Five per cent of UK adults do not believe the Holocaust took place and one in 12 believes its scale has been exaggerated, a survey has found.
The poll of more than 2,000 people was carried out by Opinion Matters for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT). I wonder what the figure would be for schoolchildren who have had the privilege of the sort of high-quality KS3 history education which is so threatened by the mis-guided rush for optional 3-year GCSE courses which don’t teach the Holocaust.
If ever anyone doubted the need for history to be taught to ALL for a reasonable length of time at KS3 then surely this is it!
The HMDT’s chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman said: “Such widespread ignorance and even denial is shocking.
“Without a basic understanding of this recent history, we are in danger of failing to learn where a lack of respect for difference and hostility to others can ultimately lead.”
She added that the rise in reported hate crime in the UK and the risk of genocide in ongoing international conflicts meant “we cannot be complacent”.
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “One person questioning the truth of the Holocaust is one too many.
“It is up to us to redouble our efforts to ensure future generations know that it did happen and become witnesses to one of the darkest episodes in our history.”
