Archbishop of Canterbury joins Liverpool Holocaust memorial

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has attended a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in Liverpool on Sunday.

The spiritual head of the 77 million-member Anglican Communion joined the service at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, which was attended by more than 1,600 people, including a number of Holocaust survivors.

The special service was held to mark the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1945.

Dr Williams was joined by leaders from several major faith groups, who took the opportunity to call for an end to genocide throughout the world.

The Anglican head and the Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks both signed a Pledge Against Genocide.

Among the speakers at the event was the Rev Leslie Hardman, who helped to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp when he was serving as a British soldier.

In addition, Jason Isaacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, recited testimonies from survivors.

Christine Shaw, of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said the event aimed to "reflect on the lessons society can learn from the Holocaust and other genocides in an effort to tackle the intolerance and prejudice that still exists in the UK today".

Related events are being held across the UK throughout the week.