84th anniversary of Ukrainian Holodomor genocide

84th anniversary of Ukrainian Holodomor genocide

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The 84th anniversary of the Ukrainian Holodomor (famine) was recognised this morning (Friday 17 November) as residents and specially invited guests met in the Memorial Gardens to mark the anniversary.

The Holodomor was an artificial famine, one of the most brutal acts carried out by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Between 1932-1933, approximately 7-10 million innocent men, women and children were brutally starved to death by Stalin, to try and force the Ukrainian population to adopt Soviet ideals.

At the height of the Holodomor: 

• 17 people died each minute.
• 1,041 people died each hour.
• 25,000 people died each day.

The service, which is held every year in Rochdale, commemorates all who were barbarically and systematically starved to death in the enforced famine.

Opening speeches from Olga Kurtianyk, chair of the Rochdale branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, and Petro Rewko, chair of the central committee of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, were given before a procession was led by Mayor Ian Duckworth and Mayoress Christine Duckworth from Rochdale Town Hall to the Memorial Gardens.

A one-minute silence was observed at the Holodomor Memorial Stone, and wreaths laid by Mayor and Mayoress Duckworth, MP Tony Lloyd, and members of the Rochdale Ukrainian Community.

A service of remembrance was led by the clergy, Rev Bohdan Matwijczuk, Rev Father Yaroslav Riy, Rev Father Volodymyr Sampara, Rev Father Ewhen Nebesniak and Rev Mark Coleman.

Mr Lloyd said: “The Holodomor was one of the vile acts of atrocities against human beings where millions of men, women and children literally starved to death. Few now doubt this was anything other than a deliberate act by Stalin.

"The strong Ukrainian community in Rochdale is bound to remember these events, but from all backgrounds, we should remember so that genocide can never be accepted.”

Mayor Duckworth said: “Similar events keep getting repeated year in, year out. We have seen a similar thing in Myanmar with the Rohingya people. Although this happened a long time ago, we have to try and remember lessons from this.

He added: “Thank you to the Ukrainian Community for a lovely service.”

Participants then proceeded to the Rochdale Ukrainian Cultural, where the memorial candle was lit before a second one-minute silence, which was followed by a reading from ‘Red Famine – Stalin’s War on Ukraine’.

A prayer for Ukraine was sung by all after speeches from Tony Lloyd and Petro Rewko, and closing remarks from Olga Kurtianyk.