Jo Platt – the MP for Leigh and Atherton – has signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

Being held today – on Thursday 27 January – Holocaust Memorial Day marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau – the former Nazi concentration and death camp. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation in 1945.

As it is 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps of Europe, survivors are becoming older and frailer. This means that it’s likely to be the last significant anniversary at which Holocaust survivors will be present, and able to share their personal stories.

Jo Platt said: “Holocaust Memorial Day this year marks 80 years since the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945.

“Today presents an important opportunity for people from Leigh and Atherton to reflect on the darkest times of European history. I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust and speak out against all forms of antisemitism, which in recent months has risen exponentially and which needs to be tackled head on.

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, added: “This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we come together to mark 80 years since the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps of Europe. We remember the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators and we honour those who survived and rebuilt their lives after enduring unimaginable horrors.

“The images and accounts that emerged at liberation revealed the full scale of the Nazis’ attempt to annihilate the Jewish people and this gave rise to the enduring call ‘Never Again’. This phrase embodies the hope that the Holocaust would serve as a stark warning to future generations of the consequences of unchecked hatred and antisemitism.