UPF-UK to Hold Annual Genocide Awareness Forum

Robin Marsh and Margaret Ali
January 17, 2013
By UPF -- UK

London, UK -- The annual Genocide Awareness and Holocaust Commemoration forum will take place in a committee room of the British House of Lords on January 23. The focus will range from the ongoing atrocities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to the situation of Kurds, Jews, Armenians, and other people targeted for persecution.

Charlotte Simon will speak about the ongoing tragedy in her native eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 10 million people have died in the last 40 years in the greed to exploit its mineral wealth. Philomene Uwamaliya, a survivor of such atrocities and a member of the Survivors Speaking Out network, will consider the health care provision for survivors of atrocities and torture in the UK.

A Kurdish Member of Parliament, Mr. Nadhim Zahawi, will comment on the campaign for the recognition of the tragedies of chemical and other attacks on the Kurdistan region of Iraq during the time of Sadaam Hussein's rule. Edwin Shuker, Vice President of the Sephardic Congress and President of Justice for Jews of Arab Countries, will speak on the plight of migrants and displaced people as a consequence of Holocaust, genocide, and conflict situations worldwide. Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke will also comment on the plight of people targeted for persecution.

Ruth Barnett will explain the significance of the Armenian genocide as the first of the 20th century and, sadly, not the last. She will also discuss the treatment of the 'Traveller Community' (a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin), who alongside the European Jewish community suffered the Holocaust during World War II.

The UN General Assembly designated January 27 as an international memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust. UPF-UK holds an annual Genocide Awareness and Holocaust Commemoration forum to promote awareness of 'the path to genocide' to assist the identification of future problems before they occur. The Holocaust was the culmination of a series of social, cultural, and political developments that took place over a period of time. UPF's motto of "One Family Under God" signifies the importance of understanding how such atrocities have happened and the determination to strive to prevent reoccurrences.

For more information, contact Robin Marsh and Margaret Ali.