We asked Holocaust survivor and chairman of the Johannesburg Holocaust Survivors association, Don Krausz, to reflect on South Africa’s failure to support the recent UN resolution on Holocaust denial.
103 nations co-sponsored the resolution which was passed unanimously. South Africa not only refused to co-sponsor the resolution, but we also left our seats vacant as the resolution was passed, along with Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Cambodia and Zimbabwe.
Don Krausz responds:
Hitler’s road to World War 2 began with small actions which no country had the will to counter. On March 2, 1936, a small force of German troops marched into the demilitarised Rhineland and occupied it. The area lay between Germany and France which had a large army. Had the French resisted this invasion then the Germans would have retreated. At the Nuremberg trials the German generals testified to this. The French did not react and Hitler planned his following aggressions accordingly. By March 1938 Hitler had annexed Austria, leaving its Jews at the mercy of some of the most vicious anti-Semites in central Europe. These Jews and their German co-religionists attempted to flee the countries of their persecution at all costs. Overwhelmed with requests for refuge, 32 nations met in July 1938 at a resort called Evian-les-Bains to find a solution to the refugee problem. With the exception of the Dominican Republic all the countries reached agreement on two things: the condemnation of Nazi anti-Semitism and their inability to take in Jewish refugees. Hitler drew his own conclusions. By November ’38 the Kristallnacht pogroms took place; by September 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and World War 2 commenced. Tens of millions of people including six million Jews died as a result. It is perfectly obvious from the above that there was no unity of purpose among the nations of the world. Had they had the conviction of their duty to their fellow man and the foresight to realise what was bound to happen if they failed therein, then millions of lives may have been saved. These nations were guided by expediency and myopic self-interest; they were venal and cowardly. Among nations guided by truth and self-respect there can be no denial that the Holocaust happened. It is one step towards preventing a repetition. One could ask how the South African government would have reacted if the UN resolution had called for rejection of denial of the Holocaust and Apartheid? There is no equation between the two events. Denying Apartheid today will not endanger Africans, whereas denying the Holocaust is usually done by racialists, anti-Semites and neo-Nazis who may well seek to harm Jews. That is why people of goodwill were asked to support the resolution. What kind of people would in effect 'abstain' from this vote? What kind of government do we have in this country? Don Krausz |
South Africa's explanation, blaming Reuters and claiming that this was merely an administrative oversight, can be found here.
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