Holocaust survivors remember 8 May 1945 as the day they were liberated from the concentration and extermination camps, and as the day when Nazi Germany was finally defeated together with its anti-Semitic, murderous ideology.

The killers from Germany had murdered their families and dragged the whole of Europe into the abyss of anti-Semitism, lies, violence and war. Now, the time had come when the world would pass judgement on the perpetrators and their ideology and hold them to account. A new, more peaceful and humane era would begin. Commenting in Berlin, Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said:

"But on 8 May 2024 the survivors of the Holocaust will be dismayed and saddened to witness a Europe in which the glorification of fascist ideology is on the rise once again, and young people are once again being blinded by dreams of a master race, aggression and violence. Consequently, for the survivors, this year's day of remembrance marking liberation from National Socialism is above all a day that shows us how far Europe has grown apart from the memories of the survivors and the hopes of 8 May, and how right-wing extremist hate slogans are once again challenging the democracies in Germany and Europe.

At the end of the war the survivors hoped for a united, diverse and democratic Europe. And this remains their hope and plea to all citizens today − especially in view of the attack on Ukraine."