Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-01-29

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Memorial service for Greek victims of Holocaust held in Thessaloniki

[01] Memorial service for Greek victims of Holocaust held in Thessaloniki

Speaking at the event, David Saltiel, President of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, said that anyone doubting the Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews in Europe should be condemned, since such views give rise to new racist tendencies.

As for the new location of the Holocaust Monument, now situated at Liberty Place, Saltiel said that it is where it belongs since it is the place where German military forces would bring Jews before sending them off to labour camps.

Thessaloniki Prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis said that Sunday's event was one condemning racism.

On his part, the city's mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos stressed that the world will never forget this crime and that Thessaloniki remembers, grieves for and honours the Greek Jews who died so unjustly.

More than 60,000 Greek Jews were killed during the Holocaust, 10,000 of which were students from Thessaloniki and other parts of northern Greece.

US General Consul in Thessaloniki Dimitra Pappas was among those present at the event and conveyed a message from US Ambassador in Athens Charles Ries, who made particular mention to the children killed. He noted that some of these children were students of the American School "Anatolia" which has submitted a proposal that a Greek-Jewish studies department be created in their memory.

Yiorgos Tsiotras, Central Macedonia Regional head, laid a wreath at the monument on behalf of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

Foreign diplomats, political figures and local government authorities were also in attendance.

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