Croydon’s Holocaust Memorial Ceremony is to take place in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall from noon next Tuesday, January 27.

And while this is a civic ceremony, Jason Perry, the Conservative Mayor who is up for election, intends to elbow his way to the front of proceedings like a nine-bob Donald Trump and deliver some kind of speech.

Croydon’s ceremonial Mayor, Richard Chatterjee, gets to make the introductions, before reading the Croydon Pledge, candle lighting and a minute’s silence.

A member of Croydon Synagogue will make a speech, and Councillor Andy Stranack, a council cabinet member, will speak about the Holocaust.

There will be a keynote address from Lesley Orbach from Generation2Generation, and a presentation from Oasis Academy Coulsdon.

The winners of the annual school competition will also be announced at the event. The competition, run by the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, asked Croydon pupils to create artwork, a short story, poem, essay or short film on this year’s theme of “Bridging Generations”.

The remembrance event is open to the public, with spaces allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To attend, please contact civicmayor@croydon.gov.uk

“Here in Croydon, we are proud of the rich diversity of backgrounds in our community and Holocaust Memorial Day is a reminder that we must always stand firm against hatred and bigotry of any type and that the horrors of the Holocaust must never happen again,” said Councillor Chatterjee.

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