‘’Anti-Semitism and other forms of racism and discriminations have no place in European society and should indeed have no place in any society,’’ said the President of the European Commission, Jose-Manuel Barroso as he received Tuesday the Centennial Medal of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation Medal (IRWF) Award for his unwavering efforts in the field of human rights.
‘’As the President of the European Commission, I want to express you my cogent commitment to constantly and vigorously oppose the forces of Anti-Semitism and any other forces that are against minorities or that do no respect values of Human dignity.,’’ he added at the award ceremony in presence of Raoul Wallenberg’s niece Louise de Dardel and Baruch Tenembaum, Founder of the IRWF.
‘’This I will never tolerate, and I intend to battle unremittingly against those who feel that the future of Europe should be a place of less hope, less tolerance and less freedom,’’ Barroso added.
The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is dedicated to education and information about Wallenberg and his memory.
Raoul Wallenberg used his position as Sweden’s diplomat in Budapest, Hungary, to protect the lives of tens of thousands of Jews near the end of the Second World War by issuing protective Swedish passports and renting buildings – ‘Swedish houses’ where Jews could seek shelter.
Wallenberg was detained by the Soviet Army in 1945 and disappeared in their custody in suspicious circumstances. Whilst his actual fate remains unknown, his courage and humanity have inspired many. His legacy has been preserved by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, which promotes the values of “solidarity and civic courage” through education and public awareness campaigns.
‘’Raoul Wallenberg is a true hero and an example for all of us,’’ said Barroso, who praised those who helped save people during the Shoah, giving also the example of his compatriot, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the former Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux who saved 30,000 lives during WWII,among them 10,000 Jews by issuing visas for safe passage to Portugal.
‘A great Swedish diplomat, a truly hero alive. These are the kind of examples we need also for our daily life,’’ said Barroso who praised the men and women whose courage and altruism saved many other lives’’ during the Shoah, citing the example of his compatriot, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the former Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux who saved 30,000 lives during WWII, among them 10,000 Jews by issuing visas for safe passage to Portugal.
‘’He was one of the righteous among the nations, his heroism and selflessness have made him a true legend of modern history,’’ he added.