Member's statement: Holocaust Memorial Day
Member's statement by Mrs Pam Cameron on .
- MLA
- Mrs Pam Cameron
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 27 January 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Holocaust Memorial Day
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5344978
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Today marks Holocaust Memorial Day. This year's theme is "Building Generations". This evening, people across the United Kingdom will take part in the "Light the Darkness" national moment at 8.00 pm. We will gather not only to honour the six million Jewish men, women and children who were systematically murdered alongside the millions of other innocent victims of Nazi persecution but to confront the truth about the hatred that enabled the Holocaust. That hatred did not end in 1945. The Holocaust did not happen overnight. It was a result of years of tolerated prejudice, escalating discrimination and widespread indifference. Step by step, words became actions and actions became atrocities. History shows us, with devastating clarity, where unchecked hatred leads. That warning is deeply relevant today. Across Europe and here in the United Kingdom, antisemitism is rising at an alarming rate. Jewish communities face harassment, vandalism, intimidation and violence. Families are made to feel unsafe simply because of who they are. Let us be absolutely clear: antisemitism has no place in our society. It has no place on our streets, online, in our institutions or in our political discourse. One of the most powerful lessons of the Holocaust is about the cost of indifference. Silence in the face of rising antisemitism is not neutrality: it is failure. We must also recognise the power of words. The Nazi regime used propaganda to dehumanise Jewish people and normalise hatred. That same pattern is visible today, where conspiracy theories and online hate are allowed to spread unchecked. When language denies people their humanity, violence is never far behind. Of course, education remains our strongest defence. Last Friday, I attended a Holocaust memorial event that was hosted by the Monkstown Community Association on behalf of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. It was deeply encouraging to see Hollybank Primary School's P7 pupils leading the way in learning about the Holocaust and expressing their knowledge through art. We also heard powerful testimony from Melvyn Goldberger, the son of a Holocaust survivor, reminding us why remembrance is essential. Today, we honour the victims, not only with remembrance but with resolve; resolve to confront antisemitism wherever it appears, to defend our Jewish communities and to ensure that "never again" is a living commitment and not an empty phrase.
379 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.05 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.91).
- Subject area: Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.24 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.12 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.05 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.19 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.09 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.91 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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