Remembering can be incredibly difficult, but it is important to ensure progress within our society. Saturday 27 January marks Holocaust Memorial Day, a time for people around the world to reflect on the atrocities of the past and remember the lives lost. 

On 27 January 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest concentration camp of the Holocaust, was liberated. We choose the 27 January to remember the six million Jews and the millions of others, including homosexuals, disabled individuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roma, and Sinti people, who also lost their lives during the atrocities of this time. We also remember those who lost their lives during genocides that took place before, and after this. 

During these turbulent times, it can be easy to feel helpless and hopeless towards events beyond our control. What we can do, is continue to be aware of hatred and how to overcome it whether based on religion, race, gender or any other personal characteristic. It is vital that we call out the ignorance and injustice in society that allow these views to hold sway. 

This year's theme for Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Fragility of Freedom,’ focusing on the restriction and removal of freedoms as part of genocide. You can read more about this on the Holocaust Memorial Day Website. 

If you need any mental health or wellbeing support, or just someone to talk to, you can also use any or all of the resources below: 

• Pro-Counselling?is a free and confidential counselling service for King’s students. You can call them on 0808 196 6172 from 5 pm-9 am on weekdays and 24/7 on weekends, bank holidays, and King’s closure days. 

• TogetherAll?is an anonymous, free, and 24/7 online mental health and wellbeing service you can access with your King’s email. 

• KCLSU?Wellbeing Hub?is packed with resources, links, advice, and ideas to support you with your wellbeing and mental health all year round. 

• King’s Chaplaincy?is a resource for all students and staff at King’s, of all faiths and none. They welcome all students to get in touch for any support, especially during difficult times. 

• If you feel your academic experience is suffering, the KCLSU?Academic Advice team?provides free, confidential, and impartial academic advice to students with issues affecting their studies.

Holocaust Memorial Day reminds us of the importance of sharing learnings from our experiences. At KCLSU, we encourage all of you to look to the future, learn from each other, and celebrate the vibrant diversity of culture, faith and traditions within our community at King’s.