More than 100 turn out for annual Holocaust Memorial Day
THE theme for Holocaust Memorial Day this year, on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and 25th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia, was Stand Together, and Loughborough held the commemoration at dusk so that everyone present could hold a tea light and illuminate them together as darkness fell.
The event was held at Queen’s Park and Daphne Beale, chair of Loughborough Council of Faiths, welcomed everyone and introduced the theme, which explored how neighbours, either standing together and defending one another when persecution arises, or failing to do so, makes all the difference to the outcome with today, more than ever, everyone needing to stand together with others in our communities to stop division and the spread of identitybased hostility in society.
This was followed by a short address from Alejandro Arguelles Bullón, a young man who is studying at Loughborough University, and is a regional ambassador for the Holocaust Educational Trust.
He spoke of his visit to Auschwitz Birkenau, and of his motivation and determination to be part of the next generation of witnesses of the atrocities that occurred, giving a voice to the 6.5 million men, women and children who were murdered during the Holocaust.
The Mayor of Charnwood, Coun Brenda Seaton, then read the Act of Commitment and laid the first pebble on the memorial stone.
Everyone else followed and laid a pebble whilst a solo flautist played in the darkness, lit by the tea lights and lanterns. There were more than 110 people present.