Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer, 100 years old, shared her moving testimony during the special plenary session honouring the victims of the Shoah.

President von der Leyen addressed her and those present by stating: 

I think that it was hard for all of us to hold back our tears when we were listening to you, Margot Friedländer, a survivor, a witness of the greatest tragedy in European history. But your testimony, Margot Friedländer, and your energy at 100 years shows that dignity and identity are indestructible. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is the greatest service, the greatest act of love for all of us and future generations. Because you make us see, you make us free. Our freedom is built on the memory of the Holocaust. Because the very reason why our Union was founded lies in two simple words: never again, ‘nie wieder'.

She concluded by saying:

The Union we want to build is a place where everyone can be whoever they want to be. A place where a Jewish woman like Simone Veil, a survivor of the Holocaust, can raise to become the President of this proud European Parliament. A place where everyone is entitled to the same rights and is treated with the same dignity. This is what ‘keeping the memory alive', truly means. A continent that is finally united in its beautiful diversity.