THE HOLOCAUST was remembered on Monday at a solemn gathering in the Assembly Room at St Helens Town Hall.

The Mayor Cllr Andy Bowden joined students from schools including St Augustine’s, De La Salle, Mill Green, Hope Academy and Cowley International College in an event which highlighted how journeys were often part of the experience of persecution and terror for those who suffered in the Nazi Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

St Helens Library Service played a major part in the Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations this week and hosted the Holocaust Memorial Trust’s ‘Hidden Histories’ exhibition, where survivors revealed an object from their lives before the genocide and told how it was significant to them.

Aidan Jolly and Sai Murray reflected the physical and emotional journeys made by those who suffered atrocities with their performance of Migrant Reflections in the Children’s Room at the Central Library which featured music and poetry from migrant communities.

Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing, Planning and Community Safety, Cllr Richard McCauley said: “As well as giving us an opportunity to honour Holocaust and genocide survivors, the day provides a chance to look at our own lives and communities.

“Today we refer to hate crime – which is any offence or incident committed against individuals, groups and communities because of who they are.

“Whether it’s religion, race or sexual orientation, no-one deserves to be targeted because of who or what your attacker thinks you are.”

The St Helens No Place for Hate Campaign is supported by a range of local agencies, which signed a pledge to help tackle hate crime in St Helens.

If your organisation would like to join them go to safersthelens.

org.uk/pledges/hate-crime-pledge.

You can report hate crime to Merseyside Police on 101 or Stop Hate UK on 0800 138 1625.