High Peak Liberal Democrats

Holocaust Memorial Day

It is vital that we remember these innocent victims and tell new generations of the unspeakable things people experienced in Nazi death camps and ghettos, from the torture to the mass exterminations.

It's vital because we must never forget the lesson - that every human life should be valued and cared for.

The theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day - be the light in the darkness - is the lesson we can all choose to live out. That as we struggle with what the world confronts us with - we can all choose to be a force for good. And that choosing to be a light in the darkness will always be a necessary choice.

There can be devastating consequences if we choose to turn a blind eye to hate and injustice.

For as we say again, "never again", we must recognise that the depravity, evil and lies that led to the Holocaust still exists in our world today.

For the path to genocide starts with words, hate speech and discrimination, and will unfold still further if people are indifferent or passive.

As a Liberal, I hope we all remember Pastor Niemöller's poem, beginning "First they came for the Communists, And I did not speak out, Because I was not a Communist." There can be devastating consequences if we choose to turn a blind eye to hate and injustice.

We know the poison of anti-Semitism still exists. We know that venomous racism is still rife. We know that prejudice and discrimination still disfigures the lives of millions across the world.

So as we reflect on this Holocaust Memorial Day, let us pledge to be lights in the darkness. To nurture the values and freedoms that lead people to care about others, to care for the stranger and to care for the rights of individual human beings across the world.

Thank you to everyone involved in marking this important day.

• Display: Accessible
• Switch to: Desktop (requires cookies)

• My Account.
• Privacy Policy.
• Other Party Sites.