The rise of fascism will be the theme of this year’s Genocide Memorial Day, scheduled to take place in January.

The march of fascism, disguised as nationalism, continues apace through much of the world, bringing with it the spectre of new genocides. Just as in the 1920’s and 1930s when the world witnessed the rise of the Nazis scapegoating and demonising minorities, which led to the Holocaust, the language of hate and otherisation is once again dominating political discourse. Pogroms in Bosnia, Rwanda and Myanmar in recent times are testament to the destructive potential of majoritarian fascism.

In India, sections of an increasingly assertive Hindu nationalist movement are openly preaching genocide of the country’s 200 million Muslims. In the Holy Land, the ascent to power of far-right parties speaks to the radicalisation of the country’s Zionist population. In both places, Islamophobia is the main tool being used to poison the minds of the public.

A renowned panel of speakers whose names will be announced later is to address these and other issues in the hybrid event which will take place at the IHRC premises and online on Sunday 15 January.

Genocide Memorial Day aims to raise awareness of genocide in order for new generations to understand the causes and recognise the warning signs of such atrocities. It was started by IHRC in 2010 to commemorate past and ongoing genocides, and to raise awareness around genocide prevention. Since then events have taken place all over the world.

A key feature of the GMD project is that the act of remembrance is not limited by the background of either the victims or the perpetrators of any of the genocides.