Scotland Remembers Auschwitz -The Herald (UK), 28 Jan 2002 by Annie McGuire
Survivors of the Nazi death camps, politicians, and clergy joined hundreds of Scots yesterday to mark the second annual National Holocaust Day.
In Poland, about 200 Auschwitz survivors and relatives of victims gathered at the former death camp to mark the 57th anniversary of its liberation.
In heavy rain, the participants, including Shevah Weiss, the Israeli ambassador to Poland, young Poles and Germans laid flowers, lit candles, and said prayers at a memorial to the people killed in the camp.
Speaking at the ceremony in Glasgow, Jack McConnell, the first minister, said: "It may be 57 years since the holocaust, but we must never forget the persecution of Jews and others who suffered under the Nazi regime.
"This year - as we remember the victims of the holocaust - our thoughts will also inevitably turn to the more recent atrocities of September 11. By remembering those horrors we can work to ensure they never happen again."
David Hayman, the Scots actor, said: "I have stood on the soil of Auschwitz. The birds don't sing and the flowers don't grow in Auschwitz.
"It is a place of great darkness where sorrow is felt of a level never imagined, where the magnitude of those massacres is too overwhelming even to speak."
The Rev Ernest Levy, who survived seven different concentration camps, read from his book Just One More Dance - a personal account of the atrocities.
| "Holocaust memorial day is a commemoration of the terrible loss of life, not only in the holocaust of the second world war, but in other twentieth century genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo." |
| Alex Mosson, the Lord Provost of Glasgow |
The Dance School of Scotland and the Glasgow Schools Chorus also featured in the mixture of music, dance, readings and audio visual material.
The service ended with people lighting candles to symbolise a renewed commitment to fighting racism and prejudice. Among those who took part was Jonathan Ndongala, on behalf of Glasgow's asylum seekers and refugees.
Gurbax Singh, chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, said: "Sadly in this new century, racism is still alive in Britain. Hate crimes still happen. Our task is to make sure we do not become a society pitted against each other."
Alex Mosson, the Lord Provost of Glasgow, said: "Holocaust memorial day is a commemoration of the terrible loss of life, not only in the holocaust of the second world war, but in other twentieth century genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo."
A series of other events will now take place across Glasgow to recognise the significance of the holocaust, including exhibitions at the Tramway Theatre and the Mitchell Library.
David Blunkett, the home secretary, told a ceremony in Manchester that "evil is ever present" and urged Britain to stand up to the "bigotry and prejudice" that still exists today.
He was joined by Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative leader, Charles Kennedy, the Liberal leader, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Also taking part in the service were actors Sir Ben Kingsley and Antony Sher and holocaust survivors.
Mr Blunkett said: "One thousand Jews found refuge in Britain during the 1930s and several hundred survivors of the death camps came to Britain after the war. Many became citizens and built families here.
"We should reflect on this, in helping those who face death and persecution both by providing a welcome home if necessary, but also accepting our mutuality, independence and international obligations."