Members of different faiths gathered in Sutton this week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2011.

They attended a civic service in Sutton Library on Sunday (January 23), the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp at the end of the Second World War.

Councillor Simon Wales, Sutton Council's Communities spokesman, said it was a chance to remember people who had lost their lives in the Holocaust – and those who were still being discriminated against today.

He said: "As well as remembrance, the day is about looking forward and trying to create a better, safer future for us all.

"The untold stories of victims and survivors can help us to think about ways we can work together as communities to respect and celebrate differences between us."

It also included an account of Sutton resident Sid Ali Haji Awes' escape from the genocide in Darfur and a speech by the Mayor of Sutton Ccouncillor Margaret Court.

Closing the event, Paul Sarfaty, chairman of Sutton and District Synagogue, said: "Racial hatred is aimed not just at Jews but at minorities who do not fit convention – born out of ignorance and irrationality."

A Holocaust exhibition is being staged in the Europa Gallery until January 31.