Holocaust memorial day – latest: King issues vital warning on Auschwitz anniversary

The next generation must not be allowed to focus on online “clickbait” and ignore the grim lessons of the Holocaust, David Lammy said.

The Foreign Secretary said youngsters needed to understand “how the seeds of such a catastrophe are still around us”.

Speaking at a reception co-hosted by the Israeli embassy in the UK, Mr Lammy said: “‘Never again’ is a solemn promise which we owe to the victims, but also which we must uphold for our own sake, and for the sake of future generations.

“We need Holocaust remembrance. Holocaust education. Action against antisemitism – it is how we build a better future for us all together.”

Tottenham MP said: “As a black man descended from the Windrush generation, as MP for the most diverse constituency in Britain – including, I am proud to say, a thriving Jewish community – and now, as Foreign Secretary, I see all too many signs of that lingering infection.

“Auschwitz did not start in its gas chambers. Genocide does not start with genocide.

“It starts with denial of rights. With attacks on the rule of law. With a festering resentment of the other.”

The King has said the testimony of Holocaust survivors teaches us to “never be a bystander in the face of violence and hate” as he met those who lived through one of humanity’s darkest hours.

Charles visited the heart of Krakow’s Jewish community as commemorations began marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The Princess of Wales will join her husband to attend official commemorations to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

William and Kate will pay their respects at a service in London on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Monday.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is also expected to attend and speak at the service, along with faith and civic leaders and survivors of the Holocaust and more recent genocides.

Both the prince and princess, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, attended a service marking the 75th anniversary in 2020, while Kate also took photographs of Holocaust survivors at Kensington Palace.

Kate, 43, made a surprise return to public appearances earlier this month when she gave thanks to medical teams at The Royal Marsden hospital in London, where she received her cancer treatment.

She later said it was “a relief to now be in remission” and that she was “looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead”.

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The King visited the heart of Krakow’s Jewish community as commemorations began marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Charles met Holocaust survivors at the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) Krakow he opened in 2008 and greeted dozens of well-wishers outside the building.

Some people held out their hands for the King to shake, while others held up their smartphones to capture his visit.

King Charles has called on the world to “build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations”.

Speaking on Holocaust Memorial Day at the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krakow, which supports people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city, the British monarch said: “In a post-Holocaust world, projects such as this centre are how we recover our faith in humanity.

“They also show us there is much work still to be done if we are not just to remember the past but use it to inspire us to build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations – a world of which we can be truly proud. And this remains the sacred task of us all.”

The King has spoken of the importance of remembering “the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish” at a time when the world “remains full of turmoil and strife”.

Addressing a group of Holocaust survivors on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Charles said: “It is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long by the world.

“In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife and has witnessed the emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message…

“The act of remembering the evil of the past remains a vital task.”

Charles has described Holocaust Memorial Day as a “sombre and sacred moment”.

The King is speaking to a crowd of Holocaust survivors during his visit to the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krakow.

The British monarch is meeting with the survivors and hearing from volunteers and members about the centre’s support for people of all ages and backgrounds as part of its mission to rebuild Jewish life in the city.

Around 6.7 million adults in the UK, or 12 per cent, hold elevated levels of antisemitic attitudes, according to a new poll.

And nearly two in five British adults (38 per cent) endorse the dual loyalty trope, believing Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the UK, according to the latest Global 100 survey conducted by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), which is the world’s most extensive study of antisemitic attitudes.

The research also found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population – an estimated 2.2 billion people – harbour deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes, more than double compared to ADL’s first worldwide survey a decade ago and the highest level on record since ADL started tracking these trends globally.

The poll of more than 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories showed the UK specifically, and Western Europe in general, have also experienced a significant increase in antisemitic incidents since 7 October, 2023, when Hamas’ attack on Israel sparked the country’s 15-month war in Gaza.

The King is visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation in what has been described as a “deeply personal pilgrimage” on Holocaust Memorial Day.

As Charles becomes the first British head of state to visit the former Nazi concentration camp, a royal source told The Telegraph: “While His Majesty has found many ways over the years to engage with survivors of the Holocaust, I know this visit to Auschwitz will be a particularly poignant one for him.

“That’s not only because of the significance of the anniversary but as an opportunity for him to reflect on the many stories of suffering and courage he has heard from those who bore witness, in the very location where they took place.

“As anyone who has visited the camp can avow, it has a profound impact on the soul, bringing home both the scale of the horrors and the lessons that must be learned for eternity.

“In that sense, it will be a deeply personal pilgrimage for The King – paying tribute both as man and monarch.”