Ceremonia oficială de decernare a Premiului Național Mihnea Constantinescu pentru merite deosebite în combaterea antisemitismului, xenofobiei, radicalizării și discursului instigator la ură

Ministrul afacerilor externe Emil Hurezeanu a participat joi, 6 februarie 2025, la Ceremonia oficială de decernare a Premiului Național Ambasador Mihnea Constantinescu pentru merite deosebite în combaterea antisemitismului, xenofobiei, radicalizării și discursului instigator la ură.

Premiul, acordat de Ministerul Afacerilor Externe, a fost instituit în 2024, în memoria Ambasadorului Mihnea Constantinescu, figură remarcabilă a diplomației române contemporane, angajat în apărarea drepturilor omului și diplomația bazată pe valori. Primul laureat al acestui premiu este Robert Waltl, personalitate propusă de Jewish Cultural Center Ljubljana.

Robert Waltl, actor și director de teatru și festival, este o figură complexă și prolifică a culturii contemporane slovene. Robert Waltl este membru al delegației Sloveniei în cadrul International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), coordonator și inițiator a numeroase proiecte educaționale și artistice de combatere a antisemitismului, xenofobiei, radicalizării și discursului instigator la ură, promotor activ al incluziunii și toleranței și al păstrării memoriei victimelor Holocaustului.

În alocuțiunea sa, ministrul Emil Hurezeanu s-a referit la angajamentul ferm al României de a promova și susține cercetarea, educația și comemorarea Holocaustului și la necesitatea de a avea abordări inovative care au menirea de a combate fenomenele negative care afectează în continuare societățile și valorile noastre democratice.

La eveniment au participat ambasadori ai țărilor membre IHRA, membrii Comitetului interministerial pentru monitorizarea implementării Strategiei naționale pentru prevenirea și combaterea antisemitismului, xenofobiei, radicalizării și a discursului instigator la ură, reprezentanți ai mediului academic, înalți oficiali și reprezentanți ai instituțiilor de stat și cultură, alături de reprezentanții Asociației Ambasador Mihnea Constantinescu.

Alocuțiunea ministrului afacerilor externe Emil Hurezeanu în format video este disponibilă aici: https://www.mae.ro/node/66328.

Transmitem, mai jos, transcrierea integrală a alocuțiunii ministrului afacerilor externe Emil Hurezeanu:

'Distinguished guests,

Dear colleagues and friends,

It is a great privilege for me to present the laudatio to Mr. Robert Waltl to whom we award the Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu National Prize of 2024 for special merits in combatting Antisemitism, Xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech.

This is a very special occasion for us, as it is the first edition of this prize.

I will start by recalling that Robert Waltl is one of the most recognizable names in Slovenian culture. An artist and a civil rights activist, he has fervently promoted inclusion, tolerance, the Jewish culture and the memory of Jews in Slovenia. Throughout the years, his approach has been multifaceted. He has held educational sessions for young people on Holocaust issues, he has organized exhibitions about the Holocaust, he has set up stolpersteine (or stumbling blocks) in Ljubljana and elsewhere in Slovenia.

This prize is awarded to Mr. Waltl for 4 emblematic (interrelated) projects:

* the setting up of the Jewish Cultural Centre in Ljubljana;

* the Mini Theatre in Ljubljana;

* the House of Tolerance Festival and Holocaust education in Slovenia; and

* the stolpersteine/stumbling blocks project in Slovenia.

I will briefly describe the projects below, in order to better understand their significance and impact:

The Jewish Cultural Center was created in order to promote and practice Jewish culture, as a museum, but also as a place for prayer, as it currently houses the only functioning Synagogue in Slovenia. The Center educates particularly on the Holocaust and is now an international hub with a remarkable social impact, both in Slovenia and worldwide.

The Mini Theater is the most important partner of the Jewish Cultural Center, featuring projects such as theatre performances, concerts, literary evenings, exhibitions, lectures, Holocaust education programmes, book promotions, film screenings or debates.

The House of Tolerance Festival is a very prominent Jewish film festival, with tolerance and diversity as core themes. Robert Waltl firmly believes that - in his own words - 'culture is a means of creating tolerance'. This festival - one of the most important annual events in Slovenia - is an expression of this credo, addressing topical and important issues, such as war, relations between individual and state or the importance of historical memory.

The stolpersteine is another widely known project of the Jewish Cultural Center, managed by Robert Waltl, aimed at evoking the fate of Ljubljana's Jews and Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, who fled to Ljubljana in 1930, as the city was then considered a safe heaven for Jews. Starting with 2018 until today, 68 stumbling blocks have been laid in the Slovenian capital in 24 locations. As Robert Waltl said, stolpersteine are visible monuments. For centuries after we are gone, people will walk on these stumbling blocks in the hearts of the cities where we once lived, thus preserving a lasting memory of the madness of World War II.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Regrettably, once again we live during times characterized by a worrying increase of Antisemitism, xenophobia, radicalization, as well as by all types of discriminatory attitudes.

We have the duty to counter these threats, these challenges. The most efficient way is by promoting Holocaust education, especially among the young generation. And this is what the Ljubljana Jewish Cultural Center does best, through its main activities, but also through projects such as the Mini Theatre, the House of Tolerance Festival and the stolpersteine.

We need creative approaches, that can help us in advancing public awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust. We must continue our efforts to identify areas where further reflection is needed and combat negative phenomena that affect our democratic societies and values.

Let me assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that our commitment to encouraging the research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust has remained and will continue to remain steadfast!

The Mihnea Constantinescu National Prize is a living proof of this commitment.

This year, we honour cultural projects aimed at combating Antisemitism, projects that are innovative, employ a substantial civic engagement and have a tremendous contribution to educating the public as well as showcasing best practice examples.

Mr. Waltl, you are an example to us all and it is an honor for us to award this prize to you!

I congratulate you once again for your activities and wish you all the best in your work, as well as many successful future projects.

Thank you!'

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