Peterborough to mark Holocaust Memorial Day with online service

The Peterborough Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration will be broadcast on the council’s Youtube and Facebook channels from 12pm today (Wednesday). Residents can watch the event live or watch it back in full later.

Traditionally, Holocaust Memorial Day is marked in Peterborough with a public event in Cathedral Square but this year, in compliance with safety guidance due to the pandemic, a virtual ceremony will take place instead.

The event will feature contributions from the council’s Chief Executive Gillian Beasley, Cllr Gul Nawaz, the Mayor of Peterborough, along with community groups and Cambridgeshire Police, centred around a theme of ‘Be the Light in the Darkness’.

The traditional wreath laying ceremony will also take place, along with a tribute to Brian Gascoyne, the former Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day planning committee, who recently passed away.

Councillor Gul Nawaz, the Mayor of Peterborough, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a significant and poignant event in the world's calendar, giving us all the chance to remember the victims of genocide.

“It's vitally important that we reflect on the atrocities of the past and share their stories with future generations. Although sadly we can’t do this together in public right now, I would urge everyone to watch the virtual ceremony and pay your respects.”

Holocaust Memorial Day occurs every year on 27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. This date has come to represent other genocides which have been committed over the years, such as those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. It serves to commemorate those who were murdered for who they were and to remind us to stand against prejudice and hatred.

To watch the service visit https://www.youtube.com/user/PboroughCityCouncil or https://www.facebook.com/PeterboroughCC