On June 22, 2023, a traditional event dedicated to the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Slavic Genocide victims took place in Nitra and the village of Alekshince. This Memorial Day was proclaimed five years ago at Slavic congresses in Prague, Moscow, and Kyiv. It was a response to the fact that the Holocaust and genocide are recognized only in relation to a specific nationality, partially in relation to several other nations, but they were committed against the 350-million Slavic population and continue to this day.
The memorial event began at the monument to the Red Army soldier in the city of Nitra. Milosh Zverina, the President of the Slavic Association Slavica, addressed the attendees with an opening speech. He recalled the history of the proclamation of the Slavic Genocide Memorial Day. Current and former representatives of state authorities and civic organizations then delivered speeches. Participants laid wreaths and flowers at the monument to the Red Army soldier and lighted memorial candles. The event continued in the village of Alekshince, where a rally was held at the monument to the Slavic genocide. Here, Milosh Zverina presented the Message to the Slavs on the occasion of the day of mourning and commemoration of Slavic genocide. In the conclusion of his speech, he quoted the words of Slovak Ludovit SHtur, the great Slavic: „Slavs! In our division lies the strength of our enemy and our grave; in our unity lies his demise and our salvation."
The memorial event concluded with a concert by guitarist Svatoslav Hamaliar.
Author: Evgeniy Paltsev
Photo: Evgeniy Paltsev