Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism

Statement by the Prime Minister on Black Ribbon Day

Retrieved on: 
Sunday, August 23, 2020

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe, also known as Black Ribbon Day:

Key Points: 
  • OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe, also known as Black Ribbon Day:
    "Today, we join people around the world to pay tribute to the victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe.
  • "On this day in 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
  • This alliance, which led to the violent political and territorial rearrangement of Eastern and Central Europe, caused immense suffering.
  • "On behalf of the Government of Canada, I invite all Canadians to remember the victims of Black Ribbon Day and all those who lost their lives to authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, past and present.

Statement by First Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Jourová ahead of the Europe-Wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 26, 2019

The signature of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on this day in 1939 opened a dark chapter in European history.

Key Points: 
  • The signature of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on this day in 1939 opened a dark chapter in European history.
  • A time during which citizens were neither free to make their own decisions nor had a say on political choices.
  • Tens of millions of victims were deported, tortured and murdered under totalitarian regimes in Europe.
  • Even after the end of World War II, many Europeans continued for decades to suffer under totalitarian regimes.