“The first thing is instead of fighting against the Nazis or against anti-Semitism, he was fighting for justice, liberty, life and dignity,” Raoul Wallenberg’s niece Louise von Dardel said.
“And as he was working for these basic values, he attracted lots of people who wanted to work with him. And (because of) his courage, people in contact with him lost their fear, too, and above all, the fear of death,” von Dardel added.
Wallenberg’s humanitarian achievements show it is possible to overcome apparently insurmountable odds when you stand up for what you believe is right, she said.
“We have hundreds of excuses” for not taking a stand — whether it is on environmental protection, civil rights, economic justice or war, von Dardel said.
She quoted the famous line, attributed to Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
“Today, if we don’t face the problem, it will be a catastrophe, financially, ecologically, militarily and for liberty,” she said.
Von Dardel called on Canada and other Western governments to pressure Russia to release the facts on Wallenberg’s incarceration and death.
She noted that time is running out to render justice to Wallenberg while some of those he helped are still alive.