred on ethnic, religious and other grounds.

Unfortunately, negative and incorrect perceptions based on negative stereotypes still have firm roots in society. As a result, the rights situation of representatives of various vulnerable groups does not improve from year to year. The number of applications relating to alleged hate crimes is systematically high.

The fight against discrimination and intolerance is hampered by the abundance of statements inciting discrimination. Among them, the spread of anti-Semitic views was noticeable last year, which showed the lack of proper understanding of the Holocaust and its underlying preconditions.

As stated in the UN resolution founding this symbolic date, the Holocaust, which resulted in the deaths of a third of the Jewish people and numerous members of other minorities, will forever remind us of the dangers posed by hatred, racism and prejudice.

Given this historical reality, the Public Defender once again points out that showing tolerance towards different groups, making statements in support of equality and reducing stereotypes will help us to ensure the equality of different groups, as well as to maintain peace and security.