‘Never again’ must echo through the ages for everyone

War brings out the worst in society, and we mustn’t forget about all of the victims.
Holocaust Memorial Day in Berlin

In the middle of Berlin sits an impressive Holocaust Memorial. Consisting of straight rows of concrete blocks undulating across a grey landscape the memorial was designed to emulate a famous Jewish cemetery in the Czech Republic. In these mass graves so many Jews were buried during the War the ground began to ripple and the tombstones tilted under the pressure.

There is something deeply special about this memorial. It is haunting. Thought provoking. A piece of art that forces you to think about those who lost their lives during this tragedy. Yet, unfortunately,  this memorial is not for everyone. It is only there to remember some of those who have died. Whilst colloquially known as “The Holocaust Memorial”, its official title is actually “The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.”

The story goes that the German Government built a memorial specifically dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust as the city was littered with other memorials dedicated to the other victims. While visiting Berlin recently I thought I’d find them. The memorial to the murdered homosexuals is a tiny square concrete box opposite the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. If you blinked you’d miss it. The memorial to the Romani people is a small pond with some glass panels hidden in a park nearby. The memorial to those with mental or physical disabilities is another glass panel even further away. Scattered around the city these memorials pale in comparison to that for the murdered Jews.

It is a trend that runs throughout the stories we tell of the Second World War. Most definitions of The Holocaustdescribe it solely as the genocide of the European Jewish population. That ignores the millions of others who were targeted during the Nazi regime.

Many other ethnic and religious groups were persecuted just as strongly during the Holocaust as the Jews. A particular target were the Romani and Siti, who the Nazis considered to be an “inferior race”. While estimates of their deaths fluctuate it is possible that up to 1.5. million were murdered during the genocide. Other persecuted groups include homosexuals, people with physical and mental disabilities, people of colour, Freemasons andJehovah’s Witnesses.

Yet while these groups make up much of the discussion of Nazi atrocities, it doesn’t end there. The Nazis also engaged in systematic persecution of people in occupied territories. For example, Heinrich Himmler’s Generalplan Ost (General Plan East) planned for the displacement and murder of millions of Slavic and Russian people to make space for German nationals. The murders of people who the Nazis described as ‘sub-humans’, were planned to occur through “‘extermination through labor’ or decimation through malnutrition, disease, and controls on reproduction”. As part of this it is estimated that over the period of the war the Nazis likely murdered over 10 million Slavic people and millions of Russians.

These are people who have been forgotten. Millions of people forgotten. People who were heavily persecuted against, but who have largely been left out of the history books. People whose stories are not being told.

It is tragic. As a gay man I think of what my life would have been like during those years and shudder at the thought that my potential suffering — like that of so many others — would be pushed aside. Yet, this is more worrying than just my hurt feelings. When you forget history you have a tendency to repeat it. After The Holocaust, around the world, we said “never again.” Centuries of persecution against Jewish people had to stop. Yet, I cannot help but feel this dedication is not given to the others who suffered in this tragedy.

Homosexuals for example continued to be targeted well after the war. For decades homosexuals in the Western World faced significant oppression — from the criminalisation of homosexuality to cruel and unusual medical procedures being conducted to cure us of our “illness”. These sorts of forced medical procedures (that were considered horrendous during Nazi times) continue. While no longer targeting homosexuals, recent reports for example showed that Intersex people in Australia regularly face involuntary or coerced sterilisation procedures.

The Romani have it much worse. Romani people remain one of the most highly discriminated against groups in European society. They suffer from high levels of poverty and over recent years have faced forced removals in France and claims in the UK that they are wrecking economic security. While we have fought all levels of persecutions towards Jewish people, Romani and Siti do not seem to have been given the same consideration.

Of course, none of the groups are facing similar crimes to that of the Holocaust. Yet if the Second World War taught us anything it is that to stop a crime like this from ever happening again we must fight discrimination at all levels. Traveling through Europe though it feels like we’re only remembering that message for one group — leaving millions of others behind.

War brings out the worst in society. The Second World War certainly taught us that. On reflection it should teach us something about how we should treat those who have suffered the worst. We have done the right thing by saying “never again” when it comes to Jewish persecution. It’s time we did the same for the others who suffered as well.

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