On Thursday 24th January, Rugby MP Mark Pawsey spoke in a debate in the House of Commons that coincided with Holocaust Memorial Day. That Day is commemorated on the 27th January and every year, since 2008, a debate in Parliament has been held close to the day itself. The debate is an opportunity for Members of Parliament to pay their respects to those who were murdered under the Nazi regime, and to subsequent victims of genocide. MPs use the debate to publicly commit to ensuring future generations are never ignorant of what took place during the Holocaust.
Speaking after the debate, Mark said:
“I am very glad I was able to speak in this very poignant and significant debate. I firmly believe that debates like this and events like Holocaust Memorial Day are very important in educating people about the horrors of genocide in a bid to ensure it never happens again”.
Mark continued:
“I visited Auschwitz last year, because, having been to Rwanda as part of a Conservative Party project over a couple of summers, I realised I knew more about what had happened in Africa than what had happened here in my own continent. I was very interested to join a group of school children from Rugby High School on a visit to the former concentration camp. From that visit I could see the impact that getting to understand the atrocities which happened there can have on young people”.
Mark concluded:
“On my trip to Rwanda I saw the horrific lengths that were gone to in an attempt to stop people running away. We must never forget the horrors of genocide and I hope to have the opportunities to continue to raise awareness of the victims of genocide through my experiences in both Rwanda and Auschwitz”.