The Holocaust was undoubtedly an event of horrific evil, exposing the terrifying capacity of amoral men with uncontrolled power to inflict monstrous suffering on fellow human beings, simply for being who they are. Despite its horror, similar events still arise today.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January saw that event memorialised as it is every year. The Holocaust was coldly conceived and executed by Adolf Hitler and his fellow Nazi leaders in the Second World War. The attention given to this memorial is naturally diminishing as time passes, because there is a diminishing number of survivors and new generations focus on the more recent past and the future. Perhaps however most people would say that it must never be forgotten or minimalised, its victims never forgotten and its lessons must be learnt and passed on and absorbed by every generation. Not least because such genocide and cruelty must never be allowed to be repeated, and the likes of Hitler must never be allowed to rise to such power again. But perhaps they already have?
The systematic rounding up, imprisonment, starvation, torture and murder of millions of people across Europe in concentration and death camps because of their identity was justified by the perpetrators because they regarded the victims as sub-human, a drag on civilisation, and so deserving to be eliminated. In fact, it is thought some 6 million Jews and at least 5 million Soviet prisoners, Romany people, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals and others were dealt with in this way in the Holocaust. Aside from the bigger lessons, remembering such an event may help put into perspective some of the dismally insignificant causes and cults which preoccupy so-called liberal people’s energies today.
TODAY’S MASS MURDERS
The mid-twentieth century gave us also the mass murders of tens of millions of people by leaders comparable to Hitler, in terms of their valuation of human life, such as Stalin of Russia and Mao Zedong of China, and several lesser but horrifically murderous genocides, referenced later in this article.
A common feature of these almost incomprehensible human catastrophes seems to be that they are born out of the corruption of power by a single individual, always male so far, aided by acolytes, convinced of their own greatness and place in history, for whom human life has no value and can be sacrificed on the altar of their own purposes. They are also uncontrolled by institutions of their own nation, any semblance of potent democracy being absent, and they corrupt information, careless for truth, willing to instil fear and crush resistance mercilessly. Another feature is an unwillingness on the part of people in power in other nations to confront and resist such autocrats until perhaps it is too late, fearful of the possible cost of doing so; always living in hope that they can be satiated or appeased and can even be trusted when they seem to soften their objectives. But such rulers are perhaps by nature intrinsically corrupt.
Genocides and potential genocides exist today, perhaps because of rulers of the kind described. Are the rulers of Myanmar not perpetrating horrifically cruel crimes against the Rohingya people, Muslims mainly, because of who they are: at least a million refugees driven out to Bangladesh and elsewhere, with those remaining subjected to imprisonment, murder, rape and torture.
The Serbian-Bosnian war, 1992-1995, was renowned for the ethnic cleansing systematically executed by Serbians at their leaders’ behest, characterised by murder, rape, torture and efforts to prevent future generations of Bosnians. Some of the war criminals were brought to justice, but for a long time the United Nations were bystanders, with Western leaders slow and half-hearted to stop the crimes.
The treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang province in China by President Xi and the others leading the Chinese Communist Party allegedly involves genocidal or close to genocidal behaviour in relation to millions of people, Muslims again, judged because of their identity. The reason for herding people into camps is explained by authorities as necessary re-education. As if brainwashing to wipe out a religion is not enough, Uyghurs and those supporting them allege behaviour by the State to include birth control and torture. How many have been killed by the State is unclear.
In Syria, President Assad retains power only through the massacre and destruction of those who resist him. Over 10 million of people have been made refugees simply through extreme criminal violence, mostly state perpetrated. Russian support of Assad with wanton bombardments careless of who dies or is maimed has enabled this autocrat to remain powerful. Human Rights Watch records a multitude of barbaric methods of torture and child murder, a record supported by the UN. And the murder of tens of thousands of Yazidis, Christians, by the Islamic State is widely officially labelled genocide.
Iran, led by Khameini and acolytes, proclaims the aim to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. The oppression of Iranians themselves has provoked a recent backlash internally by ordinary citizens, but violence prevents any real change. And Western Governments continue to stand by a treaty with Iran to stop them building a nuclear weapon, trusting the rulers to stand by their commitments. Is it naïve hope that drives this approach?
Africa has experienced tribal genocidal behaviour across numerous countries and still does. Rwanda may be the most infamous in recent times. But Ethiopia stands accused in the Tigray region. Is the non-stop violence, again tribal, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ever even mentioned in Western media?
There is across the world in recent times today autocratic behaviour bearing hallmarks which the Holocaust teaches us to beware and pre-empt.
PUTIN’S WAR ON UKRAINE
So where does the war which is the invasion of Ukraine by Russia stand in the realm of crimes against humanity, like the Holocaust? Everyday war crimes are committed by Russians: deliberate killing of civilians and destruction of their property, not being military targets, are war crimes. Tens of millions of refugees have been created, with millions of them sheltering in neighbouring countries or further afield such as the UK.
Putin has made clear that he considers Ukraine has no right to an existence separate from Russia. If he cannot have it for himself, he seems to wish to reduce it to rubble, careless of who dies on the way. It is reported that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children have been rounded up systematically and transported to who knows where in Russia. Are they ever to return? Are they being housed in hotels or concentration camps? Are they being “re-educated” with Putin’s version of the truth? Rape and torture, the stealing of possessions, are reported to be hallmarks of Russian army behaviour. Mass graves and assassinations of civilians are being discovered regularly. While the means may not be exactly the same, is not this behaviour reminiscent of other historic crimes against humanity, starting with the Holocaust in modern times.
Politicians in the West have in some cases been slow to condemn and resist Putin and Russia. Many preferred to hope that he will be content with some small wins and then stop. Far too slowly perhaps, and so many more lives wasted later, the unity of strong reaction to Putin has gathered momentum, though its fair to say that the USA and the UK have never been half-hearted in their response to the invasion. It is to some extent shameful for democracies that Ukrainians are having to fight and die in considerable numbers in a battle which is also in reality Russia versus the West.
Several countries have stalled in committing to provide meaningful weaponry, only to change their minds later. German decision-making has shown little sign of learning the lessons of Hitler’s ways. But the lessons stare us in the face: any weakness will be severely exploited. To believe that a Putin will be reasonable or can be trusted ever is to close eyes and hope, with the murderers going about their business until by force they have to stop. Delays and hesitations by withholding help to Ukraine will perhaps only lead to a prolonged conflict, and a more costly one in human and economic terms, with grave responsibility at the door of the Western leaders. If the Western media water down or normalise the enormity of the horrors being perpetrated so that the public become anaesthetised to the evil that is being fought against on their behalf, then they too will bear an enormous responsibility.
Remembrance of the Holocaust is a human necessity, not just because the victims require that. Also, because such events must never be allowed again. But they are happening today. It is too a vital reminder of where the evil of powerful autocrats, to whom human life is insignificant, can lead if they are allowed to get away with it.
