It was a privilege to speak in the annual Holocaust Memorial Day debate, as lead speaker for the SNP today.
We must always remember what happened in the Holocaust, and reflect on the terrible conclusion to intolerance, antisemitism, and hate.
Sadly, even today, genocide remains a grave concern, with communities such as the Uyghur Muslims being persecuted in terrible ways, with awful similarities to the Holocaust.
This means education is so key. I am glad in my contribution today to have mentioned some local people who have been so instrumental in Holocaust education:
The late Judith Rosenberg, an Auschwitz survivor who touched so many people with her work, who sadly died this week; Henry and the late Ingrid Wuga, both arriving on the Kindertransport and going on to do amazing work with young people all over the country; and a young local woman, Kirsty Robson, who along with her friends has set up an organisation to help educate us about the genocides of today.
We can't ever be complacent or imagine the Holocaust couldn't happen now. Antisemitism is a reality, and one we need to confront. The theme for the debate today was "Be the light in the darkness" and that is a welcome reflection of the fact we all have a part to play in shining a light on what happened, and on intolerance and hate.
East Renfrewshire Council along with Renfrewshire Council, are hosting an online Holocaust remembrance event this evening at 7pm, which you can join via their facebook or twitter pages.
Comments