Victims of genocide worldwide to be remembered.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham will lead the city’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations on Sunday, January 24th.
Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions, as well as other genocides around the world.
Taking place in the Banqueting Suite at the Council House, the theme for this year’s event is ‘Don’t Stand By’, emphasising everyone’s individual responsibility not to be bystanders to hate crime and prejudice.
The ceremony, which will also be hosted by Birmingham City Council Chief Executive Mark Rogers, starts at 2pm, although doors will open at 1.30pm for members of the public to view an Anne Frank exhibition and light a candle of remembrance. Admission is free.
The programme will include individual testimonies from survivors, candle lighting, films, prayers and music from the Choir With No Name. There will also be a talk from Fiyaz Mughal OBE, founder of Tell Mama, a project that allows anti-Muslim incidents to be reported, recorded and analysed.
Lord Mayor Cllr Raymond Hassall said: “Holocaust Memorial Day provides a significant opportunity for us all to learn lessons from the past and apply them to the present day to create a safer, better future.
“I hope that as many people as possible will join me in remembering the victims of atrocities and genocides around the world, as well as those who are still sadly losing their lives today through war, conflict and hate crime.”