Holocaust Memorial Day

AMBASSADORS, religious leaders, war veterans, local dignitaries, an MP, a union leader, communists and other progressives gathered last Tuesday at the Soviet War Memorial in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, next to the Imperial War Museum, to mark the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
The event began with a short religious service led by Rabbi the Reverend Alan Greenblatt who stressed the theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day: “Stand up to hatred”.
And he recited the Jewish prayer of remembrance for the dead.
This was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Soviet War Memorial. Those who laid flowers included: Southwark Mayor Councillor Eliza Mann, Russian Ambassador Yury Fedotov, Southwark MP Simon Hughes and Philip Matthews of the Soviet Memorial Trust Fund.
Ambassadors and attachés from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan also laid flowers. As usual the North Russia Arctic Convoys Club laid flowers, as did the local British Legion, the RAF-Russia Association and many others.

The New Communist Party flowers were laid by Robert Laurie; Phil Brand laid flowers for the Communist Party of Britain.