Martin Whitfield MSP has joined parliamentary colleagues in helping commemorate this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27th January, which this year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The theme chosen for HMD 2025 is For a Better Future. It encapsulates our collective responsibility to shape a better future, imploring us to do everything in our power to create a brighter tomorrow – such as confronting Holocaust and genocide denial, challenging prejudice, and promoting education about the Holocaust and more recent genocides.

Martin Whitfield MSP said: 

“The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz is a time to commemorate all those who were murdered during the Holocaust and persecuted by the Nazis, as well as the survivors, so many of whom have spent their lives testifying to what happened all those years ago.

“This year’s theme For a Better Future is more apposite than ever in these troubled times and is a tribute to those who were killed because of hate-filled ideology. We must never forget and unite against hatred, intolerance and prejudice.”

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust Chief Executive Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE said:

“Auschwitz-Birkenau is a symbol of not just the Holocaust, but the dangers of unchecked hate. Our theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 underscores a critical truth: even eighty years since the liberation of Auschwitz, the fight against intolerance and prejudice is far from over.

“Our theme is a call to action. Our collective challenge is to build a better future, one where the dignity of every human being is protected, and where prejudice is never allowed to become normalised.”

Find out more about this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day at https://hmd.org.uk/.