Holocaust Memorial Day
The majority of students at Alton College are just 16-18 years old but the tragedy of the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945 has not been forgotten.
Students were invited to attend the College’s Quiet Garden today to mark national Holocaust Memorial Day. The group, led by the Students’ Union, lit candles and spent their break taking the time to remember all those affected by the Holocaust.
Jan Symes, Lead Counsellor, said: “I am pleased that so many students took the time out of their day to remember the Holocaust. The College provides a great deal of pastoral care to students and we pride ourselves on recognising that historical events and tragedies can still affect young adults today. The Students’ Union has been great in leading this memorial service.”
Singling out Jews for extermination during the Holocaust was not the full extent of Nazi hatred. Anyone who did not fit the narrow idea of ‘normality’ was targeted for persecution and discrimination across Nazi-occupied Europe. This included thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people who were condemned as “socially abhorrent”. Thousands were arrested and an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 were incarcerated in concentration camps.
That’s why this year, in their memory, the Lesbian and Gay Foundation pledge to “Speak Up, Speak Out" and challenge the language of hatred. The Foundation urges our students to join in, take action and pledge.
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