LOCAL politicians joined a gathering in Uppermill town centre to mark this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day.
Thirty people attended the annual event organised by Saddleworth Peace Group on Saturday, January 27.
Group members gave presentations outlining 10 stages of genocide – classification, symbolisation, discrimination, dehumanisation, polarisation, organisation, preparation, persecution, extermination and denial.
They stressed that everyone has “the power to recognise, challenge and reject these attributes if and when we see them”.
The importance of remembering the millions of Jews and others “considered undesirable” by the Nazis was central to the event.
Speakers highlighted how calls of ‘never again’ have failed “numerous times” since the Holocaust, as they named genocides and atrocities past and present.
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams and Saddleworth North councillor Pam Byrne also gave heartfelt messages.
A short silent vigil was followed by the joint reading of a pledge. This committed attendees to remember those whose lives have been affected by genocides, challenge the ‘language of hatred’ and work together to ‘create a society free from the dangers of persecution and hatred’.
The group then watched a short film, produced by Oldham Theatre Workshop, based on their recent visit to Auschwitz – which included a message of shared humanity and hope for the future.
Commenting on the event, Saddleworth Peace Group member Michele Abendstern said that ‘never again’ must mean for everyone and that this is a ‘time for solidarity as we honour the dead and use our voices and deeds to defend the living’.
Terrible as the Holocaust was, (and I’m not for one moment dismissing it,) there are new atrocities currently taking place in the world that are, if not quite equally bad, (so far,) then certainly of more immediate concern to most people and which cannot be defended on the basis of events that took place almost a century ago.
I very much agree with the comment above. Recognising and calling out atrocities and genocides taking place now was an important element of the event. Hence the statement ‘Never again must mean for everyone’.