Provost Douglas McAllister today led councillors, Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie, official and West Dunbartonshire residents in sombre remembrance at a flag-raising ceremony to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

The ceremony, held at Solidarity Plaza in Clydebank, was among millions of events held worldwide to honour the innocent lives lost in a world scarred by genocide.

The international day is held every year on 27 January – the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp – to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups.

The Day also recognises more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation, and genocide must still be resisted every day. Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we cannot be complacent. Even in the UK, prejudice and the language of hatred must be challenged by us all.

Each year across the UK, thousands of people come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future.

Provost McAllister said: “These atrocities and the lessons learned in their wake remain as relevant now as they were 78 years ago, as it is incumbent on us all to ensure that this must never be allowed to happen again.”