Never again… but over and over again

For almost two years we have been following the horrors of the war in Ukraine. For more than two months we have been following the horrors of the war in Gaza.

Yes, we are following. More or less. We express concern. We condemn. We regret. And we wonder. Every now and then we demand something. Not enough. Do we take action? Even less.

I will write once again that I condemn this eternal concern of ours and our eternal double standards. Why is one innocent life more valuable than another?

We were not in the world during the two world wars. But surely you all know, as I do, that after the second one, “never again” was repeated over and over again. After the Holocaust, and after the horrors in the territory of the former common state, the genocide in Srebrenica, and after the genocide in Rwanda… we repeated “never again” over and over again.

To avoid misunderstanding, I am not making comparisons between attacks, murders, and wars. I want to say that we are losing our compass again. Again and again. Again we are losing opportunities for decisive pressure, again we are without concrete measures, without sanctions that would reflect the true unity of the European Union and the international community, that we stand behind the words “never again”. That we actually understand them.

The gaps between the stated principles and the actual actions are felt most painfully by the innocent. Also (but not only) by the children who are left without protection and help.

With indiscriminate attacks on schools, horrifying scenes from hospitals and rescues from under the rubble, the phrase “never again” increasingly sounds like… an empty nothing. Again and again.

I will not accept this. Even though I am in the minority, this does not mean that I was, am or will be silent. It does not occur to me. I move matters where I can, from the position I am in. I am not doing this just now. I’m not doing this because I want to score points on the shoulders of civilians. I’ve been doing this my entire term. Because “never again” is a commitment for me. For us and for future generations.

Again and again.

Irena