24/11/2024
HOLODOMOR 1932-1933 THE GENOCIDE OF UKRAINIANS
Commemoration event by Ukrainian Scouts in Belgium
In 1932 and 1933, millions of Ukrainians were killed in the Holodomor, a man-made famine engineered by the Soviet government. Feeling threatened by Ukraine's strengthening national identity, Joseph Stalin took measures to destroy the Ukrainian peasantry and the intellectual elites to prevent them
from seeking independence from the USSR. The primary victims of the Holodomor were farmers and villagers, who made up roughly 80% of Ukraine's population in the 1930s. The estimated number of deaths in these 2 years of famine ranges from 3.5 to 7 million.
Each year, the fourth Saturday of November marks the day of remembrance of the 1932-1933 Holodomor famine in Ukraine. We honor all the lives lost in this horrible tragedy and the resilience of Ukrainian people who overcame these hardships to establish an independent nation in 1991.
Today, echoes of this dark past are felt as Ukraine once again faces threats to its freedom and sovereignty from Russia's invasion. As we remember the victims of the Holodomor, we reaffirm our support for Ukrainians, their liberty, and their democratic nationhood.
The Holodomor stands as a tragic milestone in history: the first genocide systematically orchestrated by the Soviets depriving the Ukrainian population of the very nourishment they produced. This atrocity is especially horrific since the use of food deprivation as a weapon of genocide happened in a region historically known as the "breadbasket of Europe".
Ukraine always produced enough grain to feed not only its own population but also to supply other parts of the Soviet Union and even export abroad, and without the Soviet genocidalpolicies in 1932 and 1933, a famine would be unthinkable. Ukraine's Iong history of resistance against Soviet domination posed significant threat to Stalin's regime. Concerned that rising opposition in Ukraine could escalate and potentially lead tonits secession from the Soviet Union, Stalin implemented impossibly high grain procurement quotas. These draconian measures were enforced alongside a series of ruthless policies designed not only to extract resources but to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people, ultimately aiming to eliminate a significant part of the nation and extinguish an y possibility of independence.
Excessive Grain Quotas: The Soviet regime set impossibly high grain quotas, enforce through violent repression and the complete confiscation of all reserves, leaving farmers without food.
Isolation of Famine Regions: Soviet authorities sealed off affected areas with armed patrols preventing starving peasants from seeking food elsewhere.
Constant Searches and Fines: Officials imposed "natural fines," seizing grain, seeds, and even cooked food, stripping families of all sustenance.
Brutal Repressions: Severe penalties, including ex*****ons, were inflicted on those who resisted or tried to hide food.
A particularly cruel decree, issued in August 1932 and known as the "Law of Five Stalks of Grain", criminalized even the smallest act of taking food from collective fields. Under this law, anyone — adult or child—caught taking any produce, even a few stalks of grain, could face ex*****on or imprisonment for stealing "socialist property"
By early 1933, approximately 54,645 people had been tried and sentenced under this decree with over 2,000 individuals executed. The decree exemplified the extreme measures taken to enforce starvation and punish those struggling to survive.
Overall, in 1932-1933, the Holodomor claimed the lives of an estimated 3.5 to 7 million Ukrainians, though some estimates suggest even higher numbers. Entire villages were decimated as people died en masse from hunger, with the most vulnerable children and the elderly - suffering first.
It remains one of the deadliest famines in human history and is widely recognized as a genocide deliberately orchestrated to crush Ukrainian national identity and resistance against Soviet rule.
Every year in November we commemorate the victims of he Holodomor. By remembering this tragedy, we acknowledge the enduring resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of overwhelming Soviet oppression. This remembrance is especially relevant today, as Ukraine once again finds itself fighting against Moscow's aggression. The lessons of the Holodomor should always remind us about the dangers of tyranny and the importance of defending sovereignty and freedom.
Holodomor is one of the greatest tragedies of the Ukrainian people. Millions of Ukrainians died of starvation and a terrible imprint on our entire history was left. This tragedy requires us to remember all the innocent victims and never forget who committed these atrocities and continues to commit them now. In order to tell the story of the Holodomor and to remind people once again about the war in Ukraine, on Sunday November 17th the Plast, Ukrainian Scouts in Belgium, organized a commemoration event in Brussels. Using the senses, such as sight, taste and hearing, scouts tried to recall the suffering that Ukrainians experienced then and now.
STAND WITH UKRAINE. REMEMBER THE PAST. HELP BUILD A FREE FUTURE.
November 17th 2024
⏰ From 12:00 to 15:30
📍 In front of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, Brussels
Support Ukraine, remember the past! Fight for a free future!
Oranized by/Організатор:
Пласт Бельгія - Oekraïense scouts in België - Scouts ukrainiens en Belgique
https://www.facebook.com/plastbelgium
Голодомор є однією з найбільших трагедій українського народу. Мільйони загиблих голодною смертю і страшний відбиток на нашій історій, що вимагає від нас пам‘ятати про всіх невинних жертв, і ніколи не забувати, хто вчиняв ці звірства і продовжує їх коїти зараз.
З метою розповісти про Голодомор і вкотре нагадати людям про війну в Україні, в неділю 17 листопада пластуни влаштують акцію пам'яті в Брюсселі. За допомогою чуттів, таких як зір, смак і слух, ми спробуємо пригадати страждання, які українці переживали тоді й зараз.
🗓 17 листопада
⏰З 12:00 по 15:30
📍 Перед Собором Святих Михайла і Гудули в Брюсселі
Підтримуйте Україну! Пам'ятайте минуле! Боріться за вільне майбутнє!
#Україна #Голодомор #Брюссель
Music used in the video:
Title: Rose
Artist: Sam Marshall
Link: https://business.facebook.com/sound/collection/?sound_collection_tab=sound_tracks&asset_id=251935880177927&reference=artist_attr
