BASINGSTOKE and Deane will remember the victims of the Holocaust and other acts of genocide with a short service this weekend.

Those who suffered and died, as well as those still living who have lost friends and loved ones to genocide, will be remembered at the annual Holocaust Memorial Day service.

The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Cllr David Leeks, will lead tributes on behalf of the borough at 10am on Saturday, January 27 at the War Memorial by the Civic Offices.

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Cllr Leeks, together with the leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Cllr Paul Harvey, will lay a wreath on behalf of the borough. A bugler will mark a one-minute silence.

The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘The Fragility of Freedom’, which encourages people to consider what freedom means to them and to consider the impact on victims of genocide of having their freedom restricted and removed.

Cllr Leeks said: “It is important that we use this opportunity to pause and remember all victims of genocide and to give thought to the lessons that must be learned from these catastrophic events.

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“The fragility of freedom theme gives us the chance to consider our own freedoms and an insight into the impact of having those freedoms being eroded.

“It is also an opportunity for us to show our support for those who have suffered the loss of family and friends.” 

Holocaust Memorial Day has been commemorated worldwide since 2000 on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, in 1945.

To find out more about National Holocaust Day, visit hmd.org.uk.