Now more than ever, remembering the Holocaust is vital

Telegraph

15-04-2025

When Richard Dimbleby, then the BBC's war correspondent, entered Bergen-Belsen shortly after its liberation on this day in 1945 he was confronted with a scene of unthinkable horror.
His description of what he saw was so graphic the BBC refused to broadcast his despatch for several days and when aired. It was for many the first time they learned of the horrific crimes perpetrated by the Nazis. At the end of his broadcast, Dimbleby said: 'I have set down these facts at length because, in common with all of us who have been to the camp, I feel that you should be told, without reserve, exactly what has been happening.'
I'll be thinking of that broadcast when I attend a ceremony at the camp to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation by the British Army.
Dimbleby assumed that one day people would deny the Holocaust. He was right. In spite of all the evidence – physical, printed, filmed – an entire industry has grown around Holocaust denial. In some countries it is prohibited by law, but in many it is not and in some, such as Iran, Holocaust denial is actively promoted. Social media is awash with it. Conspiracists argue that the camps never existed and the facts have all been fabricated. Of course, the real fabrication lies in the minds of those who want to deny truth in order to justify their own belief systems.
Constant vigilance is the only defence we have against such lies. Hence why the trips to the camps, museums and memorials – as well as hearing directly from Holocaust survivors themselves – are so essential.
The last year-and-a-half has shown us why.
On October 7 Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdering 1195 people. That day was the deadliest single day for Jews since 1945 and marks the second-highest number of British deaths from an overseas terror attack after 9/11.
Because the perpetrators recorded their actions, we now have a ghastly archive of video footage of the last minutes of the lives of terrified young people killed in their cars, on the streets and in their homes. Of stripped women and murdered children. We also have the testimonies of those who were there and miraculously survived, as well as the forensic evidence of scientists and medics.
The evidence is unassailable, yet the facts of that day are being denied. Claims have been made that the videos were staged, that the attack was planned by Israel, that what occurred doesn't count as terrorism.
The Holocaust showed the world why the Jewish people needed the state of Israel. The world's reaction to Oct 7 highlights why remembering what really happened has never been more vital.