Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, the international day to remember the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups, and in more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
On this day in 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, was liberated. Approximately 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Over 90% of them were Jewish.
The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation, and the world said ‘never again’, but genocides have continued to take place.
Holocaust Memorial Day is a time to come together to remember all those affected by the Holocaust and more recent genocides, and to take action to protect those currently at risk of persecution. From educating ourselves to better understand those who we perceive as different, to reporting hate crime if we see it, there are actions we can and must take to make our communities safer.
This evening at 4pm, the Light the Darkness National Moment will take place. People across the nation will light candles and place them in their windows to remember those who were murdered for who they were and to stand against prejudice and hatred today. National and Local Landmarks will also be lit up in purple. I urge you to join in. #HolocaustMemorialDay #LightTheDarkness
