NEWPORT’S Civic Centre clock tower will be lit up in purple on Wednesday, January 27, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

In a year when it is not possible for people to commemorate the day by gathering together, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is asking people to “light the darkness” to remember those who were killed and whose lives were changed in the World War Two genocide of European Jews.

Newport City Council will be joining other organisations in lighting up a public building and members of the public are also being encouraged to put a light in a window at 8pm on the day.

Council leader Cllr Jane Mudd said: “On January 27 people around the world will remember those who were victims of genocide – the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, the millions of others killed under Nazi persecution and other terrible events such as those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

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“We also bear witness to those who endured and survived but whose lives would have been changed forever as a result of those experiences.

“This is not just about the past, we must challenge prejudice and the language of hatred that exists today, even on our own doorsteps. We want a safer world for everyone.

“Holocaust Memorial Day is also an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our communities. I’m proud that we will be shining a light on the Civic Centre clock tower and I hope other people will join by putting a light in their own windows on January 27.”

For the first time, the national Holocaust Memorial Day is being streamed online between 7pm and 8pm on the day.

Members of the public can sign up to receive instructions and reminders on watching the ceremony at hmdt.geteventaccess.com/registration.

The national moment of "lighting the darkness" will come at the end of the ceremony.