Today UK Parliament marks 80 years since the Holocaust with minute of silence.
The Government’s announcement on 17 December 1942 prompted a spontaneous moment of silence, which was reported to be the first in the history.
MPs will be joined in the Speaker’s Gallery by survivors of the Holocaust and representatives of Britain’s Jewish community.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: “It takes a lot to quieten the House of Commons, but 80 years ago MPs were spontaneously stunned into silence after it was confirmed that the Nazis were responsible for the systematic mass murder of the Jewish population in Europe.
“It was a moment like no other and was described by one parliamentary correspondent as being “like the frown of the conscience of mankind”.
“Given the genocides that have occurred since, and the horrific war crimes that are taking place in Ukraine now, it is important that we mark this significant anniversary with the people who survived the Holocaust.”
Find out more at Holocaust Educational Trust (UK)