On Tuesday 16th April Rugby MP Mark Pawsey met Sophie, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide, at the launch event for Holocaust Memorial Day 2014. Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated each year on 27 January, the date when the Auschwitz death and concentration camp was liberated. The Day provides an opportunity for everyone to learn lessons from the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda.
Speaking on meeting Sophie, Mark said:
“Sophie’s story is a reminder of the importance of commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day – a day where we share the memory of the millions who were affected by the Holocaust and other genocides”.
Mark continued:
“I have visited Rwanda a number of times over the last few years and have taken part in memorial services for victims of the 1994 genocide when out there. What struck me from my visits is just how far the country has come in healing the wounds caused by the genocide nearly 20 years ago”.
Mark concluded:
“I visited Auschwitz last year with a group from Rugby High School and I know both they and I found the whole experience incredibly informative and moving. It is vital to increase awareness of previous genocides in the hope that such atrocities never happen again. I want to encourage as many people as possible in Rugby to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2014”.