Local MP Commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day

North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson joined people across Parliament and in North Swindon in marking Holocaust Memorial Day 2019.

The 27^th of January is as a date to reflect on the millions of murdered victims, many of them Jewish in the Nazi genocide as well as genocides which followed, such as in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. The 27^th of January is significant because it marks the date that Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazi concentration camps was liberated by allied forces in 1945 and has been commemorated as Holocaust Memorial Day since 2005.

The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day this year was ‘Torn from Home’.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Every year we come together to commemorate this important day as we mourn and commemorate the millions of lives that have been lost to genocides. Holocaust Memorial Day is an important reminder that Anti-Semitism and all forms of racism are unacceptable and have no place in our society.”

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own - it’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented. We’re fortunate here in the UK; we are not at immediate risk of genocide. However, discrimination has not ended, nor has the use of the language of hatred or exclusion. There is still much to do to create a safer future and HMD is an opportunity to start this process.”