A POIGNANT memorial service marked 75 years since the horrors of the Holocaust.

Oxford Town Hall held a tribute on Monday, paying respect to the millions of Jewish people who were murdered during Hitler's genocide.

The service coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp.

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Seventy-five candles were lit to represent every year since.

The Lord Mayor of Oxford, councillor Craig Simmons, hosted the service.

He said some of his family fled to the UK as refugees from the pogroms in Eastern Europe, and one of his grandparents escaped from Vitebsk in Belarus where there were widespread massacres of Jews.

Mr Simmons said: "Those family members who remained were certainly killed.

"It is important we remember the horrors of the past to avoid them being repeated."

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The theme of this year's memorial day was Stand Together, exploring how individuals can unite to take action against oppression.

Those who contributed to the service included city rector Rev Anthony Buckley, Penny Faust of the Oxford Jewish Congregation; Jawaid Malik of the Oxford Foundation; and Oxford MP Anneliese Dodds.