Communities Secretary speaks at the national event
marking Holocaust Memorial Day.
72 years ago the world learned of the liberation of Auschwitz and
the full horror of the death camps.
And as we looked at the devastation wrought on the Jews of
Europe, we swore that we would never let genocide happen again.
We failed.
Genocide happened in Cambodia.
It happened in Rwanda.
The 20th century ended with genocide in Bosnia.
The 21st century began with genocide in Darfur.
Faced not only with such unimaginable evil, but also with our
repeated failure to learn from it, it’s easy to ask “How can life
go on?”
I find the answer in the words that one young victim of the
Holocaust wrote in her diary.
“I still believe people are really good at heart”.
Anne Frank was right.
People can be good.
We can be better.
We just need to be reminded of our failings, and not permitted to
forget what happens when hatred is left to grow unchecked.
So, life can go on because life must go on.
Because we must remember.
That’s why Holocaust Memorial Day is so important.
And that’s why I’m so proud to be leading the work on the new
National Holocaust Memorial.
It’s going to be built right outside Parliament, and concept
designs will be unveiled at 10 Downing Street later on today.
The memorial will remind us of those who died and those who
survived.
But it will also remind us that the Holocaust did not begin in
the gas chambers.
It began with words.
With discrimination.
With ordinary people not standing up to hatred.
And that’s a message that’s as relevant today as at any time in
our history.
A message that must be shared, that must be passed on to our
children and our children’s children.
Because in the words of Zigi Shipper, one of 112 Holocaust
survivors whose testimony has been recorded for the memorial
project:
“I beg the young people, whatever you do, do not hate.
“Hate will ruin your life.”
