The theme of 2018’s Holocaust Memorial Day is “The Power of Words”. And that’s a theme that’s particularly apt for the times in which we live. Last month, as you may have seen, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that it was going to start treating online hate crimes just as seriously as their offline equivalents. So if you are reported to the police for hurling vile, hate filled abuse at someone on Twitter, the CPS won’t treat it any differently to abuse on the street.

We all know it’s absolutely the right move. But there’s a sizeable minority who say online abuse isn’t really abuse at all.That anyone complaining about remarks that are anti-Semitic or homophobic or racist should just turn a blind eye.

That’s nonsense.

Words have enormous power to do harm. Believe me, I’ve been receiving racial abuse my whole life.

There’s the direct effect on the individual, of course. The emotional trauma and psychological damage that hateful abuse can cause. The fear and self-doubt it can sow. But there’s also the bigger picture.

The wider impact.

Look at the Holocaust.

We all know where it ended: in the labour camps, the gas chambers, the death marches. But it began with nothing more than words.

With abuse.

With slanders.

With threats.

And when those words were allowed to go unchallenged, year after year, the consequences were catastrophic.

Only words, yes. But words that led to the deaths of millions.

Half a century later, in Rwanda, messages of hate filled the airwaves and the printed press, encouraging, even demanding, the slaughter that was to follow. One study found that the deaths of more than 50,000 Tutsis could be directly linked to the broadcasts of one radio station. 50,000 innocent men, women and children murdered because of words.

And the absence of words can also be dangerous. In Myanmar, one powerful woman’s refusal to raise her voice and speak out is having devastating consequences for the Rohingya people.

So history has shown us, again and again, that words can be used to cause and inspire hate, to encourage and justify violence. Words are powerful things that should be handled with care. But that power can also be a force for good.

Social media is often condemned as a platform for hatred, but the most liked Tweet of all time is Barack Obama sharing the inspiring words of Nelson Mandela:

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion.”

And harnessing the positive power of words has long been a core part of Holocaust Memorial Day. Every year we hear the words of genocide survivors, sharing their most harrowing memories so that we understand the importance of saying no to bigotry.

Thanks to HMD, late January each year sees our school classrooms flooded with words. Words explaining what happened in the Holocaust, in Cambodia, in Rwanda, in Bosnia and in Darfur. Words impressing on the next generation their duty to remember. Words warning what can happen if they fail to do so.

In 2018, with continued support and funding of government, the HMD Trust will be reaching out to more people than ever before. It will be organising more events than ever before. And it will be publishing and sharing more words than ever before. Only words, yes. But words that have the power to prevent genocide.

Around the world there are memorials to genocides that feature the most powerful words of all. Words that spell out the human cost of failing to fight back against bigotry.

At the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam you can see her diary, yes, but also another book. It’s more than an inch thick, hundreds of pages of tightly printed words: the names of every Dutch Jew murdered by the Nazis.

Visitors to the Srebrenica memorial are greeted by a vast, curving wall. From a distance the grey stone appears to be filled with countless black lines. But as you move closer, you realise the lines consist of countless words. The names of thousands upon thousands of Muslims who were shot, stabbed, even buried alive. These words, whether printed on paper or carved in stone, speak to us of the individuals who died, the human tragedies behind the horrifying statistics of genocide.

They will soon be joined by the UK’s National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, to be built a short walk from where we are today. It will contain millions of words. Words that share testimony. Words that stand as a reminder. Words that serve as a warning. They’re only words, yes. But they’re words that tell a story we should never, ever forget.

I am delighted to welcome you all to this special celebration for the Jewish New Year.

Here today, we have people from all parts of our Jewish community and all parts of our society – from business to the arts, from politics to our public services.

We also have some of our country’s greatest philanthropists, leading charities and some of our most outstanding volunteers.

People like the Jewish Volunteering Network Volunteer of the Year Marsha Gladstone; and today’s Point of Light, Avi Dubiner, whose Shabbat Walks have inspired 22,000 visits to hospitals and care homes as Jewish people give their time on the Sabbath to help others in need.

So the first thing I want to say to all of you is: thank you.

And as Prime Minister I want to use the opportunity of this reception to show my personal support and appreciation for everything that you contribute to our country.

Speaking of recognising contributions, I am also pleased that we have now managed to ensure that, within clear guidelines, state schools will be able to claim gift aid on voluntary contributions.

This is something that can benefit not only Jewish State Schools – but all State schools.

