It feels important this week to acknowledge Holocaust Memorial Day, not least because of the juxtaposition of the 80th year and the way hatred and violence seem to be bubbling to the surface around the world at the moment.
Rather than write at length about all the different aspects of this, from the rise of populism to the influence of social media, the failures of western democracies to the threats from autocrats I will restrict myself to a couple of short comments. First, there is reason to be anxious – the riots in the UK this year, the actions of Trump, the situation in the Middle East all bear witness to this. But importantly, in the aftermath of the summer riots and attacks on mosques and immigrant centres other groups have sprung up. Around the country community groups have emerged focussed on building bridges across cultural, racial, and religious divides. It is this positive response, and the enthusiasm for it, which is cause for hope.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 Survivors dig deep into memories pain long buried with the remains of family friends children what lasts is their humanity strength will to survive lives built afresh honouring the dead if this is what survives their suffering may not have been in vain we now play our part let them speak hear their stories bury them deep in our hearts so this cannot be denied or allowed again hatred now wears other clothes different but strangely familiar scapegoats live in fear first they came for the immigrants but I was not an immigrant
Very emotionally thought provoking - if that’s possible! ❤️
What a beautiful poem Tony - thank you