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Political Affairs Brief a Daily Summary of Political Events Affecting the Jewish Community

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27 January 2009 Political Affairs Brief A daily summary of political events affecting the Jewish Community Scottish Council of Jewish Communities SCoJeC Contents Home Affairs Relevant Legislation Holocaust Consultations Israel Home Affairs UK Parliament: Early Day Motion Brian Iddon (589) Assisted suicide and the suicide Act 1961 – That this House welcomes the provisions in the Coroners and Justice Bill to bring the Suicide Act 1961 up to date by making clear that its provisions on assisting or encouraging suicide apply to the internet; notes the declared wishes of pro-euthanasia campaigners to see further amendments to the 1961 Act to permit assistance with suicide for vulnerable groups of people, including the terminally ill; observes that the Act combines a categoric prohibition of assisted suicide to deter abuse with an ability to assess the circumstances of apparent breaches of the law and, where appropriate, to deal compassionately with them; believes therefore that the Act, especially if amended as the Government proposes in the Coroners and Justice Bill, is working as it should; and calls on the House to reaffirm its support for a law which protects vulnerable people from abuse. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37623&SESSION=899 New publication Responding to Human Rights Judgments Government Response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ Thirty-first Report of Session 2007-08 http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/responding-human-rights-judgments.pdf TOP Holocaust UK Parliament: Early Day Motion Andrew Pelling (573) Holocaust Memorial Day and the European Union – That this House calls on the Government to work with the United Kingdom's European partners for the introduction of a Europe-wide annual national holiday to mark Holocaust Day on 27 January each year, the anniversary of the relief of Auschwitz-Birkenau, such that the grief, the horror, the sorrow, the loss and the evil of the Holocaust shall never be forgotten and shall never be repeated. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37607&SESSION=899 1 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Holocaust Memorial Day Foreign Secretary David Miliband made a statement on Holocaust Memorial Day. He said: 'Today we remember the victims of the Holocaust and vow to learn the lessons of the appalling period of European history which claimed the lives of six million jews. We also remember the victims of other genocides including in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda, to ensure that their stories are never forgotten. This year the theme of the Holocaust Memorial Day is ' Stand up to Hatred' . It reminds us all of our duty to challenge prejudice and discrimination where we find it. The British Government will continue to challenge racism and anti semitism and promote the human rights of all people across the world, and we call upon other states to do the same. Holocaust Memorial Day has rightly established itself as an important day in the calendar, and I congratulate all those involved in its organisation and throughout the year to preserve the memory of what happened and ensure it does not happen again.' We will co-host the inaugural conference for the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Combating Anti-Semitism (ICAA) on 16-17 February. The ICAA is an umbrella framework that assembles parliamentarians from around the world who take an active interest and involvement in confronting anti-Semitism. Its principal purpose is to share knowledge, experiences, best practice, and recommendations among these key parliamentarians and encourage their dissemination. http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/latest-news/?view=News&id=12832994 Scottish Parliament Play about holocaust survivors to be performed at Parliament …At the invitation of the Equal Opportunities Committee, the Blue Sky Network will perform ‘And Then They Came For Me – Remembering The World of Anne Frank’. …Equal Opportunities Committee Convener Margaret Mitchell MSP said: “ Its impact and positive message of promoting community cohesion resonates particularly strongly on Holocaust Memorial Day. … To read the full press release see http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/news-comm-09/ceq09-s3-001.htm Scottish Government National Holocaust Memorial Day We must remember the millions who died, suffered, and continue to suffer, as a result of the Holocaust, the First Minister said today on National Holocaust Memorial Day. First Minister Alex Salmond said: "National Holocaust Memorial Day plays a very significant role in ensuring that the suffering and inhumanity of the Holocaust is never forgotten. An awareness and understanding of this appalling period is crucial in preventing such barbarity from occurring again. We must remember the millions who died, suffered, and continue to suffer, as a result of the Holocaust. "We must never forget the misery that this horrific period of