Today kicks off the 2022 edition of the LRE Forum, the Foundation’s annual event that brings together an array of international members and partners from across the World War II remembrance sector. With this event taking place in such turbulent and uncertain times, the Foundation’s Supervisory Board would like to share a message of solidarity towards Ukraine and join the international calls for a cease of violence and human rights violations.
“We are saddened and deeply appalled by the ongoing war unfolding in Ukraine. We strongly condemn the aggression enforced by the Russian government and its misleading propaganda that tries to justify the war as a means to ‘liberate’ Ukraine from neo-Nazism. This narrative serves a great dishonour to the men and women, including millions of Soviet soldiers, who gave their lives to liberate Europe during World War II, as well as to the victims of the Nazi persecution.
We stand with the Ukrainian people against this unjust attack on their livelihoods, families, and nation and with the many people fleeing this war. We stand with those in Russia who have bravely protested the belligerent actions of their government and those who are unable to act out of terror and repression. We stand for freedom and democracy, two valiant legacies of the end of the Second World War.
Since its creation, the LRE Foundation has been committed to expanding the knowledge of WWII history, creating a platform of international dialogue, and inviting reflection on the lessons of the past, with the LRE Forum being one of the main expressions of this mission. All this work and effort is meant to promote a peaceful Europe. In these regards, we would like to renew our admiration for the hard work our members and partners put every day into their remembrance projects. The LRE Foundation’s network represents an outstanding example of international cooperation among countries that have been once enemies but found the path of reconciliation and now pursue a shared mission of peace.
Today we believe more than ever in the importance of this mission for education and dialogue to overcome past conflicts and divisions.”
The LRE Foundation’s Supervisory Board
