I have once again shown my support for Holocaust Memorial Day and has signed the Book of Commitment. This book is promoted by Holocaust Education Trust who ask MPs to pledge their commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and to remember those who have been victims of genocides. It also recognises those who work tirelessly each day to teach our young people this important piece of history.

On Thursday of this week, I spoke in a debate on the issue, and paid tribute to Holocaust survivors for their testimonies, and for voluntarily reliving their experiences in order to try and give society the warning of what happens when hatred becomes normalised.

Just over 70 years ago, after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau – and all other concentration camps – we vowed never again. But just 49 years later, the world saw the genocide in Rwanda, and this year’s Holocaust Memorial Days marks the 25th anniversary of this dark piece of history.

Holocaust Memorial Day cannot be just about remembering the past, but must also be used as a reminder of what can happen when a blind eye is turned to persecution and the threat of genocide in the world. Regardless of who it is directed at – Jews, Muslims, or anyone else – there is no such thing as acceptable racism, and as a society we have a duty to call it out whenever we see it.

I want to specifically thank Eva Clarke – a Holocaust survivor – who contributed to this week’s Holocaust Memorial Day events in parliament. Each time Eva and every other survivor give their testimony, they are choosing to relive the horrors of their past to try to protect us from reliving those horrors in the future.

To read my speech in full, please click here, and for further information on Eva Clarke, please click here.