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Britain to launch new Holocaust memorial, learning center

Xinhua, January 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Britain will launch a new national memorial and learning center to commemorate and educate about the Holocaust, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday.

Cameron announced the decision at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The new memorial and learning center and its partners will be tasked with "transforming the way Holocaust education is delivered," Downing Street said in a statement.

"We stand in remembrance of those who were murdered in the darkest hour of human history, we stand in admiration of what our Holocaust survivors have given to our country and we stand united in our resolve to fight prejudice and discrimination in all its forms," Cameron said.

"As prime minister, I will ensure that we will keep Britain's promise to remember: today, tomorrow and for every generation to come," he added.

Britain's three main political parties, including the Conservatives, the Labor Party and the Liberal Democrats, have agreed to commit 50 million pounds (76 million U.S. dollars) to create the center.

New technologies are planned to be used to develop "innovative ways to educate," including "virtual reality" technology to recreate the streets of 1930s Germany, smart tickets allowing visitors to interact with digital installations, and laser scanning technology and software to create a permanent digital record of the past.

The new center is expected to support head teachers and others to champion Holocaust education by working with Teaching Schools and other partners to promote the benefits of Holocaust education, increasing the accessibility and affordability of teacher training.

Also on Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond visited Auschwitz in Poland to pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.

"Standing in these chilling surroundings and imagining what happened here, I have seen for myself how the unprecedented horror of the Holocaust continues to hold universal meaning," said the foreign secretary. Enditem