Ipswich MP Jack Abbott vows to speak out against rising anti-semitism to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Ipswich’s MP has vowed to speak out against anti-semitism and remember those killed during the Holocaust as it continues to move away from living memory.

Jack Abbott signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

The event is marked on January 27 each year, with 2025’s falling exactly 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.

Mr Abbott said: “Today presents a poignant opportunity for people from our town and our county to reflect on the darkest times of European history.

“I pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust and speak out against all forms of anti-semitism, which in recent months has risen exponentially and which needs to be tackled head on.”

According to the Community Security Trust, levels of anti-semitic hate crimes rose from January to June 2024 to 1.978 from 964 from the same period in 2023 – the highest it has ever recorded.

It attributed these higher levels to the Israel-Hamas war.

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said this is likely to be the last milestone anniversary for which Holocaust survivors will be present.

As a result, it presented an opportunity to bring remembrance of the Holocaust to fore national consciousness.

Ms Pollock said Holocaust Memorial Day not only commemorates the six million people killed, but those who survived and rebuilt their lives.

She added: “The images and accounts that emerged at liberation revealed the full scale of the Nazis' attempt to annihilate the Jewish people and this gave rise to the enduring call 'Never Again.'

“This phrase embodies the hope that the Holocaust would serve as a stark warning to future generations of the consequences of unchecked hatred and anti-semitism.

“As we mark this significant anniversary, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as urgent as ever.

“With survivors becoming fewer and frailer, and with anti-semitism continuing to surge across the world – we must all commit to remembering the six million Jewish victims and must take action to ensure anti-Jewish racism is never again allowed to thrive."