Queen evokes 'deadly seeds of Holocaust' in warning over antisemitism and Islamophobia

Thursday, 23 January 2025 17:33

The Queen has urged people to heed the warning of history and speak out over rising levels of antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Speaking at an event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Camilla pointed out that the genocide of European Jews during the Second World War was foreshadowed by "small acts of exclusion, of aggression and of discrimination".

She told the reception hosted by the Anne Frank Trust: "Today, more than ever, with levels of antisemitism at their highest level for a generation; and disturbing rises in Islamophobia and other forms of racism and prejudice, we must heed this warning.

"The deadly seeds of the Holocaust were sown at first in small acts of exclusion, of aggression and of discrimination towards those who had previously been neighbours and friends.

"Over a terrifying short period of time, those seeds took root through the complacency of which we can all be guilty: of turning away from injustice, of ignoring that which we know to be wrong, of thinking that someone else will do what's needed - and of remaining silent.

"Let's unite in our commitment to take action, to speak up and to ensure that the words 'never forget' are a guiding light that charts a path towards a better, brighter, and more tolerant future for us all.

"As Anne wrote in her diary on 7th May 1944: 'What is done cannot be undone, but at least one can prevent it from happening again'."

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Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany led the systematic murder of around six million Jews, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.

Anne Frank kept a diary while in hiding in Amsterdam and it was published after the war, turning her into a globally recognised symbol of Holocaust victims.

She died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp aged 15, shortly before it was liberated by Allied forces.

Sky News