The Lord Mayor of Birmingham and the Mayor of Sandwell will lead Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations on Sunday, January 24. Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions, as well as other genocides around the world.
Birmingham
Taking place in the Banqueting Suite at the Council House, the theme for this year’s event is ‘Don’t Stand By’, emphasising everyone’s individual responsibility not to be bystanders to hate crime and prejudice.
The ceremony, which will also be hosted by Birmingham City Council Chief Executive Mark Rogers, starts at 2pm, although doors will open at 1.30pm for members of the public to view an Anne Frank exhibition and light a candle of remembrance. Admission is free.
The programme will include individual testimonies from survivors, candle lighting, films, prayers and music from the Choir With No Name. There will also be a talk from Fiyaz Mughal OBE, founder of Tell Mama, a project that allows anti-Muslim incidents to be reported, recorded and analysed.
Lord Mayor Cllr Raymond Hassall said: “Holocaust Memorial Day provides a significant opportunity for us all to learn lessons from the past and apply them to the present day to create a safer, better future.
“I hope that as many people as possible will join me in remembering the victims of atrocities and genocides around the world, as well as those who are still sadly losing their lives today through war, conflict and hate crime.”
West Bromwich
Everyone is invited to attend the commemoration in West Bromwich, which starts at 10.30am at Highfields Memorial Garden, off High Street, West Bromwich, B70 8RJ.
It's being held on the nearest Sunday to Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January. This year's Holocaust Memorial Day theme is "Don't stand by".
For more information about Sandwell's commemoration service, contact 0121 569 3440.
More information on Holocaust Memorial Day 2016 at www.hmd.org.uk and on Twitter using the #HMD2016 hashtag.
