UKIP MEP attends Holocaust Memorial

West Midlands UKIP MEP, Nikki Sinclaire, as an invited guest of the European Jewish Congress, took part in events to mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz yesterday. The day also marked the annual Holocaust Memorial Day.

Prior to the visit, which took place in temperatures of - 20 degrees, a service was held in Krakow, entitled "Let my people live". This was addressed by Polish President Lech Kacznski, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament. US President Barak Obama addressed delegates via a personal video message. Those present included Holocaust survivors, religious leaders and students. The theme of the day's was "Remembering the past - Confronting Today's Challenges".

Nikki, the only UK MEP attending the event, said "I was honoured to have been invited to this humbling occasion; to see at first hand the horrors of intolerance, hatred and violence. The lesson we must all learn is that standing by while evil is perpetrated can never be right. And if "Never Again" is to be more than a mere slogan or empty phrase, we must accept that just marking a date is not enough - The best way to honour the victims of the Holocaust is to be vigilant to new atrocities, however small, and bear witness to them".