Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has urged people not to be “bystanders” to injustice and prejudice.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall gave a speech ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day
The 74-year-old royal thinks every generation should be willing to “tackle hatred in any of its terrible forms” and believes individuals are judged on what they are happy to ignore.
Speaking at an event in London to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the publication of Anne Frank’s diary, Camilla said in a speech: “Like so many others, I first read Anne’s diary at about the same age as she was when she started her harrowing memoir.
“Anne had an exceptional gift with words. She had seen their power to promote great evil, but also recognised their ability to offer comfort, meaning and hope.
“Her life, and her death, continue to inspire a worldwide movement of anti-prejudice education, including the Anne Frank Trust here in the UK.”
Camilla recalled her 2020 visit to Auschwitz and admitted she would “never forget” the speech delivered by survivor Marian Turski, who had warned of laws discriminating against Jewish people in Germany in the 1930s.
She said: “He described how people – victims, perpetrators and witnesses – can gradually become desensitised to the exclusion, the stigmatisation and the alienation of those who have previously been friends.
“Marian warned us that this can happen again. But he gave us, too, the answer to preventing it.
“You should never, never be a bystander.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let us not be bystanders to injustice or prejudice. After all, surely our personal values are measured by the things we are prepared to ignore.
“Let us therefore learn from those who bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, and all subsequent genocides, and commit ourselves to keeping their stories alive, so that each generation will be ready to tackle hatred in any of its terrible forms.
“And let us carry with us the words and wisdom Anne Frank – a child of only 14 years old – wrote on May 7, 1944: ‘What is done cannot be undone, but at least one can prevent it from happening again.’”
Camilla spoke to school pupils from London, Dundee and Rotherham about the experiences of prejudice and of being trained by the Anne Frank Trust to be anti-prejudice ambassadors.
She told the children: “Your understanding of the past, and their dedication to a better future, are a testament to all of you who support the work of the Anne Frank Trust to speak out against prejudice of any kind”.
The duchess also met with Eva Schloss, the step-sister of Anne Frank and honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust UK, and lit a candle in memory of Holocaust victims.
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