Nottinghamshire Police has marked Holocaust Memorial Day by lighting candles in memory of the lives lost to genocide.
The force is standing together as one today (Saturday 27 January) as a mark of respect to the millions of people who died during the Holocaust.
A lantern filled with candles has been placed at Force Headquarters to remember the victims, as well as those affected by other atrocities across the globe.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell lit the candles and sat the lantern next to a memorial plaque, as part of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s ‘Light the Darkness’ campaign.
Police forces have been invited to take part, while the public has been asked to light a candle in their front window tonight on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Holocaust Memorial Day is dedicated to remembering the millions of people who were murdered under Nazi persecution, as well as those who suffered in subsequent genocides.
Chief Constable Meynell said: “It is incredibly important that we continue to mark this day, which represents the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.
“Millions of innocent people were murdered at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust, with their actions being fuelled by hatred and prejudice.
“Countless more people were also killed in separate genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
“These atrocities threatened the fabric of our civilisation and provided extreme outcomes of what hate can lead to. They can never be allowed to happen again.
“Likewise, they should never be forgotten, which is why Holocaust Memorial Day is so important to helping honour those that died and highlighting the damage prejudice and hatred can cause.”
• Holocaust Memorial Day to be marked by the laying of wreaths at the Irena Sendler Statue
For further information about Holocaust Memorial Day please visit: Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (hmd.org.uk)
