THE people of Oxford were urged to speak out against hatred to mark Holocaust Memorial Day yesterday.

Across the country, people came together to remember the millions whose lives were destroyed through hatred and exclusion – in the Holocaust under Nazi persecution, and in genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Among those coming together were councillors at Oxford Town Hall, led by Oxfordshire County Council chairman Patrick Greene, pictured.

He said: “The theme of ‘speak up, speak out’ tells people that anybody can challenge the language of hatred and consider how they use their own voice.”

Holocaust Memorial Day is marked on January 27, which is the date in 1945 when Allied Forces liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp.