Don’t stand by is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2016
Holocaust Memorial Day 2016: Don't stand by from Holocaust Memorial Day Trust on Vimeo
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place on 27 January each year. It’s a time for everyone to pause to remember the millions of people who have been murdered or whose lives have been changed beyond recognition during the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
From 1939 – 1941 the Nazis carried out their T4 Euthanasia programme to kill those with disabilities. Initially the victims were killed by lethal injection or starvation but when this proved too slow six killing centres were established to speed up the process using gas. The model used for killing disabled people was later applied to the industrialised murder within Nazi concentration camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau. For more on this read Helene Melanie Lebel's life story on the HMD website.
HMD is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and to recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own, it’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented.
We’re fortunate here in the UK; we are not at risk of genocide. However, discrimination has not ended, nor has the use of the language of hatred or exclusion. There is still much to do to create a safer future and HMD is an opportunity to start this process.
As part of the HMD 2016 Pete shares his experience of suffering a hate crime on the basis of his disability and also explains how he reacted and moved forward with the help of Disability Equality North West.
Disability Rights UK ambassador, Stephen Brookes, has written a personal view commemorating HMD 2016 highlighting the current need to combat Hate Crime in the UK.
Find out more about how to report hate crime
Visit the HMD website
