The ‘Remember. August 23’ campaign pays tribute to the victims of totalitarian regimes. This day marks the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Totalitarian Regimes proclaimed by the European Parliament on the anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The agreement between two totalitarian regimes – Nazism and Communism – gave rise to the tragedy of nearly 80 million people. For the tenth time, the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS) highlights the importance of these historical events and encourages to honour the victims of the totalitarianisms through the international public education campaign ‘Remember. August 23’.
Signed in August 1939, the German-Soviet Pact paved the way for the World War II and its dire consequences – from mass deportations and exterminations to slave labour, war crimes, the Holocaust and ethnic cleansing. For many European societies, it meant years of enslavement, territorial, material and personal losses. The ‘Remember. August 23' campaign aims to make August 23rd a symbol of remembrance and deepen the understanding of the struggles faced by those who lived under totalitarian regimes.
Short film spots dedicated to people whose lives were marked by dramatic struggles against totalitarian systems, commemorative pins, a media and outdoor campaign in selected European capitals, articles on contemporary controversies surrounding the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and a 'Guide to the Commemoration of 23 August' – are just some of the activities of this year's campaign. It will culminate in the unveiling of a mural in Warsaw, encouraging reflection and the preservation of living testimonies of the past.
The heroes of this year’s campaign are Johann Trollmann (1907–1944), a German boxer of Roma origin, a victim of Nazi persecution, murdered by a prison guard whom he had previously defeated in the ring, and Emílie Machálková (1926–2017), a Czech woman of Roma origin, Holocaust survivor and promoter of Roma culture.
In previous years, the ENRS presented fates of:
— Władysław Bartoszewski (1922–2015), Polish social activist, historian and politician, Auschwitz concentration camp prisoner, Home Army soldier, imprisoned several times by the communist authorities,
— Boris Romanchenko (1926–2022), Ukrainian activist, Holocaust survivor, victim of Russian aggression against Ukraine,
— Doina Cornea (1929–2018), a Romanian dissident who had the courage to publicly oppose the bloody rule of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in the 1980s,
— Ieva Lase (1916–2002), a Latvian translator and French teacher who was twice imprisoned for her dissident activities,
— Jaan Kross (1920–2007), Estonian poet and writer, arrested during the German occupation of Estonia and later imprisoned by the NKVD and sent to the gulags,
— Kazimierz Moczarski (1907–1975), Polish journalist, writer, Home Army soldier and author of ‘Conversations with an Executioner’,
— Milada Horáková (1901–1950), Czech politician, sentenced to death during the Stalinist period in Czechoslovakia,
— Juliana Zarchi a Lithuanian of German-Jewish origin who experienced both totalitarianisms,
— Mala Zimetbaum, a Jew, and Edek Galiński, a Pole, prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp,
— Péter Mansfeld, the youngest victim of the 1956 Hungarian repression.
As part of the commemoration, we feature the text "The Day Europe Opened Pandora’s Box" by Professor Jan Rydel explaining the far-reaching consequences of the events of August 1939, as well as a guide with useful information about the 23 August commemorations. On the same day, a mural will be unveiled on the wall of the building at 5 Lipowa Street, near the University of Warsaw – a unique visualisation of the intergenerational memory of the events of 85 years ago and their traces in our everyday lives.
The posters with the profiles of selected protagonists will appear in the centres of European capitals, including Warsaw, Vilnius, Prague and Berlin. The international media and outdoor campaign will be accompanied by a pin bearing the inscription ‘Remember. August 23’, a symbolic sign of remembrance encouraging politicians, journalists, artists, social activists and young people from all over Europe to discuss the World War II and its aftermath every year. The stamps will be distributed in museums and memorial sites across Europe and will also be available at the ENRS’s headquarters at 37 Zielna Street in Warsaw and in selected locations that have joined the campaign.
How can you join the ‘Remember. August 23’ campaign?
The ENRS has prepared a special commemoration guide presenting several ways to commemorate the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Totalitarian Regimes.
- The simplest one is to wear a pin and share this gesture of remembrance online.
- Post a photo of yourself with the ENRS pin and let others know what this day means to you, use the hashtags: #RememberAugust23, #ENRS.
- Post a photo of/with the mural and share your reflections.
- Watch the individual stories of those, who experienced totalitarian violence in different European countries.
- Read the Stefan Troebst’s piece on the Genesis of Euro Atlantic Day of Remembrance and learn Why should we remember August 23, 1939 from Roger Moorhouse’s article.
- Study our free resources on available on our platform Hi-story Lessons.
- Visit a museum or memorial dedicated to the victims of totalitarian regimes and share your reflections.
- Commemorate with others and don’t be indifferent.
Find out more about the ENRS’s commemoration of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Totalitarian Regimes here.