Monmouth MP David Davies has pledged his support to Holocaust Memorial Day by signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in the House of Commons.
With Friday (27 January) marking the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, Mr Davies honoured the millions of victims who were persecuted and killed during the Holocaust.
He also paid tribute to those who survived and have dedicated their lives to educating young people, ensuring the appalling events of the Holocaust and other genocides are neither forgotten nor repeated.
“As the Holocaust moves from living history to just history, it becomes ever more important that we take the time to remember the victims and pay tribute to the survivors,” said Mr Davies.
“It has been a privilege to get to know one such survivor, Mady Gerrard. Originally from Keszthely in Hungary, Mady was imprisoned as a teenager at the infamous Bergen-Belsen camp and now lives near Chepstow.
“Listening to Mady’s story makes me realise how lucky those of us who were born after 1945 have been. However, the recent terror attack in Berlin and the continued growth of Isis in the Middle East should remind us that religious and racial hatred is still prevalent in the modern day despite the lessons of history.”
2017 is also the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution, which snuffed out a nascent democratic movement in Russia and marked the beginning of various Communist governments throughout the world.
Mr Davies added: “Everyone is rightly aware of the cold-blooded murder of six million Jews, and many others, by the Nazis. But there is less awareness of the millions who were murdered in the name of advancing Communist revolutions, particularly in Russia and China.
“By some estimates, Mao Zedong alone (founder of the People’s Republic of China), was responsible for the death of 65 million people – around the entire population of the UK.
“The deaths continue: Marxist North Korea has one of the worst human rights records in the world and anyone speaking out can expect to be executed or put into a concentration camp.”
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 ‘How can life go on?’
Karen Pollock MBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “Our mission is to educate young people from every background about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance.
“We are very grateful to David Davies for signing the Book of Commitment, signalling a continued commitment to remembering the victims of the Holocaust as well as challenging anti-Semitism, prejudice and bigotry in all its forms.”