Layton's Glaring, Calculating and Inexcusable Omission

On the occasional of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said:

“As we commemorate the solemn anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, we remember the countless people, including six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis.

“The Holocaust was not just a crime against a specific group of people, it was also a crime against all of humanity; a betrayal of the most fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

“While we cannot begin to understand the suffering endured by those who lived and those who died in the dark days of the Holocaust, it is our duty to keep their memory alive.

“As we remember and mourn those who lost their lives more than six decades ago, we must also remember the lessons learned from the Holocaust, and we must honour the legacy of those who survived.”

Liberal leader Michael Igatieff said:

“Today marks an occasion for solemn observance here in Canada, as we reflect upon the Shoah and the six million Jewish men, women and children lost to this crime against humanity, and the great suffering and loss from this genocide we are still trying to come to terms with in our time.

 “The liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, which occurred on this day, was an ultimate victory against the evils of the Nazi regime and the deep roots of anti-Semitism which lay in its repellent vision of humanity.

“We must remain vigilant in our opposition to the anti-Semitism which continues to this day and hold fast to our commitment to human rights, our fundamental belief in the sanctity of religious freedoms, and the values of mutual respect and tolerance all Canadians share...

NDP leader Jack Layton said:

Today marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazi death camps. This solemn anniversary was declared International Holocaust Remembrance Day by the United Nations just a few years ago, and gives us an opportunity honour the memory of Holocaust victims.

We can never forget the hatred that destroyed an entire generation, as those that survived were forced to live with the memory of the evil they had encountered.

Today is a day of remembrance, but we cannot forget that intolerance still exists around the world today and there is much work to be done.

That's a pretty neat trick, Jacko--remembering the Holocaust without ever once mentioning the Jews. ("An entire generation" destroyed, eh? What a hollow and generic way to put it.) No doubt your many Muslim fans (the Muslim minority having overtaken the Jewish one in numbers and growing e'er larger by the day) would approve.