Veterans Day Should Be Marked By All

2.16.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 26th Jun 2007

Local Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate, Richard Burt, has today backed an Early Day Motion promoting greater recognition of the immense contribution which has been made by veterans throughout the ages, who risked their lives to uphold the great British values of freedom, democracy and tolerance.

The Early Day Motion, which is akin to a Parliamentary petition, also calls upon every Member of Parliament to aid in the fight against the very sentiments of division and hatred which led to the Second World War.

Richard said: "I hope everyone in Worcestershire will mark Veterans Day, so we can say 'thank you' to all those who have defended our way of life. The freedom which we enjoy today is too often taken for granted. We in Britain owe a huge debt to those veterans who placed their lives at risk to safeguard the liberties which we enjoy today.

"However, we must all be aware that the threats to our liberty don't just come from outside our borders. The lessons of the past have still not been learnt, with extremist groups and parties continuing to divide our communities with their message of intolerance, bigotry and hatred.

"Today, we can best safeguard our society from these groups by cherishing the very values and virtues for which our veterans fought. I passionately believe we are a liberal nation by instinct, by tradition, by choice, and our values deserve to be celebrated, and those who have defended them to be thanked.

The text of the Early Day Motion: "That this House welcomes Veterans Day on 27th June; recognises with enormous gratitude the immense contribution made by veterans throughout the ages who risked their lives to uphold the great British values of freedom, democracy and tolerance; further recognises that the courage and sacrifice of British servicemen and women made during the Second World War was paramount to saving victims of the Holocaust; notes that on 15th April 1945 British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp, rescuing tens of thousands of inmates from certain death; further notes the compassion, hope and freedom that liberators gave back to the Holocaust Survivors, many of whom have prospered under the democratic values of the UK; acknowledges that the lessons of the past have still not been learnt and fascist parties continue to divide our communities with their message of intolerance, bigotry and hatred; calls upon every Member of Parliament to unite in their resolve to fight against sentiments of division and hatred; commends the work of organisations like the Royal British Legion, The Association of Jewish Ex Servicemen and the Holocaust Educational Trust who work with war veterans and Holocaust Survivors enabling them to share their testimonies with younger generations in order to keep alive the memory of this defining episode in world history."