‘Together we bear witness’: Landmarks lit purple & flag flown half-mast as Hull marks Holocaust Memorial Day

NEVER FORGET: Hull City Hall will be lit up purple to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Picture credit: Hull City Council

By Simon Bristow

City centre landmarks will be lit up purple, and the Union Flag on the roof of the Guildhall will be flown half-mast, as Hull joins a national moment of commemoration and solidarity to mark Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow.

An online commemoration event will also be streamed live this evening.

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on January 27 each year to remember the six million Jews and the millions from other communities who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. It also remembers victims of more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. 

Hull City Council will illuminate buildings and structures across the city centre from dusk tomorrow.

Councillor Mike Ross, city council leader, said: “The Holocaust threatened the very fabric of our civilisation, and we must remain vigilant to the risks genocide still presents to many people around the world. Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable, and we cannot be complacent.  

“Holocaust Memorial Day is for everyone. Every year thousands of people across the UK come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future.  

“We must learn more, empathise more and do more to ensure that hatred and prejudice are challenged by us all and have no place in our society. 

“Together, we bear witness for those who lost their lives through genocide, honour the survivors and all those whose lives have been changed beyond recognition.”

The UK online commemoration for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 will be streamed online here today from 7pm to 7.45pm. People will be invited to light a candle during the online commemoration, or place one safely in their window for the Light the Darkness national moment of reflection at 4pm on Friday.