Provost’s memorial unity call
Stirling’s Provost has urged locals to take a stand against prejudice around the world after marking Holocaust Memorial Day 2021.
Provost Christine Simpson released a statement as part of commemorations on Wednesday.
She said: “On January 27, 1945, Soviet soldiers liberated Auschwitz-birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp of the Second World War.
“Approximately 1.1 million people were murdered at Auschwitzbirkenau, and over 90 per cent of them were Jewish.
“Each year on this date, we remember this unacceptable loss of life through Holocaust Memorial Day, which Stirling hosted in 2014, and is a hugely significant event on a local and global level.
“We remember not only to ensure the lives and spirits of those who died there are kept alive in our hearts and minds, but to ensure we never forget the truly awful and destructive powers and dangers of hate and prejudice.
“I urge everyone across Stirling to join in the national Light in the Darkness campaign, which is the central theme of this year’s memorial day, and take a united stand against prejudice and hatred in the UK and around the world.”
Stirling was chosen to be the venue for Scotland’s National Holocaust Memorial Day in 2014 however every year activities have taken place locally in schools, and a number of pupils in recent years have visited Auschwitz through the Holocaust Educational Trust.
For more information visit https://www. hmd.org.uk.