Today (27/01/2022) marks the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in south-west Poland by troops from the Soviet Union. Since then, the 27th of January has come to commemorate the horrors of the Holocaust and remember all those who died during it.
The Holocaust was the systematic killing of over 6 million Jewish people by the Nazi’s during the Second World War. Imposing what they termed as the ‘Final Solution’, the Nazi’s 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 Nazi’s genocide, the Jewish population was not the only group to suffer persecution and extermination. They also sought the annihilation of the Roma community, people with physical and mental disabilities, members of the gay community, as well as political and religious dissidents. Over 1 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 inform contemporary debate to ensure that we never repeat the atrocities of the past.