Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Across the UK – and internationally– people have come together to remember the Holocaust.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Torfaen MP, has signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, to honour those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate people today.
The day also remembers and pays tribute to all of those persecuted by the Nazis, including Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay men, political opponents to the Nazis, and those affected by genocide since, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “Holocaust Memorial Day this year marks 80 years since the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945. Today presents an important opportunity for people from Torfaen to reflect on the darkest times of European history.
“I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust and speak out against all forms of antisemitism, which in recent months has risen exponentially and which needs to be tackled head on.”
Holocaust Educational Trust
Karen Pollock CBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we come together to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps of Europe.
“We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators and we honour those who survived and rebuilt their lives after enduring unimaginable horrors.
“The images and accounts that emerged at liberation revealed the full scale of the Nazis’ attempt to annihilate the Jewish people and this gave rise to the enduring call ‘Never Again.’ This phrase embodies the hope that the Holocaust would serve as a stark warning to future generations of the consequences of unchecked hatred and antisemitism.
“As we mark this significant anniversary, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever. With survivors becoming fewer and frailer, and with antisemitism continuing to surge across the world – we must all commit to remembering the six million Jewish victims and must take action to ensure anti-Jewish racism is never again allowed to thrive.”