I have wept over horrors of Holocaust, says former Scottish Tory leader

Former Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw has said he has wept over the horrors of the Holocaust.

Speaking in a debate to honour Holocaust Memorial Day in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Carlaw asked “have we failed” to fight prejudice?

Pointing to other genocides since the liberation of Nazi-run camps in 1945, including those in Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia, Mr Carlaw said: “How hollow the mantra, never again.”

He added: “Holocaust Memorial Day serves not just as a commemoration of those lost, not only in the Holocaust itself but in the multiple genocides of the near 80 years since.

“Importantly, it must remind us of an enduring and permanent duty, not just to pay lip service on days like this, but to confront, challenge, educate and defeat the forces harbouring and perpetuating genocidal schemes and all that facilitate them.

“Like many, I have wept at the horror and barbarism of the Holocaust and the genocides of my lifetime.

“Have we failed? Sometimes it overwhelmingly feels like we have.

“What must our response be? There can be no other choice – we must re-dedicate ourselves to meeting the challenge every year, every decade, every generation.

“In so doing, we honour those that were lost and I know as a Parliament and as a country, we will do this together.”