During the Second World War, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg saved tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust. His actions show that one person’s courage and ability can really make a difference, offering inspiration to us all to speak out and indeed to act against persecution, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. A memorial ceremony in his honor took place at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on October 2, 2012.

The event has been organized by the Permanent Representation of Sweden, in co-operation with the Permanent Representation of Hungary. At the occasion, a special exhibition about Raoul Wallenberg has been inaugurated in the Council of Europe’s main building.

At the ceremony, MP Márton Braun (FIDESZ) has underlined that the Holocaust had been a darkest tragedy not only for the Jews of Hungary but for the entire country. For this reason, he added, the memory of those, who were willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to save others have to be maintained. Márton Braun reminded that almost ten years ago, the first Orban government has established the Holocaust Memorial Center and has established a Holocaust memorial day, which is honored in schools in Hungary every year. “Our present government is fully committed to ensuring the personal safety of all citizens, and – as stated by PM Orban Viktor – we show zero tolerance towards any manifestation of anti-Semitism” formulated the representative of the FIDESZ..  

He has welcomed the Swedish initiative to establish a Wallenberg Award by the Council of Europe, and announced that Hungary would contribute to the price on equal terms.

Source: MTI on October 2, 2012