HUNDREDS of people are expected to come together to commemorate all those who were killed or persecuted during the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

The Bournemouth and Poole Holocaust Memorial Day committee is organising its second annual event at the Life Centre in Wimborne Road on Sunday, January 29. It will be one of many events taking place nationally.

The committee’s inaugural event at the BIC last year brought together more than 700 people in remembrance.

This month marks 72 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

Over six million people lost their lives during the Nazi state-sponsored extermination programme. Millions have since had their lives destroyed by genocides committed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘How can life go on?’, and the Bournemouth event will reflect on what happens after genocide and the responsibilities of individuals and communities in the wake of such a crime.

Through commemorating the victims of genocide, the event hopes to ensure that the horrendous crimes, racism and victimisation committed during the Holocaust are neither forgotten nor repeated. It will also highlight ongoing international threats of genocide.

Lynda Ford-Horne, one of the organisers of the event, said: “Each year in Bournemouth and Poole, Holocaust Memorial Day allows us to honour the survivors of regimes of hatred and challenge ourselves to use the lessons of their experience to inform our lives today.

“Holocaust Memorial Day is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and to recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own; it’s a process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented.

“There is still much to do to create a safer future and Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity to start this process.”

The main speaker at this year’s event will be Mala Tribich who was one of around 60,000 prisoners freed from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by soldiers of the 11th Armoured Division in the closing stages of the Second World War and now travels the country telling her story of survival.

There will also be talks from members of the LGBT and Romani communities, as well as music and a candle-lighting ceremony to represent those who have died in atrocities around the world.

The event takes place from 3pm to 5pm. All are welcome to attend.

For tickets, visit eventbrite.co.uk/e/holocaust-memorial-day-commemoration-tickets-29669195362.