«Dalla memoria all'azione» (en)
San Gallo, 09.02.2026 — Discorso di apertura del consigliere federale Ignazio Cassis, presidente in carica dell'OSCE, pronunciato alla conferenza della presidenza dell'OSCE sulla lotta all'antisemitismo. Affrontare le sfide dell'intolleranza e della discriminazione a San Gallo – Fa fede la versione orale
Mr Secretary General, Feridun Sinirlioglu
Distinguished guests from the neighbouring States:
Deputy Prime Minister of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Sabine Monauni;
State Secretary of Austria Sepp Schellhorn
Esteemed Principal Officials
Maria Telalian (ODIHR Director),
Christophe Kamp (High Commissioner for National Minorities) and
Jan Braathu (Representative on Freedom of the Media)
Delegations from OSCE Participating States
Representatives of civil society
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen
It is a pleasure and an honour to welcome you all to St Gallen.
This city, shaped by history and dialogue between cultures and faiths, offers a perfect setting for this first conference of our Chairpersonship.
This conference on Combating Antisemitism should not be necessary.
Having to convene such a meeting more than 80 years after the Shoah is deeply troubling.
We once said «never again».
Yet hatred persists and is once again turning into violence and horror – as we saw on an Australian beach last December, and as we experience in our daily lives across our countries: through attacks on synagogues and memorial sites, through insults voiced in the streets, in schools and even more online.
Since the terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 in Israel, these challenges have intensified.
Switzerland is not immune. Just last week an Orthodox Jew was assaulted by a man in the middle of the street in Zurich. In 2024 alone, 221 antisemitic incidents were recorded – a sharp increase of 42.5% compared to 2023. And last year, violence in our public spaces escalated.
What have we learnt from the past?
Four years ago, in my capacity as President of the Swiss Confederation, I met the artist Fishel Rabinowicz, one of the last witnesses of the Holocaust, who has since passed away. He shared his story with me – a story of unspeakable cruelty, but also of incredible dignity. This encounter will always stay with me.
This morning, many of you visited the Jewish Museum in Hohenems and at the Rhine crossing at Diepoldsau, used by refugees before and during the Second World War. This site will soon host an information centre supported by the Swiss Confederation.
Let me also encourage you to visit the exhibition of the Gamaraal Foundation on the «Last Swiss Holocaust Survivors» here at the conference centre – and congratulate the Gamaraal Foundation for recently receiving the prestigious Simon Wiesenthal Prize for its work.
Ladies and gentlemen
Hatred does not arise spontaneously, it develops gradually.
It begins with words.
With stigmatisation.
With indifference.
Once these awful dynamics are set in motion, they feed on themselves.
This is not only about the Jewish community.
Discrimination is rising against many groups – based on religion, origin or political conviction.
A general climate of instability, fuelled by geopolitical rivalries and economic uncertainty, is fostering resentment towards groups perceived as «different».
This is unacceptable – for the victims, for our societies, for our security.
For years, the OSCE has been warning about the dangers of antisemitism and intolerance.
This conference in St Gallen will reaffirm and hopefully translate into action the commitments set out in the OSCE Declaration on Antisemitism – which was adopted during the last Swiss Chairpersonship in 2014.
Particular attention will be given to addressing the root causes of prejudice through education, dialogue and sport.
Fighting hatred and intolerance requires willingness, cooperation, and above all the readiness to confront uncomfortable realities.
Before concluding, I would like to thank the Canton of St Gallen for its support in organising this conference, twenty years after the St Gallen Declaration on the coexistence of religions and interfaith dialogue.
Antisemitism do not stop at borders; this is why the presence of high-level representatives from our neighbouring countries, Austria and Liechtenstein, is meaningful.
Let me also express my gratitude to all OSCE participating States.
Your presence here today is essential, and I am pleased to continue this shared journey with you during the Swiss Chairmanship.
Throughout the year, we will hold four conferences across Switzerland’s different linguistic regions, highlighting the strength of plurality.
The next one will take place in May in International Geneva, at CERN — the research centre exploring the origins of the universe, which served as a vital bridge between East and West during the Cold War, in the spirit of ‹science for peace›. I look forward to welcoming you there.
Dear participants,
Building a common future of peace and security is not just an ideal or an ideology: it is daily work.
Let us get to work now to turn memory into action.
Thank you!