Swedish Democrat MP Björn Söder is calling for an official Swedish memorial day to honor the victims of communism.
“New generations must be constantly reminded of the suffering that communism caused and still causes“, he writes in a motion submitted to the parliament’s constitutional committee.
Söder points out that, according to general estimates, communist regimes have caused the deaths of between 60 and 90 million people, and that this must be acknowledged in Sweden to the same extent as the victims of National Socialism, which was commemorated in 2005 with what is called “Holocaust Memorial Day”.
“Despite the fact that communism claimed more lives (an estimated 63-93 million people) than National Socialism, it has received considerably less attention and the victims of this abominable ideology have not been honored in the same way“, he notes.
Hope for an international initiative
According to the MEP, Swedish schools have failed to teach communism’s crimes against humanity and how people fell victim to “heinous acts in the name of communism” in the Soviet Union, China, North Korea and East Germany, among others.
A partial solution, according to the motion, is to introduce a Swedish day of remembrance to honor the victims of communism, and Söder hopes that politicians will show willpower on this issue.
“On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, one of the main symbols of communism’s oppression in Europe. But new generations must be constantly reminded of the suffering that communism has caused and continues to cause. The government should also take the initiative within the United Nations to initiate a global memorial day for the victims of communism, similar to the Holocaust Memorial Day“, he concluded.
