Communities across the city will come together today to commemorate the Holocaust.

An event will be held at Hove Town Hall later today to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, with participants including members of the Brighton and Hove Jewish community, the mayor Lizzie Deane, the city’s three MPs, as well as special guests and city councillors.

The international day of remembrance, which takes place every year on January 27, commemorates the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution and in subsequent genocides around the world.

Councillor Steph Powell, who co-chairs the tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee, said: “On Holocaust Memorial Day, we stand with our communities to remember the six million Jews and the tens of thousands of disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, those from the Roma and Gypsy communities, political prisoners, religious figures and many others murdered during the Holocaust, and all those killed under Nazi persecution and occupation.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with all our diverse communities and continue to say 'never again'.

“We do not tolerate hate in our city and we support all of our diverse communities, including our faith, BME, LGBTQ+ and disabled communities.

“We continue to work collaboratively with our community groups bringing people together, building people together, building tolerance and standing against hate wherever we find it.”

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This year’s theme of ordinary people aims to highlight how people just like ourselves actively perpetrated genocide, but also how we can challenge prejudice today.

Cllr Powell said: “Genocide is facilitated by ordinary people. Ordinary people who turn a blind eye, believe propaganda and join murderous regimes.

“Those who are oppressed and murdered in genocide aren’t persecuted because of crimes they have committed, they are persecuted simply because they are ordinary people who belong to a particular group.

“Ordinary people were involved in all aspects of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution of other groups, and in the genocides that took place in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

“Ordinary people were perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, witnesses - and ordinary people were victims.

“We must all learn the lessons from the past, and how harmful prejudice and discrimination is.

“As ordinary people, it is up to all of us to remember. The Holocaust must never be forgotten, not must it ever be repeated.”

The event is open to everyone through a live stream on the Latest TV website.