“Jan. 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which marks the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp by Allied forces, when the horrors of the Nazi regime were laid bare to the world.
“We honour the memory of the six million Jewish women, men and children who died in the Holocaust and the millions of others who were executed because they belonged to a community the Nazis disregarded.
“In commemorating this atrocity against the Jewish people and other perceived enemies of the Nazi state, we stand in opposition to the crimes against humanity that happen around the world. In acknowledging the causes of the Holocaust and honouring its victims, we reaffirm the dignity of each person and recommit to educating ourselves and our children about the terrible cost of antisemetic views.
“Hatred toward any group is categorically wrong. Every generation should know about the Holocaust and understand the horrific crimes against humanity carried out by the Nazi regime. We have a responsibility to condemn perpetrators, believe the testimonies of victims and their families, and defend those who are targets of prejudice and hatred. We have a duty to acknowledge every year the horrors experienced by so many so that the atrocities of the Holocaust are never repeated.”