“Our commitment must be to remember the victims who perished, respect the survivors still with us, and reaffirm humanity's common aspiration for mutual understanding and justice.”
-- Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust
Holocaust Denial Competition in Iran
13.05.2016
IHRA Chair's Statement: It was with great concern and disappointment that I learned of an exposition of Holocaust denial cartoons in Teheran following a competition sponsored by two Iranian cultural organizations, as part of the Cartoon Biennale.
It must remain clear that any attempt to claim that the Holocaust did not take place or to minimize or blur responsibility for the genocide is an attack on the memory of the victims and memory of the Holocaust. On behalf of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, I denounce this disgraceful competition and express my strong criticism that the exposition is being allowed to take place.
Such an irrational response to one of the greatest tragedies in European and world history is provocative and must be condemned. In addition, such initiatives damage the perception of Iran in a global context, running against the high expectations held regarding Iran’s openness towards mutual respect and cooperation with the international community. I very much hope that the authorities in Teheran will take all necessary steps to prevent the exhibition of these offensive cartoons.
Mihnea Constantinescu
IHRA Chair