Holocaust Memorial Day

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd joined community representatives from across Gwent to mark Holocaust Memorial Day at a special ceremony at Newport Cathedral.

Schoolchildren led the proceedings, which included readings, music, and a candlelit procession during which they read out the names of some of those who lost their lives in the Holocaust.

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place each year on 27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazis’ largest death camp.

To mark the occasion, Gwent Police’s headquarters in Cwmbran was lit up in purple to show commemoration and solidarity with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s Light the Darkness campaign.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd said: “I was privileged to join community representatives from across Gwent at Newport Cathedral to remember the millions of people who lost their lives in the Holocaust and later genocides.

“As we pause to reflect on those who were murdered, we must also consider the kind of world we want to shape today. My hope is for our communities to be places where everyone can live openly and safely as themselves, without fear or harm. Communities where acceptance, tolerance and respect guide how we treat one another.

“By standing together, we can make a real difference and help build a better, more inclusive society for all.”