THE MP for West Dunbartonshire has paid tribute to the millions of people who were murdered during the Holocaust.

Martin Docherty-Hughes marked Holocaust Memorial Day in parliament by signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment.  

The parliamentarian also acknowledged the Holocaust survivors who work to educate young people today. 

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on January 27 every year, the anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945.

Commenting, Martin Docherty-Hughes MP said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity for people in West Dunbartonshire and across the country to reflect on the darkest times of European history. 

“Through my work in parliament I been privileged to meet survivors of the Holocaust. Their testimonies serve as a powerful reminder of the horrors of the past; and for the sake of future generations they must never be forgotten. 

“Today, I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in Holocaust, as well as the millions of others persecuted by the Nazis including Roma and Sinti people, black people, gay people, mentally and physically disabled people. 

“We cannot ever be complacent in standing up to hatred, discrimination and intolerance.” 

In the lead up to and on Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events are arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. The theme for this year’s commemorations is ‘Ordinary People’. 

On Holocaust Memorial Day, people also remember and pay tribute to all of those persecuted by the Nazis, including Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay men, political opponents to the Nazis and others. Also remembered are those affected by genocide since, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. 

Karen Pollock CBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “On Holocaust Memorial Day we remember the six million men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, simply for being Jewish, and we pay tribute to the incredible survivors, many of whom still share their testimony day in and day out to ensure that future generations never forget the horrors of the past.  

“We also remember that antisemitism did not start or end with the Holocaust, we must all be vigilant, and speak out whenever it is found.”