Genocide Memorial Day on Sunday
9:12pm Wednesday 18th June 2008 in News By Amanda Smith
A GENOCIDE Memorial Day is being held in Bolton on Sunday.
The event, at 2.30pm in Victoria Square, will include an open-air remembrance service and the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Anthony Connell, will leada one minute silence.
The event has been organised by Bolton Interfaith Council to remember victims of genocide.
The Rev Tony McNeile (CORR), secretary of the Interfaith Council, said "Many people have been forced to flee from their homeland because they have been the victims of a programme that threatened or intended to kill them and destroy their faith or culture.
"The event will include a children's choir and drummers from Africa and there will be prayers and readings from faith leaders.
"Our prayers will be that genocide must be confined to the past and that Bolton will continue to recognise the plight of present victims and offer them comfort in our town."
Bolton Council controversially scrapped the town's annual Holocaust Memorial Day in January last year in favour of a genocide memorial event.
The decision sparked outrage and it was reinstated this year.
At Sunday's event children's choirs from St William of York RC Primary School and Bishop Bridgeman CE Primary School, both in Great Lever, will be taking part along with the Hindu Dhol Players, an African drumming group.
Last year refugees released doves as a symbol of peace and hope, but that will not take place this year because peregrine falcons are nesting at the town hall.
The ceremony will include readings from members of various faiths.
