Seventieth Anniversary Of Kristallnacht

EDM number 2350 in 2007-08, proposed by David Amess on 27/10/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Europe, Human rights, Religious discrimination and Terrorism.

That this House notes that 9th to 10th November 2008 marks the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, otherwise known as the Night of the Broken Glass for the shattered window panes that carpeted streets, in which the Nazi government sanctioned a wave of pogroms against the German and Austrian Jewish communities; further notes that Kristallnacht was a watershed event in Nazi rule, marking the beginning of the systematic eradication of the Jewish people and a prelude to the Holocaust; further notes that in the space of a few hours thousands of synagogues, Jewish-owned shops and businesses, and cemeteries, were torched, plundered and destroyed while police and fire brigades watched idly and did nothing; further notes that at least 91 innocent people were murdered, many others injured and 30,000 arrested and sent to concentration camps simply because they were Jewish; declares that Kristallnacht should remind us all that evil must always be confronted forcefully and that the civilised world cannot stand idly by whilst barbarism and mass murder continue to be committed against innocent people; and applauds organisations such as the Holocaust Educational Trust for their work in educating future generations about the consequences of unchallenged racism and their responsibility in ensuring that such evil is confronted wherever and whenever they encounter it.

This motion has been signed by a total of 151 MPs.