(New York, NY) – Counter Extremism Project (CEP) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace issued the following statement thanking the Government of Canada and its delegation, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for visiting CEP’s Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at the former house of the Commandant, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz last Monday, January 27.
It was truly an honor to host the Canadian delegation at ARCHER at House 88, which opened its doors for the first time to the public on the same day as the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. I thank the delegation and recognize Canada’s longstanding opposition to antisemitism and extremism.
The visit underscored the importance not only of remembering the Holocaust and the atrocities of the past but also of taking concrete action against the rising tide of antisemitism and extremism today. The transformation of this house from a place of unspeakable evil into a center for education and action sends a powerful message: we cannot once again allow hatred to become ordinary.
Greeting Prime Minister Trudeau and his delegates, including Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism Deborah Lyons and Canada’s Ambassador to Poland Catherine Godin, as they touched the mezuzah now affixed to the doorpost of House 88 was a uniquely memorable, emotionally resonant moment. This is a doorway that once concealed one of the century’s most infamous mass murders responsible for the systematic extermination of more than one million Jews, firmly closed to the victims forced to labor as slaves at the camp next door—and sealed from the world since 1945—but is now truly open and welcome to all.
I am grateful to the Canadian government’s recognition of the importance of this project and its willingness to stand with us in our mission. I thank Prime Minister Trudeau and each of his delegates for their visit and their commitment to ensuring that—as successive Canadian governments have urged—‘never again’ is not just a phrase, but a call to action. We naturally extend an open invitation for all Canadian government officials to visit ARCHER at House 88 any time, as we further develop our programming and operations.
Click here to receive updates about ARCHER at House 88 in the coming months.
Click here to view a selection of photographs from Prime Minister Trudeau’s visit to ARCHER at House 88.