In the latest of our blogs, Rt Hon David Blunkett MP explains why he feels it is so important for us all to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
There is always a danger that familiarity breeds complacency rather than ‘contempt’.
This danger exists in terms of ensuring that the excellent annual commemoration and educational event of Holocaust Memorial Day does not become just another calendar tick box but a real opportunity to get across simple messages
Given the hate that we see around us, not just across the world but regrettably here in this country, a reminder of what this led to in the twentieth century, is not just necessary but absolutely vital to the wellbeing of our democracy and our society.
Open debate is a necessary part both of our democratic process and of changing minds, but it has to be conducted not only in a spirit of tolerance but also with an eye to the consequences. Even the Office of National Statistics needs to be careful how they present data which can be so easily misinterpreted by those with malicious intent.
So, in the commemoration on 27th January we need both to remember and to update the lessons to be learnt. Anyone who thinks that we now live in a more benign and less prejudiced world should take a closer look at the language used, the cruelty and violence used and the deliberate misuse of facts to perpetrate hate.