And I am grateful to the work of the Partnership for Jewish Schools in helping to resolve this issue.

Balfour

As we look to the New Year, we look forward to the Centenary of the Balfour declaration in November. Born of that letter, the pen of Balfour, and of the efforts of so many people, is a remarkable country. Of course, there are great challenges in the region – and we will do everything we can to support efforts towards building a two-state solution – and the lasting peace that we all want to see.

But as Prime Minister, I am proud to say that I support Israel.

And it is absolutely right that we should mark the vital role that Britain played a century ago in helping to create a homeland for the Jewish people.

Security

Rosh Hashanah is, of course, a time for reflection – and it is impossible not to think at this time of the threats to our security and the shocking levels of anti-Semitism that we have seen in the last year.

I want you to know that I will always do whatever it takes to keep our Jewish community safe.

Just last week I sat around the Cabinet table with representatives from the Jewish community – and security was the first item on the agenda.

I am proud that this government has given £13.4 million this year alone to support the vital and brilliant work of CST.

But that is not enough on its own.

So it is right we are reviewing our counter-terrorism strategy to ensure the police and security services have all the powers they need – and to ensure that the length of custodial sentences for terrorism-related offences are sufficient to keep people safe.

It is why we are working to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorist planning – and to get internet companies to do more to remove harmful content from their networks.

And we are establishing a new Commission for Countering Extremism as a statutory body to help fight hatred and extremism in the same way as we have fought racism – because this extremism is every bit as insidious and destructive to our values and we will stop at nothing to defeat it.

Anti-Semitism

We will also continue to fight anti-Semitism wherever we find it.

Through our new definition of anti-Semitism we will call out anyone guilty of any language or behaviour that displays hatred towards Jews because they are Jews.

And we will actively encourage the use of this definition by the police, the legal profession, universities and other public bodies.

But the ultimate way of defeating anti-Semitism is to create an environment that prevents it happening in the first place.

That is one of the reasons why it is so important that we create a proper National Memorial to the Holocaust, together with an accompanying educational centre to teach future generations to fight hatred and prejudice in all its forms.

I want to thank the Chief Rabbi, Sir Peter Bazalgette and all the members of the cross-party UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation – and its partners like the Holocaust Educational Trust – for the work they have been doing to take this forward.

Through the exhibition at the V&A this Summer – as well as wider events across the country – we have now seen over 11,000 responses to the public consultation on the short-listed designs.

And we await with interest the deliberations of the independent Jury that meets this weekend.

Whichever design team is chosen, this national Memorial and Educational Centre will stand next to our Parliament as a permanent reminder of what can happen when a civilised, democratic society allows hatred to go unchecked.

It will say to the world: we will never forget. And it will bring our country together in a national mission to fight hatred for generations to come.

Conclusion

So as you gather together for prayer and celebration at this special time of year, I encourage you to do so with confidence.

Confidence, that together we will keep Jewish people in our country safe and defeat the scourge of anti-Semitism.

And confidence that it is the values that we share – Jewish values, British values – that will in the end prevail.

With that, let me wish you and all your families a sweet New Year.

And as I hand over to the Chief Rabbi to say a few words: let me say to you all: Shana Tova.

On Thursday 14 September Minister for Europe and the Americas, Sir Alan Duncan, will visit Azerbaijan.

The Minister will attend the signing ceremony to celebrate the renewal of a BP led consortium’s contract with the Azerbaijan State Oil Company, SOCAR. Since the original contract was signed, the resulting investments of tens of billions of dollars have brought more than 3 billion barrels of oil to world markets. This new contract will create thousands of jobs for both countries.

The Minister will meet President Ilham Aliyev and Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov for discussions on mutual foreign policy interests and democratic and economic reform.

The Minister will also meet civil society representatives as part of the UK’s support for human rights and democracy.

Ahead of his visit, the Minister said:

The UK’s relationship with Azerbaijan goes far beyond our 25 years of diplomatic relations. From the Azerbaijani students studying in the UK, to British business investing in Baku, to our cooperation against international terrorism, our relationship is going from strength to strength.

As the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan, the UK is uniquely placed to support Azerbaijan’s development. I’m proud that the extension of BP’s contract means that UK technology and expertise will help Azerbaijan’s prosperity and security for many years to come.

Reform, transparency and human rights are essential to a successful and prosperous society. I look forward to my conversations with the Azerbaijani government and civil society, to understand how the UK can support Azerbaijan further.

Further information