Special event in Coventry to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

A 92-year-old Holocaust survivor and Kindertransport child has been sharing his remarkable story in Coventry City Centre today.

This year’s event, at St Mary’s Guildhall, highlighted the ordinary people who let genocide happen, who actively perpetrated genocide, and those who were persecuted.

The main guest speaker, John Fieldsend, spoke about his experiences - to help future generations understand what happened and how we can all prevent future atrocities.

Mr Fieldsend said: "Its so easy to put the holocaust in the past. I'm trying to not just remember the past, but trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. It only took political instability, financial difficulty, one man, and a disillusioned public to turn a democracy into a dictatorship."

"If it could happen then, it could happen now. If it could happen there, it could happen here."

He continued: "It takes personal commitment to stop a genocide from happening. Hitler couldn't have done what he did without public indifference."

Also speaking was Mr Andrij IIchychyn, performing a Ukrainian reading about Holodomor - a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians.

Students from Eden School in Coventry also read poems for the Memorial Day event, highlighting how young people can show their support in remembering the past and learning important lessons from history.

Deputy Council Leader, Councillor Abdul Salam Khan, reflected on Coventry’s long history of reaching out to other cities in both war and peace and offering the hand of friendship.

He said: "Coventry is known throughout the world as a welcoming city of peace where people of all races and religions are welcome. Holocaust Memorial Day remains a very important event to Coventry and to the people of the city."

"Many of the people we have welcomed and continue to welcome here, have escaped persecution in their home countries and I am proud of the contribution and support we have made to help people make Coventry their new home."

Holocaust Memorial Day was founded 23 years ago, when 46 governments committed to preserving the memory of those who died in the Holocaust.

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