ISLANDERS gathered on Friday at the Occupation Tapestry Gallery for the annual ceremony to remember those who perished during the Holocaust.
It was followed by the laying of wreaths at the Lighthouse Memorial in memory of the 21 Islanders deported from Jersey to their deaths in German camps and prisons during the Occupation.
Following in the footsteps of speakers including gay rights campaigner and Labour peer Michael Cashman, TV presenter Michael Portillo – whose father fought for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War – Beirut hostage Brian Keenan and Occupation historians Dr Gilly Carr and Dr Paul Sanders, Dr Joe Mulhall, director of research at the anti-fascist advocacy group HOPE not Hate, will give this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day address.
Dr Mulhall, an author and journalist, said he was delighted to have the opportunity to speak at the event, which he said had a special significance in Jersey.
‘It is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own – it is a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented.
‘The people of Jersey know about the realities of Nazi occupation and it’s also a day to remember their stories of persecution but also of resistance and bravery,’ he said.
Co-founder and secretary of the Holocaust Memorial Day Jersey committee Paula Thelwell said she was delighted that a speaker with Dr Mulhall’s experience and commitment to exposing the evils of fascism and far-right extremism would play a key role in the 2023 commemoration.
‘We are grateful to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for making the introduction and supporting our annual act of remembrance for the tens of millions who were killed and discriminated against in the Second World War, and those who continue to suffer prejudice at the hands of authoritarian regimes, extremist organisations and intolerant belief systems,’ she said.
Dr Joe Mulhall is the subject of the Saturday Interview in tomorrow’s Jersey Evening Post
