Alliance Councillor Chris McCaw has said the lessons learned on Holocaust Memorial Day can be applied in the modern world, as the annual commemoration takes place.

The day is designed to remember the Nazi Holocaust and also subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. The theme for this year’s event is ‘One Day,’ with the hope one day in the future with no genocide.

“Holocaust Memorial Day is a vital tool in remembering those who suffered the atrocities of fascism and other forms of extremism,” said Councillor McCaw, Alliance’s Equality and Hate Crime spokesperson.

“In Northern Ireland, we know only too well the impact words and actions can have and how they can lead to hatred and bigotry. It is vital we use today and others to consider those before we use them, thinking about the outcome they could have.

“Although the Holocaust may seem some time ago, we have seen the echoes of the far-right across the world to this day. We must challenge fascism at every opportunity, to prevent the atrocities marked on Holocaust Memorial Day from ever happening again.”