The Ukrainian community of New Zealand calls on the government to recognise the Holodomor as genocide

Activists of the Ukrainian community in New Zealand addressed the Prime Minister of the country, Christopher Lacson, with an open letter in which they called to recognise the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. It is reported by the Ukrainian World Congress, citing the Mahi For Ukraine organisation.

“With the Remembrance Day of this heinous crime against humanity approaching in November, it remains crucial that the New Zealand government acknowledges this atrocity as genocide, as many of our international allies have already done,” the letter states.

The current genocidal war against Ukraine is a continuation of the Russian aggression that began during the Holodomor, the community emphasises. A mass man-made famine, for which the Soviet regime of Joseph Stalin was responsible, led to the death of millions of Ukrainians.

“The Soviet Union aimed to destroy Ukrainian resistance and prevent the establishment of an independent Ukrainian state,” the authors of the appeal add..

The methods currently employed by Russia resemble those used during the Holodomor, and the war poses a significant threat to global food security, as it did in the 1930s.

“Now, more than ever, New Zealand, as a free democratic nation, must take a stand, the activists said. By doing so, New Zealand will join the ranks of nations that have already acknowledged this tragedy for what it truly was – a crime against humanity. Recognising all genocides is essential to learning from history and ensuring such atrocities are never repeated.”

New Zealand has a fairly small diaspora of Ukrainians (nearly 1,200 people, according to the 2018 census). But it is effective, and with the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, it actively communicates with the authorities of New Zealand, defending Ukraine’s interests.

Photo by Oleksandr Savranskyi