Bath service marks Auschwitz liberation 80 year on

The Auschwitz-Birkenau camp was liberated on this day 80 years ago

A ceremony has taken place in Bath to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and 80 years since the liberation of the largest Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Bath and North East Somerset Council organised the event at the Guildhall alongside the Bath Interfaith Group.

The event featured poems, music and reflections.

Chair of the council, councillor Karen Walker, said: "Holocaust Memorial Day is a time for us all to remember and learn from the events of the past and present.

At least 1.1 million people were murdered by the Nazis at the 40 camps that made up the Auschwitz complex, making it the site of the largest mass execution of human beings ever recorded.

'Respect and understanding'

In Poland, survivors gathered to mark the anniversary alongside heads of state like King Charles III, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Walker, who gave a speech at the event in Bath, said: "It is an opportunity to bring our communities together to remember those lost to hatred, learn from the horrors of genocide, and commit to building a future rooted in respect and understanding.

"Education and awareness are the key to breaking down the barriers that may exist between us, renouncing hate and prejudice whenever we encounter it."

She added: "We all have an opportunity to act for a better future where people are not suffering prejudice or persecution because of their faith, ethnicity or other characteristics."