modern history brought to many groups, particularly the Jewish community. We must also remember those affected by more recent acts of genocide in countries such as Bosnia or Rwanda, which left hundreds of thousands dead, and the international community must do everything in its power to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future. "Only through remembering and reflecting on such hateful acts against humanity can we work to tackle discrimination, prevent genocide and achieve a more peaceful world." http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/01/27145749 2 Welsh Assembly Holocaust Memorial Day Deputy Presiding Officer, Rosemary Butler, will stand side-by-side with people from all walks of life in Cardiff to mark Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow. She will lay a wreath, on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales, as part of an official ceremony at City Hall in Cardiff. “Whether it be the death camps of Eastern Europe during the Second World War or the killing fields of Rwanda at the end of the last century, this day serves to remind us all of Man’s capacity to heap unspeakable pain and suffering upon his fellow man,” says the Deputy Presiding Officer. “That’s why this day, of all days, must be etched in all our diaries and on all our calendars. It’s a day when we must all come together and say that it must never happen again.” http://www.assemblywales.org/newhome/new-news-third- assembly.htm?act=dis&id=114273&ds=1/2009 Council of Europe Secretary General of the Council of Europe Tomorrow we will mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This Council of Europe initiative was launched in 2002 by the European Ministers of Education as the day of remembrance of the Holocaust and for the prevention of crimes against humanity. Subsequently, this idea was taken up by the United Nations who declared it to be an international day of remembrance. … The Holocaust was a crime of horrendous proportions, and it has provoked much soul searching and debate about responsibility and guilt - both individual and collective. These debates continue, and they have been reignited by events in the former Yugoslavia, to mention only one example of the tragic tendency of people to relapse occasionally into the worst of the past, but I think everyone agrees that behind every crime, even on the most appalling scale, there is the guilt and responsibility of individuals. They may be helped by the consent or simply the indifference of others, but at the end of the day, there are always individuals: someone who issues orders and someone who carries them out, someone who orders a killing and someone who kills. But as the guilt is individual so is the courage of those who stand up against the criminals and who risk their own lives to help the victims. … Because of their quiet courage, their initiative and their determination, many human lives were saved. Jewish people, victims of the Nazi persecution and the complicity of the Franco regime, were helped to escape the fate of millions of other Jewish people murdered in the concentration camps. The visas issued by these courageous individuals working in the Spanish diplomatic service were visas which saved lives. This is an exhibition which pays tribute, a well deserved tribute, to those remarkable Spanish individuals who had the courage of their convictions. It is a story which helps to restore our belief in the inherent goodness of people everywhere. A story from the past with a message for today. … http://www.coe.int/t/dc/press/News/20090126_disc_sg_visas_for_freedom.asp European Network Against Racism International Holocaust Memorial Day: a time to urge for dialogue between faith communities in Europe Today the world commemorates the victims of the Holocaust on International Holocaust Day1. On this occasion, ENAR remembers these victims and, now more than ever, recalls the urgent need to address the rise in all forms of racism and xenophobia, 3 including anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Gypsysm, across Europe. There is a worrying trend towards increasing racist violence and crime in a number of EU member states, as ENAR’s 2007 Shadow Report on racism in Europe shows. Communities that are particularly vulnerable to racist violence include Jews, Muslims and the Roma. In particular in the current global context, and the ensuing manifestations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the EU, it is essential that the EU stands firm in condemning all acts of incitement to racial hatred. In this respect the recent formal adoption of the EU Framework Decision on combating racism and xenophobia (in December 2008) is a step forward; at last the EU has a binding legal tool to fight racist crime and violence. The Holocaust Memorial Day is in this context also an opportunity to highlight the importance of promoting dialogue between faith communities in Europe, mutual understanding and respect for other beliefs, and of ensuring the cohesion of our European societies. ENAR President Mohammed Aziz said: “This year, Holocaust Day takes on a special significance.
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