Introduction – The Black Ribbon Day is also called European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism and is an international day that is observed on August 23 annually. It is an International Day of Remembrance for those people who are victims due to totalitarian regimes, specifically Communism, Stalinism, Fascism, and Nazism. This day symbolizes the rejection of ‘’oppression, extremism, and intolerance’’.

European Parliament designated this day in the year 2008/2009 as ‘’European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism’’ and is celebrated every year by the European Union since 2009. Canada and the United States observed this day as a Black Ribbon Day. This day remembers common people in Europe that became victims of deportations and mass executions, which were the consequences of the Fascist rule in the continent. This day aims is to preserve the memory of the victims of mass deportations and exterminations and promoting democratic values to reinforce stability and peace in Europe.

History – – This international was created during the Cold War period in the 1980s. There are many refugee communities migrated to several Western countries such as the USA, Canada, and many more that marked the day for protesting against the communist government in Russia that led to the Revolution of 1989. A member of the Estonian Central Council in Canada, Markus Hess created the name this global day as ‘’Black Ribbon Day’’ due to black ribbons that are used as a mark of protest

Significance – The main purpose of this international day is to encourage democratic values and spread awareness against totalitarian ideologies that are similar to Fascist, Nazism, and Stalinist governments. This international day aims to preserve the memory of the victims of mass executions and encourage democratic values to strengthen stability and peace in Europe.

According to world history, the Nazi rule was known for its harsh rule and trying to destroy a whole race of people due to they were inferior. There were millions of people dead at that time. So, this day is observed to remember how these governments brought nothing but destruction to the world for the future. This global day also encourages the rejection of fascist ideologies such as Nazism, Stalinism, Fascism and many more that took over the world for several years.