Never Again

International #HolocaustRemembranceDay (#HRD) is observed on 27 January to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.

On this day we remember the genocide that resulted in the death of an estimated six million Jews; one million Roma; 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people; and 9000 homosexual men by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. When the Red Army of Soviet Union liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, on 27 January 1945, it found thousands of starving and dying survivors, who told unimaginable tales of horror.

There were tales of heroism too – in my previous job we were well aware that #RaoulWallenberg, who saved many Jewish people in #Hungary before his disappearance, had actually operated for some time from the British Embassy in Budapest. It was my privilege to unveil a plaque in the Embassy wall in his honour.

The Holocaust was a turning point in history, which prompted the nations of the world to say “never again” and to ensure that it is remembered with the aim of preventing further acts of genocide. Sadly though, some people have sought to deny or downplay the Holocaust as a historical event. This prompted the #UN General Assembly to adopt a resolution (A/RES/60/7) by consensus, which condemned such tendencies “without reserve” as well as all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur.

This does not mean that humanity has learnt its lesson. In the past twenty years, the world haswitnessed millions of victims perishing in Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur, to name just a few tragedies. So in addition to commemorating today as a useful means of raising awareness, it is also essential for nations to work together to identify early conflict prevention mechanisms which can make a practical contribution to building peace and security. As part of this effort, the UK is working closely with the African Union’s #AU Peace and Security Council #AUPSC to strengthen its capacity to identify and tackle underlying tensions early on.

The 31 members and eight observer countries of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (#IHRA) also met in Manchester on 1-4 December, under UK chairmanship. IHRA brings together government and NGO/academic representatives to discuss closer international co-operation in Holocaust education, research and remembrance.  Hungary set out an ambitious plan for their Chairmanship of IHRA, which starts in March.

HolocaustRemembranceDay gives us a chance to reflect on the nature of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and prejudice in general, and to debate why the Holocaust happened and how to prevent future genocides. A large-scale commemorative event is planned in the #UK for 27 January, with special media coverage by the #BBC.