Blunkett: let Holocaust be a warning to us today

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The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has marked today's Holocaust Memorial Day by warning that "bigotry and prejudice" still exist in British society.

Mr Blunkett attacked the "heinous activities of extremist right-wing groups" and the way that innocent law-abiding Muslims and others have been abused since the 11 September attacks.

"We all have a responsibility to stand up against those who want to spread prejudice and whip up hatred in order to eliminate democracy.

"The Holocaust stands as an evil monument in history to what can happen if we fail to speak out against the spread of racism and intolerance.

"I passionately believe the act of remembrance must be active, not passive. If we are to avoid the mistakes of the past, we must educate people – particularly our young.

"It is fundamental to our moral horizons and the way we choose to live our lives that we understand the Holocaust and why we need to oppose racism, anti-semitism, bigotry, victimisation and prejudice, whatever its form and wherever it arises."

The Holocaust still matters today, he added, because the survivors were a reminder of the "living hell we should never forget". He said recent events in Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo were a reminder that horrors such as those of the Nazi era could only be thwarted by men and women prepared to make a stand.

"Each one of us has a fundamental responsibility to protect and the promote civil and human rights of all our brothers and sisters," he said.

However, there was a rebuff from the Muslim Council of Britain, which said it was boycotting today's ceremony. In its present form the ceremony excludes and ignores ongoing genocide and human-rights abuses around the world and in the occupied territories of Palestine, the council declared.

"The living memorial for the victims of the Nazi Holocaust is ensuring we make the cry 'never again' real for all people who suffer, everywhere. We honour the dead most sincerely by working to end suffering and bring peace with justice to those who live without hope today," said Yousuf Bhailok, the MCB secretary general.