Stop the historical revisionism in Europe

27. Mai 2016

71 years after the liberation from Fascism and war, FIR sees with great concern serious problems in several European countries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, the Baltics, Hungary, Ukraine, and Croatia et.al.) because of historical revisionist trends.

It is unacceptable that monuments of the liberators are dismantled and destroyed by the today’s political governments (Poland, Croatia, and Ukraine).

It is unacceptable that the heroic struggle of the partisans and the resistance fighters are denounced and the values are minimalized in the public.

It is unacceptable equalizing fascism with communism or the leaders of the anti-fascist victory with Nazi criminals.

It is unacceptable that Nazi collaborators and SS soldiers were honored as highly recommended in the Baltics and Ukraine, and they are called “freedom fighters”.

It is unacceptable that today’s generations are confronted with faulty information and revisionist views on the struggle of the Resistance (Hungary and Poland).

We condemn all these kinds of historical revisionism and falsification. It is politically dangerous because this is often connected with the political acceptance of right wing and open fascist groups and propaganda, like in Ukraine. As we can see – there are such tendencies also in Poland or Hungary.

FIR and its member federations stand for the historical truth about the struggle of Resistance and to preserve the memory of those who fought against fascism and war. We remember all the women and men, they sacrificed their lives, risking their health and freedom, to fight for the freedom of their country and the liberation of Europe.

We are proud to see that in several countries the anti-fascist, resistance fighter and veteran organizations are able to mobilize younger generations on this subject like we experienced in Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Russia and several other European countries. These are hopeful signals that all attempts of historical revisionism will find political and anti-fascist responses.

We encourage schools and universities, historians, pedagogues and anti-fascist fighters, to continue to bring young people the history of the struggle against fascism and the real history of Second World War again and again.

We urge the European Parliament and political structures in all European countries to follow their own public declarations – given the 70^th anniversary of the day of liberation/ day of victory – never to allow such historical revisionism and to defend the honor of the Resistance fighters and the victims of Nazism.