January has once again seen the UK’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day, and Mark has given his backing to the event by signing the Book of Commitment for Holocaust Memorial Day at Parliament in Westminster.

Mark said: “This year’s theme for Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Stand up to hatred’ and it is sadly as relevant as ever. There are still groups which try to deny that the Holocaust happened and spread hatred against other religious and ethnic groups. We must do all we can to ensure that anti-semitism and prejudice do not flourish”. Economic slow-downs often benefit right-wing extremism and with the far right once again trying to win the election of a British MEP in the European elections in June, Mark stressed the need to counter their ideas at every opportunity.

Mark also applauded the efforts of the Holocaust Memorial Trust to increase awareness and understanding of the Holocaust. The Trust provides educational resources and training for teachers, and arranges for Holocaust survivors to speak in schools. It also runs a Government funded programme of educational visits to Auschwitz.

Mark added: “I have visited Auschwitz itself. To see for yourself the evidence of the mass murder that took place there is an experience which I will remember for ever, but which also encouraged me to recommit myself to the campaign against anti-semitism and prejudice in all its forms.”

Each generation needs to rediscover for itself the terrible truth of what occurred. The recent adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank on TV, for instance, attracted over 4.5 million viewers showing clearly the continuing public desire for knowledge about the Holocaust.

However, inevitably an early evening television series cannot convey anything like the full horror of what happened. Millions of people like Anne were subjected to the most unimaginable cruelty simply because they were Jewish, Roma, gay, disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses or political opponents. As the number of survivors diminishes it is vital that their suffering is not forgotten and that we stand up to hatred in our own day.