MORE than a quarter of Holocaust and genocide survivors experience abuse in Britain according to a shocking report released by the Holocaust Memorial Trust today.

A majority of those surveyed said they felt welcome in Britain when they arrived, however, a staggering 27 per cent admitted to experiencing discrimination and racial or religious abuse.

The report also revealed that over a third of the relatives of survivors have experienced race or faith-linked hatred.

A quarter still think about their traumatic experiences every single day with most saying that it took them over 20 years to talk about what happened, however many have been motivated to help society understand the horrific events.

Holocaust survivor Joan Salter explained: “Everyone deals with these things in their own ways.

“My mother was never able to talk about what had happened to her, it was just too painful. While I, on the other hand, have spent a lot of time sharing my family’s story to help people understand the Holocaust, in the hope that by understanding, we can tackle discrimination and hatred in all its forms.”

Holocaust Memorial Day will be commemorated in services and events across the country today with the theme “How Can Life Go On?”

The annual commemoration remembers the millions of Jews and other ethnic minorites murdered in the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

And Holocaust Memorial Trust chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman said the shocking results serve as a “valuable reminder of how vital Holocaust Memorial Day is, and how as a society we must reflect on what survivors’ experiences can teach us, in order to build a better future.

“It’s shocking to think that these individuals, having survived some of the very worst acts in human history, have experienced hatred and discrimination on the streets of the country that is now their refuge.

“For many survivors, their experiences are still very raw, and it’s never easy to think back to those times, yet they are determined to share their stories to help tackle intolerance and prejudice.

“We cannot allow hatred to take hold.”