MEMBERS of Hampshire County Council this morning paid their respects for Holocaust Memorial Day.

Staff, councillors and community faith leaders gathered in Winchester's Great Hall to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. The event also paid tribute to the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian conflict.

Danny Habel, who represents the Jewish faith on SACRE – Hampshire’s Standing Committee for Religious Education, and whose own family were directly affected by the Holocaust, spoke to the crowd.

He said: "You, the people who are the council, are in the position to spot and prevent any sort of discrimination, no matter the scale.

"The Holocaust, it's not a Jewish point in history, it's a world point in history and we all must learn from what happened."

Former county councillor Michael Zeffertt, a member of the Portsmouth and Southsea Synagogue, recited a prayer followed by a performance by the Hampshire Music Service.

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The Very Revd Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester, then read a prayer which had been put together for the anniversary.

“As Leader of Hampshire County Council," said Cllr Keith Mans, "I am extremely proud of this Authority’s work over the years with partners to tackle hate crime, and through our Education Services and community work to promote inclusion and foster respect and understanding between different faiths and cultures.

"I have no doubt that Hampshire is a richer and better place because of its diversity. Respecting difference and valuing diversity, are behaviours that can never be taken for granted.”

Throughout the day, the county council’s flag at its Winchester headquarters has been at half-mast, out of respect for the victims of the Holocaust and more recent genocides.