16 January 2009
Stand up to hatred on Holocaust Memorial Day
Bridgend County Borough Council will mark Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) with a special event at Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion, featuring local sixthformers who have visited the Auschwitz-Berkenau concentration camp.
Held on Tuesday 27 January, which is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Berkenau, the event will commemorate the loss of life in the genocides of World War II, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.
The theme for this year’s HMD is Stand Up To Hatred and will urge everyone to look at their own behaviour towards others, to understand how hate is directed against different minorities in Britain today, and explore how communities can be made stronger and safer.
The Grand Pavilion event will see the Mayor of Bridgend County Borough Councillor Cleone Westwood and the Youth Mayor Rebecca Newton light a candle in memory of the victims of genocide.
The traditional HMD “Seven Statements of Commitment” will be read by prominent members of the community including Council leader Mel Nott and Cynffig Comprehensive head Sue Davies.
The ceremony will also feature music including the theme from Schindler’s List and members of Bridgend Youth Theatre will do a presentation on the theme of Stand Up To Hatred, featuring stark statistics about hate crimes still taking place in the world today.
The highlight of the ceremony will be a short film based on a visit to Auschwitz-Berkenau in Poland by eight pupils and two teachers from the county borough, the first time Welsh students have taken part in the “Lessons from Auschwitz” project.
As part of project, the students from Maesteg, Brynteg and Porthcawl comprehensives plus Bridgend College visited the former death camp and also spoke to Holocaust survivors and attended seminars addressing genocide, racism and bullying.
The authority’s Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony will include a poem about the experience written by Porthcawl Year 13 pupils Rachel Jenkins and Lauren Jones.
Councillor Alana Davies, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, who will also speak at the event, said: “This is such an important occasion because it asks us to remember the terrible atrocities which have taken place in the past and challenge ourselves to stand up to the hatred, racism and discrimination that still takes place today.
“I am particularly looking forward to hearing about the experiences of some of our sixth formers who have seen for themselves some of the horrors associated with Auschwitz and what it will mean to the way they live their lives in the future. Although this will be a sombre event I also think it will be very positive and give everyone a great deal to think about and take away.”
- Last Updated: 16/01/2009
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