Press Release: Holocaust Memorial Day

This week, Alan Brown MP signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day.

By signing the book, the representative for Kilmarnock and Loudoun is honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on 27th January every year, the anniversary of the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945. Across the UK – and the world – people will come together to remember the horrors of the past.

In the lead-up to and on Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. The theme for this year’s commemorations is ‘Ordinary People’.

On Holocaust Memorial Day we also remember and pay tribute to all of those persecuted by the Nazis, including Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay men, political opponents of the Nazis and others. We also remember all of those affected by genocide since, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

After signing the Book of Commitment, Alan Brown MP commented:

“Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity for people from Kilmarnock and Loudoun, as well as further afield, to reflect on the darkest times of European history.

“By signing the book I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and in all subsequent genocides.

“As the Holocaust moves from living memory to history, we must ensure we never forget the horror these people endured and mark this significant day. “

Also commenting, Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:

“On Holocaust Memorial Day we remember the six million men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, simply for being Jewish, and we pay tribute to the incredible survivors, many of whom still share their testimony day in and day out to ensure that future generations never forget the horrors of the past. We also remember that antisemitism did not start or end with the Holocaust, we must all be vigilant, and speak out whenever it is found.”