Harborough glows purple to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Harborough glowed purple in memory of those who suffered or lost their lives to the Holocaust.

The lights, strung around the square and council offices, marked annual Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday (January 27).

MP Neil O'Brien and Cllr Phil King were there to pay their respects.

Mr O’Brien said: “It’s important to support Holocaust Memorial Day by remembering everyone who lost their lives and what happened, and I commend the British Council for making an effort to have this act of public remembrance every year.”

Cllr King added: “Remembering the Holocaust is still as important today that it has ever been, not least because of the Ukraine invasion by Russia. We see horrific atrocities being committed in conflict zones around the world on the basis of culture and religion and identity, and that’s what makes it even more important to remember the Holocaust and the horrors of the Second World War.”

The day, first marked in Britain in 1999, is the anniversary of the liberation of prisoners from the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945.

The day aims to commemorate its victims, raise awareness of the holocaust and its lessons and other more recent atrocities which raise similar issues.

It also provides the opportunity to reflect, on the Holocaust as well as the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.

The annual memorial day is recognised by communities and schools across the country.