Ceremony to be held in Northampton to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

A ceremony to mark Holocaust Memorial Day will be held in Northampton later this week.

On Thursday (January 27), community groups, dignitaries and West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) representatives will come together at the Guildhall to remember the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust, under Nazi persecution and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The event will begin with an introduction from Councillor Ann Addison, chair of WNC, followed by various speakers including John Josephs from the Northampton Hebrew Congregation.

The ceremony will conclude with the lighting of candles and the laying of flowers on the memorial stone.

Councillor David Smith, WNC's Cabinet Member for community engagement and safety, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day offers us a chance not just to remember those who have died in past genocides, but to recognise that the lives of very many people today are still overshadowed by the impact of more recent atrocities across the world."

The ceremony will be recorded and shared via West Northants Council's Facebook and YouTube channel and residents are invited to commemorate the day through a minute of silence at 11am.

Social media users can help spread awareness about Holocaust Memorial Day by using the hashtags: #HolocaustMemorialDay #HMD2022 #LightTheDarkness.

In the evening residents are also invited to join the national Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 ceremony streamed online at 7pm, to register go to the Holocaust Memorial Day website.