Must learn from past

This month at more than 11,000 events across the country, hundreds of thousands of people will gather to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27).

Holocaust Memorial Day is a time to remember all those affected by the Holocaust and Nazi Persecution, as well as genocides, which have taken place more recently in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

As well as remembering what happened, we also find ways to take positive action and make sure they can never happen again.

The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation and has implications for us all.

Without a basic understanding of this, we are in danger of failing to learn where a lack of respect for difference and hostility to others can ultimately lead.

With a rise in reported hate crime in the UK and ongoing international conflicts at risk of genocide, our world can feel fragile and vulnerable.

We cannot be complacent. Each of us has a responsibility to know what happened.

Thankfully, more people than ever before are taking part in our annual commemorations to learn lessons from genocide and help create a better future.

For more information on how you can get involved with this year’s events, go to www.hmd.org.uk Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust