An evening of reflection will be held to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in Reading this year.

Each year, an event is held at Reading Borough Council to remember the victims of the Holocaust and genocides committed throughout the world.

This year, the Holocaust Memorial Day will be held in the council chamber in Bridge Street at 6.30pm on Wednesday, January 25.

The theme for the day in 2022 is  ‘Ordinary People’.

The ordinary people who let genocide happen, the ordinary people who actively perpetrated genocide, and the ordinary people who were victims.

The evening, which is free to attend, will feature the Maidenhead Synagogue Choir and a candle lighting ceremony, along with a speech from  Mick Polleck of the Reading Ukrainian Community Centre.

Fellow Ukranian, Viktoriia Lahodynska, a former teacher of school #70 in Kiev will also hold a speech.

Ukranians also suffered greatly under Russian Communist rule, as an estimated 3.5-5 million Ukranians starved to death in a famine known as the Holodomor.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 will be livestreamed on the council’s Facebook page.

Jason Brock (Labour, Southcote), the leader of Reading Borough Council, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity to reflect on the human tragedy of the Holocaust and genocides across the world and remember those murdered.

“It is a vital opportunity to learn and raise awareness, just as it also offers a chance to reflect on how we might chart a way forward in seeking a common pursuit of a safer, better future.

“I’d like to encourage residents to join the commemoration online via our Facebook page, and if they are able, light a candle to illuminate the darkness both to remember those murdered only for being who they were and to stand against prejudice and hatred in society today.

“ There can be no room for intolerance or prejudice.”

Victor Koroma, General Manager at the Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality (ACRE) added: “We are in a phase of human relations when the concept of ‘Cancel Culture’ is a new meaning that fills one with a sense of foreboding.

“We must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust as an example of what happens when we lose sight of the need to protect democracy, individual, and group rights.

“Ordinary and well-meaning people, especially in Reading, have always stood up against extremism, and long may they continue to do so.”