5. Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: Holocaust Memorial Day

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:24 pm on 25 January 2022.

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Photo of Sioned Williams Sioned Williams Plaid Cymru 4:24, 25 January 2022

(Translated)

Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. In his excellent book Yr Erlid, Heini Gruffudd of Swansea tells the story of his mother, the scholar and author Käthe Bosse-Griffiths, and the appalling impact of the growth of Nazism and the Holocaust on her and her family in Germany. They, like millions of other families who weren't considered people by the Nazis and their allies, were persecuted and some, like his mother, had to flee, and others, like his great aunt, committed suicide, and millions like his grandmother were killed in the prisoner camps. It's difficult to imagine the suffering. But books such as Yr Erlid, telling the story of one family, help us to understand the way an appalling ideology and prejudice could bring about inhuman cruelty and genocide. The experience of my sister-in-law's family, Dr Zoe Morris-Williams, was very similar, and the descendents of her grandfather, Heinz Koppel, who became one of the foremost artists of Wales, have made a major contribution to their communities and to Wales, with Zoe, the granddaughter of a refugee, saving lives as a doctor.

Just as individual family stories ensure that we understand the incomprehensible, one day, Holocaust Memorial Day, helps us to remember the lives of the millions killed as a result of Nazi persecution and also every family across the globe who have suffered as a result of genocide. A day of remembrance gives us a chance to reflect on these stories and to hear and to understand the warnings that they contain, and to commit to work towards a future without persecution and cruelty of this kind, and to eradicate the racism and intolerance that can lead to that.

We have mentioned in this place that we are currently living through an economic crisis that we haven't seen the likes of for decades. We have seen, in a period of national crisis and economic uncertainty, how intolerance can grow and can be nurtured for political reasons. This isn't a thing of the past. Just last week, I saw a Nazi symbol painted on a bus station wall in Neath. And the frightening statistics on reports of anti-Semitic attacks and racist attacks in Wales show clearly that a lack of tolerance is on the increase here in Wales. The Holocaust taught us that standing against prejudice and xenophobia is crucial.

Refugee organisations warn us that the new Nationality and Borders Bill of the Westminster Government will undermine our ambition here in Wales to be a nation of sanctuary for everyone who needs that sanctuary. Placing people in particular categories, proving their qualification by carrying out physical tests and therefore placing value on one life above another is something that we must pledge, on Holocaust Memorial Day of all days, to oppose. I would therefore like to ask whether the Minister agrees that we must do everything within the Government's ability to oppose the Nationality and Borders Bill of the UK Government, which will be so detrimental to those who are fleeing persecution, and what discussions has she had with the Westminster Government on this Bill. How does the Government ensure that we promote and celebrate the contribution of families who have made their homes here in Wales having fled prejudice, racism and violence? And would the Government agree to issue a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which would send a message of support to that community too? And what role can the new curriculum play in ensuring that our children understand and learn from the lessons of the past so that we, one day, can see a future that won't be scarred by the most appalling cruelty and will prevent any nation from taking the path that leads to genocide? Thank you.