Local Mark Pawsey MP signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as other genocides in history. Mark also paid tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate people on the events that took place there. Mark has previously visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp with pupils from Rugby High School and has also travelled to the sites of genocides in Rwanda and Cambodia.
Mark said:
“Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Having visited both Auschwitz and sites of genocide in Rwanda and Cambodia, I feel it is vital they are commemorated. What happened to the victims is almost too awful to understand and it is only right we remember them.”
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said:
“We are proud that Mark Pawsey MP is supporting Holocaust Memorial Day. As we mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and the liberation of the concentration camps in 2015, it is vitally important that we both continue to remember and learn from the appalling events of the Holocaust – as well as ensuring that we continue to challenge anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry.”
Mark concluded:
“The truly horrific thing about the Holocaust is that it happened just 70 years ago and that genocides have happened more recently in Rwanda and Cambodia. The work that has been done by the survivors of these tragedies is inspirational and I would encourage everybody to take a moment to remember the Holocaust, and other genocides. With fierce conflicts still ongoing in the world, the work of charities like the Holocaust Memorial Trust remains as important as ever.”