IntMin Bode: I deeply regret the police involvement in the Iasi Pogrom

Interior Minister Lucian Bode has voiced regret for the involvement of the police authorities in the Iasi Pogrom, saying that Parliament's solemn session of Wednesday dedicated to the commemoration of the victims of the 1941 pogrom is a strong signal of firm condemnation of this tragic moment for Romania and the Jews of Romania.

"I deeply regret the involvement of the police authorities in the tragic events of those days in Iasi. The horrors of a criminal political regime and taking up an agenda that clearly and unequivocally aimed at excluding Jews from all walks of life in the Romanian state led to a tragedy resulting in the assassination of a third of the Jewish population of Iasi 80 years ago," Bode is quoting as saying in a Facebook post by the Interior Ministry.

He believes the commemorative events of these days are a good opportunity to morally redeem the honour of the authorities involved and to emphasize the need for mass education in the spirit of promoting human values, constantly highlighting what the Holocaust tragedy meant in Romania and the need to stop any xenophobic and racist displays.