Prince Charles hits back at Holocaust deniers and conspiracy theorists in grim tribute
PRINCE CHARLES has blasted conspiracy theorists and deniers in a speech paying tribute to Holocaust Memorial Day, calling for an end to misinformation and "irrational" beliefs.
Prince Charles pays tribute to victims on Holocaust Memorial Day
The Duke of Cornwall, patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, spoke via video about how genocide deniers must stop spreading misinformation about the event. Marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Charles made a sombre call to end an “assault on truth”.
The Prince rubbished Holocaust deniers, and urged people to challenge “irrational” theories.
He said: “We have also seen reckless assaults on the truth and the deeply worrying growth of fake news and of irrational theories, not grounded in reality but rooted in dark places of hatred and fear.
"We have seen reason rejected, objectivity abandoned, history discounted - even the Holocaust denied."
READ MORE: Charles and Camilla record heartfelt message for special event – ‘Light in the darkness’
Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, also paid tribute to the “stories of tragedy, loss and suffering".
The Duke added: “As I speak, the last generation of living witnesses is tragically passing from this world, so the task of bearing witness falls to us.
"That is why The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, of which I am so proud to be Patron, has this year chosen the theme – 'Be the Light in the Darkness’.
"This is not a task for one time only; nor is it a task for one generation, or one person. It is for all people, all generations, and all time.
“This is our time when we can, each in our own way, be the light that ensures the darkness can never return."
Princess Alice, Charles’ grandmother, took in and hid a Jewish family in Nazi-occupied Athens, Greece during World War 2.
The Duke spoke last year about his “inspirational” grandmother during a forum in the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem, Israel.
He said: “I have long drawn inspiration from the selfless actions of my dear grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, who in 1943 in Nazi-occupied Athens, saved a Jewish family by taking them into her home and hiding them.
“My grandmother, who is buried on the Mount of Olives, has a tree planted in her name here at Yad Vashem and is counted as one of the Righteous Among the Nations (…) a fact which gives me and my family immense pride.”
It comes as Camilla was visibly moved during a online chat with two conversation camp survivors to mark the anniversary.
The Duchess told them their “dedication in educating the next generation, the younger generations, about your experiences and the horrors of the Holocaust shows extreme strength and such bravery in doing so, it's so important and so inspirational".
Charles and Camilla also lit a commemorative candle to mark Holocaust Memorial Day yesterday.
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Other royals paid tribute to the Holocaust, with Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge calling two survivors yesterday.
Manfred Goldberg and Zigi Shipper, who last spoke to Kate in 2017, both reminisced about their experiences in concentration camps.
Kate hailed the pair for sharing their experiences, and said: “The stories that you have both shared with me again today and your dedication in educating the next generation, the younger generation, about your experiences and the horrors of the Holocaust shows extreme strength and such bravery in doing so.
“And it's so important and so inspirational, so thank you so much for once again sharing your stories with me and for all the work that you do in sharing your experiences."