VICTIMS of genocide were remembered in the Wee County this week during a ceremony at Kilncraigs.

Provost Tina Murphy lit a candle at Clackmannanshire Council's headquarters on Monday, January 28, to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD).

She was surrounded by fellow elected representatives Cllr Les Sharp and Cllr Kenny Earle as the trio stood silent to remember the millions murdered under Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

HMD was officially marked the day before, Sunday, January 27 – the date marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest death camp in the second world war.

The provost explained it was "hard to listen to" some of the horrific stories those affected at the time can tell, but they are perhaps even the more important 80 or so years later when a few survivors remain.

She said: "They are probably the last generation of people who will have memories of losing members of their family and also being in these camps themselves.

"Some of the stories – it's hard to listen to.

"These people were taken from their homes, not knowing where they were going, treated like cattle.

"If they died on their journey, they opened the doors and slung them out.

"They were not treated as human beings, and worse was to come.

"Some people who did survive felt they couldn't talk about it, it was too gruesome, too horrendous for them to try and process that."

Referring to a TV programme aired on Sunday, she added: "If anybody who thinks the Holocaust didn't exist, I hope they watched the pictures, which were truly devastating."

Cllr Kenny Earle added: "Anybody who denies the Holocaust is just deluding themselves.

"This is one thing we cannot afford to forget."

Provost Murphy concluded: "We are living in very harrowing times ourselves and we should learn from this terrible mistake.

"Those that did die, may they rest in peace and may their families have some peace."