Today (27/01/2023) marks the 78th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in south-west Poland by Allied troops. In 2005, the United Nations designated the 27th January an annual event to commemorate the horrors of the Holocaust and remember all those who died during it.
The Holocaust was the systematic killing of over six million Jewish people by the Nazi Regime during the Second World War. Imposing what they termed the “Final Solution”, the Nazis sought to eliminate as much of the world’s Jewish population as possible through pogroms, hard labour, and extermination camps. Although bearing the brunt of the Nazis genocide, the Jewish population was not the only group to suffer persecution and extermination. The regime also sought the annihilation of the Roma community, people with physical and mental disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as political and religious dissidents. Over a million people died at Auschwitz, in what has come to symbolise mankind's worst potential for destruction and clinical violence.
We invite all to take a moment today to solemnly remember the brutal suffering and grave injustices of the Holocaust. Through commemoration we hope not only to pay respect, but also to inform contemporary debate to ensure that we never repeat the atrocities of the past.
For more information about this event, visit: https://www.unesco.org/en/days/holocaust-remembrance