SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS MONUMENT TO RAOUL WALLENBERG IS INSPIRATION FOR OTHERS TO ACT
Press Release
SG/SM/6169
SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS MONUMENT TO RAOUL WALLENBERG IS INSPIRATION FOR OTHERS TO ACT
19970226 Following are the remarks of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of the unveiling of a monument to Raoul Wallenberg in London today:It is a great privilege for me to join Her Majesty in rendering homage to Raoul Wallenberg. The unveiling of this striking monument, commissioned by the International Council of Christians and Jews, is for me a deeply moving occasion, both as Secretary-General of the United Nations and in my personal capacity; for Raoul is my wife's uncle.
Contemplating this statue forces me to do some painful soul-searching and to ask difficult questions.
What was it that compelled Raoul to act and to take such extraordinary risks, unafraid of the brutal and inhuman force that killed millions of people and destroyed Europe?
Where did he find that courage and blessed inspiration?
And why did so many turn the other way?
Raoul's life and achievements have thrust to the fore the vital role of the bystander, or the third party amidst conflict and suffering. His kind of intervention gives hope to the victims, encourages them to fight and resist, helps them to hang on and bear witness, and hopefully arouses our collective conscience.
The mystery remains, though: why were there so few Raouls?
This monument should not only be a wonderful tribute to Raoul but an inspiration for others to act. For future generations to act. For all of us to act. Let us all remember the wise words of Edmund Burke: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
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