Leaders to gather in Southsea to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

The ceremony is to take place at the memorial tree in front of the D-Day Museum, in Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, on Friday at 2pm.

It will be led by Father Paul Miles-Knight and will include an opening speech by the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Cllr David Fuller, followed by readings from the leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Donna Jones, and representatives of communities who have suffered or been persecuted as part of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

Members of the Jewish, African, disabled, Kurdish and gay communities will be represented.

At the end of the service, the Lord Mayor will light a candle to start a minute’s reflection.

The Stand Up to Racism movement will hold a public meeting on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day from 7pm to 9pm.

Doctor Edie Friedman, of The Jewish Council for racial equality, will give a talk. She is a founder member of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE) and co-author of Reluctant Refuge – The Story of Asylum in Britain.

Also present will be Waldemar Maxim, a veteran ant-fascist campaigner.