80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ

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This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the end of World War Two and there are a number of significant anniversaries connected to this. We will remember V.E. Day, V.J. Day and of course, the bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Dresden, all of which took place in 1945. This week, it was a very moving experience to watch the commemorations of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz in Poland, in which thousands of people were tortured and killed by the Nazi regime, simply because of their ethnicity and religion. The one at the camp itself was attended by world leaders such as King Charles, President Macron and President Zelensky, along with survivors of the camp, all of whom are now well into their eighties and nineties. Powerful speeches were given, encouraging us to never let anything like this happen again. 

A similar event was held in London and was attended by many, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister and other survivors of the Holocaust. Also remembered were the victims of genocides which have taken place since in various parts of the world and we heard moving speeches and presentations. We were then encouraged to put a lighted candle in our windows in solidarity.

The whole thing was a powerful and moving reminder of the horrors of war and indeed, the hatred which so often leads to it. As a boy, I heard many stories of the war years from my father (who served in the Home Guard), my mother (who served in the Food Office) and my father's sisters, one of whom served in the Royal Navy and the other in the Royal Air Force. I then spent 30 years of my own life in the Northern Ireland conflict, known as "The Troubles" and saw for myself on many occasions how violence and hatred can damage and indeed, destroy, people's lives. 

I hope and pray that as we remember the victims of atrocities such as Auschwitz, we will be encouraged as a human race never to take such a path again and to do all that we can to live peaceably (while recognising our differences) on this planet that we share. 

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