Holocaust Memorial Day takes place today (Tuesday 27th January 2026) as Southport’s MP warned people today to heed the lessons of the past, saying: “The Holocaust did not begin with camps or killing. It began with words. With prejudice. With the slow erosion of empathy, and the gradual normalisation of exclusion and hatred.”
In addition to the annual commemorative event, well-known buildings and landmarks across the UK will be lit in purple during this evening as part of HMD’s annual ‘Light the darkness’ event.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust encourages people to light candles in homes and communities as part of a national moment of remembrance scheduled for 8pm.
The theme for 2026 is ‘Bridging Generations’.
Sefton marked the event with its annual Holocaust Memorial Service at Christ Church in Southport on Sunday, with a range of speakers at a poignant event.
Southport MP Patrick Hurley said:
“Eighty-one years have passed since the liberation of Auschwitz. And yet, for the Jewish people and all those whose forefathers were murdered, the Holocaust is not something distant or abstract. It lives in memory, in family histories, in the spaces where lives should have unfolded but were taken away.
“We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered during the Holocaust. We remember babies whose lives barely began, who might still have been alive today. Parents who tried to protect their children in unimaginable circumstances. Grandparents whose stories were never finished.
“We also remember that the Holocaust did not begin with camps or killing. It began with words. With prejudice. With the slow erosion of empathy, and the gradual normalisation of exclusion and hatred.
“Holocaust Memorial Day exists because remembrance matters.
“And that remembrance matters not just as a gesture, but more importantly, as a responsibility – a responsibility for our own times.
“This year’s theme, Bridging Generations, speaks to a moment we are living through. The survivors who bore witness, who carried their memories with extraordinary courage, are now fewer with each passing year. Their voices, that have shaped our understanding, inevitably grow weaker.
“Their testimonies, that have taught us not only what happened, but what can happen when humanity fails, have to be relearned for a new generation.
“As those voices grow quieter, the responsibility to remember does not fade. Rather, it is passed on. It is carried by children and grandchildren, by families and communities, and by all of us who choose to listen, learn, and remember.
“We become the bridge between past and future.
“Holocaust Memorial Day reminds us where prejudice can lead when it is left unchallenged.
“It asks us to remain attentive to the ways language, stereotypes, and division can cause harm.
“It calls on us to protect the dignity of every person, and to stand against hatred in all its forms. When we light candles in memory, we do so with humility.
“The light is a symbol of hope. A quiet commitment that the lessons of the past will be carried learned anew.
“Remembrance is not about dwelling in sorrow alone. It is about honouring lives by choosing compassion. It is about ensuring that history is taught truthfully. And it’s about building a future shaped by understanding rather than fear.
“Today, we remember those who were murdered. We honour those who survived. And we re-affirm our shared responsibility to protect the future by remembering the past.
“May the memories of those we commemorate today be a blessing. May our remembrance be meaningful. And may we remain alive to the dangers we still face now, and will face for generations to come.”
On 27th January 1945, the infamous concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, operated by Nazi Germany in south-west Poland, was liberated by Russian troops.
27th January is now the day the world remembers the Holocaust, its victims and those from other acts of genocide throughout history.
Holocaust Memorial Day began in 2000 when 46 governments signed the Stockholm Declaration. It came about after government representatives from around the world met in Stockholm, Sweden to discuss the education, remembrance and research of the Holocaust.
The United Nations also marks 27th January as an annual International Day of Commemoration to remember the victims of the Holocaust.
- Learn more about the Holocaust – visit the Holocaust Education Trust website: Holocaust Educational Trust – Latest News
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