"We will not, and must never, forget." Holocaust Memorial Day 2026

Published: 27 January 2026

Today, in a service at Valentines Park, we marked Holocaust Memorial Day, a national day of commemoration for the six million Jewish men, women, and children murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the millions killed in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. The day also marks others systematically killed, including Slaves, Roma, Poles, prisoners of wars, people with disabilities, homosexuals and other minorities. Communities came together to remember, reflect, and learn and to keep remembering across new generations.

Thank you to everyone who attended and to those who spoke at the service. 

Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, said in his speech, "Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day 2026, we gather as a community to remember the darkest chapters of human history and to reaffirm our commitment to a future built on dignity, compassion and peace. This day calls on us not only to look back, but to learn from the Holocaust and subsequent genocides so that we can shape a better tomorrow. 

Between 1941 and 1945, six million Jewish men, women and children were systematically murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. The attempt to eradicate the Jewish people fundamentally shook the foundations of civilisation. Alongside Jewish communities, the Nazis also targeted Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay people, political opponents and many others. Today, as we remember the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we say again: we will not, and must never, forget. 

From 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot carried out a brutal campaign in Cambodia, resulting in the deaths of millions through starvation, disease, forced labour and execution. We will not, and must never, forget. 

In 1994, in just 100 days, around one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in the Rwandan genocide - a shocking reminder of how quickly hatred can escalate when left unchecked. We will not, and must never, forget. 

A year later, in July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces led by Ratko Mladić murdered approximately 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica – this was the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War. We will not, and must never, forget. 

And in Darfur, beginning in 2003, Arab militias known as the Janjaweed targeted black African communities, destroying villages, killing civilians and displacing countless families. This conflict continues to claim lives. We must remember, and we must continue to do more. 

This year’s theme, ‘Bridging Generations’, reminds us that remembrance is not passive. It is a responsibility passed from survivors to their children, grandchildren and to each of us. The theme invites us to engage actively with the past - to listen to testimonies, to learn from them, and to ensure that these stories are not lost as we move further away in time. 

As survivors age and their numbers diminish, the challenge grows. Time creates distance, and with distance comes the risk that memory fades or - worse - is distorted. Bridging Generations highlights the importance of intergenerational dialogue: hearing directly from those who endured these horrors, and ensuring their experiences continue to be shared with future generations. 

Genocide does not spare any age group. Infants, children, adults and the elderly all suffered in different, unimaginable ways. In many cases, entire family lines were wiped out. Today, we honour not only those whose families continue to share their stories, but also those who left no descendants - whose legacies live on through written accounts, film, education and the act of remembrance itself. 

Holocaust Memorial Day gives us a purpose: to remember, and then to act. Each of us has a role in challenging prejudice, discrimination and hatred wherever we encounter them. This is not just a moral obligation - it is how we protect the freedoms we so often take for granted. 

As we gather here in Redbridge, let us reflect on the fragility of freedom and recommit ourselves to standing up for those who face persecution and injustice, here and around the world. 

We will not, and we must never, forget. And we must continue to learn - so that the horrors of the past are never repeated."