THE LAST month has seen two terrible anniversaries.
In just 100 days in 1994 over 800 thousand people were slaughtered in Rwanda in a terrible and calculated act of so-called “ethnic cleansing”.
We assumed that atrocities based on race and creed could never again occur in Europe, but the following year 8,000 Muslim Bosniaks were murdered in Srebrenica.
In both cases, the international community was aware of the danger, and in a position to act. In both cases it failed to do so. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
Sir Nicholas Winton, whose passing we mourned at the start of this month, showed us the way. Acting for no other reason than the ties of common humanity, he single-handedly established an organisation to aid children from Jewish families in Czechoslovakia at risk from the Nazis.
A total of 669 were rescued and given refuge and the chance to start a new life in this country. Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little – to save a single life is better than to save none.
Pious words and righteous hand-wringing save not a single life. The shedding of crocodile tears will not feed or clothe those in despair.
We are fortunate enough to be unable to imagine the torment facing the Syrian refugees. But we are fortunate enough to be better placed than most to be able to alleviate their suffering.
We must not pass by on the other side of the road. It’s no time for excuses. We must act.
