St Edmund's
Holocaust Memorial Day
In Head’s Line this morning, I spoke about how the 27th January is the date of two important days of remembrance.
Firstly, it is remembered globally as Holocaust Memorial Day.
That is because it was on the 27th January 1945 that Soviet troops reached and liberated the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau where over 1.3 million people were systematically murdered.
The holocaust resulted in the deaths of over six million Jewish people from many different nationalities predominantly Polish, Hungarian and Russian but also hundreds of thousands of Roma, Slavs, Jehovah’s Witnesses, gay people and others.
The organised extermination of these groups stands as one of the most appalling episodes in human history.
This year Holocaust Memorial Day is especially poignant, as it is eighty years ago today that Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated.
Today there will be commemorations around the world and it is important to note that these will not only remember the Nazi holocaust, but also the horrendous mass murders that took place in Cambodia from 1975-79, Rwanda in 1994, Bosnia in 1995 and Darfur in 2003.
I am reminded today of our Drama Department visit to Auschwitz and the nearby city of Krakow in 2023 and the profound impact the experience made upon all those who participated.
By remembering the Holocaust and other atrocities, we honour the victims and reaffirm our commitment to combat hatred in all its forms and to stand against racism and discrimination.
27th January is also Vietnam Peace Day.
That is because on this day in 1973 the Paris Peace Accords were signed that brought an end to the Vietnam War – a conflict fought predominantly between North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam – the Vietcong and the USA.
The conflict resulted in the deaths of approximately three million people, more than half of them civilians.
Together, Holocaust Remembrance Day and Vietnam Peace Day remind us of our shared responsibility to promote tolerance, understanding, and peace.
They challenge us to confront the injustices of the past and to actively engage in creating a more positive future.
But I also mention them as a reminder in a time where we see terrible conflicts in Europe and elsewhere that wars do end and those responsible can be brought to justice.