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Video: Silence as Holocaust victims remembered
A pair of white doves soared above Peterborough city centre as they were released to mark the end of a service honouring the millions who died in the Holocaust.
A pair of white doves soared above Peterborough city centre as they were released to mark the end of a service honouring the millions who died in the Holocaust.The Town Hall on Bridge Street was the focal point for Peterborough's annual Holocaust Memorial Day.
People of all faiths and ages stood in hushed silence yesterday to listen to moving readings and poems, many of which were the words of survivors of the Second World War atrocity.
This year's event held extra significance because it coincided with the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi prison camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, in Poland.
The service was led by the Mayor of Peterborough, Cllr Irene Walsh, and included prayers from Canon Gordon Steele, vicar of St John's Church and readings and performances from schools, including St John Fisher Catholic High School on Park Lane.
There were also contributions by the Buddhist, gay and lesbian, Hindu, Hebrew, Liberal Jewish and Muslim communities.
Crowds were transfixed as an emotional poem was presented by Peterborough's Poet Laureate, Michael Riccardi.
Brian Gascoyne, from Millfield and New England Regeneration group, spoke of how Peterborough had offered sanctuary to those fleeing brutal regimes across the world.
Dr Dennis Guttmann, from the Liberal Jewish Community, dedicated a reading to members of his own family who perished in the Holocaust, as well as all victims of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The service ended with the Mayor laying a wreath and releasing the doves.
The theme for this year's event was Legacy of Hope and victims of genocide in all countries were remembered.
Canon Steele said: "We are commemorating all who suffered and died as a result of human hatred and cruelty, discrimination and injustice.
"We are here to honour their memory and to commit ourselves afresh to break down barriers that divide us."
The Mayor added: "Our challenge is to make the voices of the victims a meaningful part of our future."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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