Eastwood MSP, Jackson Carlaw has signed the Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) Book of Commitment and said it is vital to redouble efforts to eradicate all forms of hate from society.
By signing the Book of Commitment, the local MSP has pledged his unwavering support for HMD and to preserving the memory of everyone whose lives were lost to this barbaric event in human history.
Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on 27th January as the date marks the annual anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkneau and the theme for this year’s event is “ordinary people”.
This specific theme has been chosen to mark HMD 2023 in recognition that it is ordinary people who were involved in all elements of the Holocaust as perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, witnesses and victims.
At Holyrood, Mr Carlaw also met with representatives of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Holocaust Educational Trust and the Anne Frank Trust UK.
Representing the Anne Frank Trust, young people from Mearns Castle High School spent the day at Holyrood and spoke at an event in the evening.
A members business debate was also held in the Holyrood chamber on the afternoon of 26th January and this allowed MSP’s to reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust and the fundamental need to end genocide.
In the years following the Holocaust, genocides occurred in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
The Holocaust resulted in the deaths of six million Jewish men, women and children in concentration camps, extermination camps, ghettos and mass shootings between 1941 and 1945.
Jackson Carlaw MSP for Eastwood said:
“Eastwood is home to around half of Scotland’s Jewish population and Holocaust Memorial Day is an incredibly poignant occasion for the constituency.
“It is an honour for me to sign the Book of Commitment in memory of all whose lives were taken during the Holocaust.
“We must never become complacent in guarding against the dangers of anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination have to be resolutely tackled whenever they arise.
“Pupils from Mearns Castle High were present at Holyrood and delivered a very moving presentation to MSP’s and guests.
“It is imperative that we continually come together to reflect on the lessons of this dark chapter and all genocides perpetrated in later decades.”