MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary marks 80th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation on Holocaust Memorial Day

• Foreign Secretary will co-host a reception with the Embassy of Israel in the Foreign Office today
• David Lammy will meet Holocaust survivor Janine Webber, who survived Nazi persecution in occupied Poland.
• Senior UK delegation including HMTK will join world leaders at Auschwitz-Birkenau commemoration ceremony in Poland

The Foreign Secretary will today co-host a reception with the Her Excellency the Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Prior to the commemoration, the Foreign Secretary will meet Holocaust survivor Janine Webber BEM, who survived the Holocaust as child in occupied Poland, enduring the tragic loss of her parents and brother at the hands of the Nazis.

The commemoration will showcase innovative approaches to Holocaust education. These include Testimony 360, a virtual reality programme preserving survivor testimonies for future generations, and ‘In Their Footsteps’, a powerful exhibition featuring 3D-printed shoes that symbolise Holocaust remembrance.    

Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to say:

Never again’ is a solemn promise, which we owe to the victims, but also which we must uphold for our own sake and for the sake of future generations.

We need Holocaust remembrance. Holocaust education. Action against antisemitism.

It is how we build a better future for all.

A high-level UK delegation, including senior government officials, His Majesty The King and Holocaust survivors, will join world leaders today at the Auschwitz-Birkenau commemoration ceremony in Poland today.

As part of the UK’s commitment to Holocaust remembrance, the Prime Minister pledged at least £2.2 million in September to continue to fund the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz project, enabling UK students to visit Auschwitz and learn about the history of the Holocaust.

Background

• Holocaust Memorial Day is marked annually on 27 January. As set out by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Holocaust is central to Holocaust Memorial Day and we remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It also commemorates the millions more people murdered through the Nazi persecution of other groups and in the more recent genocides of Rwanda, Srebrenica, and acts of genocide in Cambodia and against the Yazidi people.
• The UK currently holds the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, until 28 February.
• See more information about Holocaust Memorial Day, and Janine Webber BEM.
• All imagery from the event and the Foreign Secretary’s attendance will be available on flickr, following its conclusion.
• Remarks from the Foreign Secretary’s speech will be available on gov.uk shortly after the event.