Holocaust remembrance service held at Monkstown Jubilee Centre

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Mark Cooper led tributes in remembering the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and those who lost their lives in more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Holocaust Memorial Day is held across the world each year on January 27, a stark reminder to all of us of the result of the evils of discrimination and prejudice, if left unchecked and unchallenged.

Holocaust Memorial Day helps us as a community to communicate the importance of respecting differences and rejecting hate in all its forms. The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day this year is ‘Fragility of Freedom.’

Guests heard further poignant messages from the Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim, Edward Montgomery MBE; the Consul General of the Republic of Poland, Mariusz Stus, and guest speaker Dermot Lavery, managing director of Double Band Films and creator of ‘Belfast to Dachau’.

A BSL sign language interpreter supported members of our local deaf community in attendance.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Mark Cooper said: “Holocaust Memorial Day events bring people together from all different backgrounds, where we can learn more about the past, empathise with people today and take action for a better future.

“I hope that it inspires you to challenge discrimination and do what you can to create a peaceful and inclusive society.”

More information on Holocaust Memorial Day can be found at The Holocaust Memorial Trust via www.hmd.org.uk