PM pledges to combat ‘virus’ of anti-Jewish prejudice
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson pledged to stamp out the “virus of anti-Semitism” as he joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Holocaust Memorial Day, 75 years on from the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Mr Johnson and the Royal couple were at Central Hall in Westminster for a commemorative service in honour of victims and survivors of Nazi persecution, as well as subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
The Prime Minister, addressing the packed hall during a moving ceremony, spoke of the shame he feels at the continued existence of anti-Semitism in the UK.
He said: “I feel a deep sense of shame that here in Britain in 2020 we seem to be dealing with a resurgence of the virus of antiSemitism, and I know that I carry a responsibility as Prime Minister to do everything possible to stamp it out.”
Vowing to ensure the memory of the horrors of the Holocaust will not be forgotten, he promised that a national Holocaust memorial and education centre will be built “so that future generations can never doubt what happened”.
He added: “Because that is the only way we can be certain that it will never happen again.”
Ahead of yesterday’s service, Olivia Marks-Woldman, the chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said she was pleased the Royal couple had been able to attend the ceremony, alongside members of the UK’s political, civic and faith leadership.
She said: “At a time when we know identity-based hostility is increasing, it is heartening to see so many people stand together, both at the UK ceremony and at more than 10,000 local activities around the country. Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity for us all to learn from genocide, for a better future.”
Photographs of survivors taken by the Duchess for an exhibition marking 75 years since the end of the Holocaust, were released on Sunday.