LAY A PEBBLE FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE

Members of the public are being asked to lay a pebble and stand up for ordinary people at this year’s memorial to the Holocaust.  

A service will be held at 12pm this Friday (January 27^th) at the bandstand in Queen’s Park to commemorate the world – wide event with everyone invited to lay a pebble on the commemoration stone in respect to the six million who lost their lives in the Holocaust of the second world war. 

The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Ordinary People’ to encourage the public to speak out and stand up to prejudice and hatred.   

Across the world the genocide of Jews by the Nazis 1933 – 45 is remembered alongside others’ persecuted as well as victims of genocides since. 

The Mayor of Charnwood, Cllr Jennifer Tillotson will read a statement of commitment. 

Cllr Tillotson, said: “This is such an important event to remember those who lost their lives and to show our support for an important cause. 

“We must continue to stand up against hatred prejudice and discrimination of any group whether that be race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality.” 

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust said the theme this year of ordinary people is to remember the role of ordinary people in every genocide; as bystanders, perpetrators and victims.  

A statement of the trust’s website said: “Genocide is facilitated by ordinary people. Ordinary people turn a blind eye, believe propaganda, join murderous regimes. And those who are persecuted, oppressed and murdered in genocide aren’t persecuted because of crimes they’ve committed – they are persecuted simply because they are ordinary people who belong to a particular group (eg, Roma, Jewish community, Tutsi). 

Ordinary people were involved in all aspects of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution of other groups, and in the genocides that took place in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Ordinary people were perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, witnesses – and ordinary people were victims.”