HMDT statement on Jackie Walker’s comments in Edinburgh
Jackie Walker, a former Momentum activist has reportedly questioned the aims and reach of Holocaust Memorial Day in her show at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. This follows similar comments she made in September 2016.
Holocaust Memorial Day is a time for everyone to remember the attempted annihilation of Europe’s Jewish population, those who suffered under Nazi Persecution and the subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Holocaust Memorial Day is not only a time for commemoration, but a time to honour the survivors of these regimes and to learn the lessons of their experiences to create a safer, better future.
People from all parts of the UK and of all ethnicities, religions and interests come together on and around 27 January to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and to pledge to challenge hatred and persecution in the UK today. We encourage everyone to mark the day – last year alone there were more than 7,700 activities in local communities across the UK.
Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the charity responsible for promoting the day in the UK, commented:
‘It is irresponsible, inappropriate and insulting that Jackie Walker persists in misinforming others about Holocaust Memorial Day.
Commemoration of the Holocaust should be a universal responsibility and does not prevent or undermine commemoration of other genocides, before or since.
We encourage everyone to learn the lessons of the past and to share responsibility to create a safer, better future.’