Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats

AUSCHWITZ MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN - ÖPIK

Lembit Öpik, Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire, spoke in the House of Commons yesterday (Thursday) to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation in 1945 of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous concentration and extermination camp, and to pay tribute to those individuals who had the courage to stand up to hatred in many different ways: joining resistance movements, speaking out to challenge the hatred or by risking their own life to rescue others in danger.

During his speech, Lembit recognised examples of contemporary genocide, both past and present, and the importance understanding the fragility of tolerance despite the horrific example of the Holocaust.

Earlier this week Lembit also showed his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day by signing a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons to honour those who perished in the Holocaust and to pledge that he will uphold the memory of the Holocaust in all areas of life and "Stand Up to Hatred."

Following the debate, Lembit said:

"As in previous years, the Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity to remember those who suffered and died in the horrors of the Holocaust and other genocides.

"It is also an opportunity to re-commit to combating present day racism, hate crime, and victimization that sadly still permeates and pollutes all areas of society. We must stand united in our communities against persecution and with this in mind it is essential to continue to educate youngsters about the Holocaust, as the Holocaust Educational Trust does, and motivate all to work together to ensure that these horrendous atrocities are not repeated."

Ends/diwedd

Notes for Editors:

For a full text of the debate, please visit: http://pubs1.tso.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090129/debtext/90129-0010.htm

For further information about the Holocaust Educational Trust please contact Paul Evans on 020 7222 6822

Please find attached, a photo of Lembit signing the Book of Commitment.

For Lembit Öpik's speech, please see below:

My parents were among those who were provided with refuge in the UK from the turmoil of war and the fracturing of a continent. For that reason, I am extremely proud and grateful that, as a nation, we honour the victims of the holocaust by officially commemorating this day. I would like to pay tribute to Europeans across the continent who provided refuge to those fleeing persecution. I only regret that, once again, the press-with one or two noble exceptions-seem to be too busy to attend this debate in person. I hope that that absence will not be repeated next year.

The philosopher George Santayana said: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Our aim is to live by that moral and to remember the 6 million victims of the holocaust, as well as the many other victims of genocide who have already been mentioned. Unfortunately, genocide remains a stain on the 20th century, with around 150,000 victims in East Timor, 500,000 in Cambodia, 500,000 in Ethiopia, and more in Tibet, Bosnia and Rwanda. Genocide continues even now in Darfur and towards the Karen people in Burma. It is also worrying that the international community has not been able to draw a line under the Rwandan genocide, with remnants of the tribal tensions spilling over into the present conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The situation facing the indigenous people of West Papua is just as bad. One of the worst examples is the displacement and killing of thousands of people to make way for the giant American and British-owned Freeport mine, the largest gold mine in the world, which has reduced a sacred mountain to a crater and poisoned the local river system. We talk about this here, but, collectively, we still allow it to happen elsewhere.

I also pay tribute to the Holocaust Educational Trust, which is so ably led by Karen Pollock, and without which I doubt we would be having this debate. Sadly, however, there are threats to the holocaust's memory. According to the BBC, 94% of funding for the museum at Auschwitz-Birkenau comes from Poland, with only 6% coming from elsewhere. I would like to ask the Minister whether our Government would consider making a more formal financial contribution, in order to keep the memory alive. The impact of visiting the museum in Auschwitz is profound, and almost no one who has been there can forget it or deny the holocaust.

In addition, I would like to cite a film that I saw recently. It was called "Defiance" and it chronicled the outstanding contribution of two heroes in Poland: the Bielski brothers, Tuvia and Zus. They harboured 1,200 citizens in the forests of Poland to give them protection at the height of the holocaust. They personify the heroism of so many in Europe's darkest hour.

Education is our greatest weapon against the recurrence of genocide in Europe. I join others on both sides of the House in honouring the victims of the holocaust, along with those who were brave enough to condemn it in the past, and those who promote its memory in the present so that it can serve as a practical reminder for the future.

We must also commend the work of the Kindertransport, before world war two broke out, in securing the future for more than 9,000 Jewish children. Such examples show the human race at its best, in contrast with the very worst, as illustrated by the holocaust.

Let us also remember the fragility of tolerance. People may make a pariah of Germany, but in the Channel Islands, which were occupied, there was a degree of co-operation by people not far from here. That suggests to me that we have to be vigilant, ensure that the underlying causes of intolerance are challenged, and hope that this kind of behaviour never ceases to be characterised as wrong-an opportunity to scapegoat by those who are unwilling to see the bigger picture.

The holocaust of world war two is a salutary lesson in what has happened on our own European doorstep. But, more than that, it is a blood-stained testimony to what happens when an ordinary, decent society is allowed to descend into extraordinary barbarism through the abandonment of basic human rights. It is our duty to end the systematic killing of people and groups across the globe, long after the eye witnesses to the holocaust are gone. The few remaining holocaust survivors will not always be with us, and that is why we need the museum. Standing up to hatred means taking a stand for a future in which we simply do not allow systematic killing to take place anywhere in the world. That will require us to revisit our approach to foreign policy, because we do not always get it right.

I am grateful that the Government have done a great deal to embrace the memory of the holocaust. We are not just standing up against hatred; we are taking a stand for a future in which the honour of those who died in the holocaust will never be abandoned, and in which the errors of the holocaust will never be repeated.