Holocaust survivor says Southampton Ukip protest is a 'concern'

The University of Southampton hosted Janine Webber on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

One of the last remaining survivors of the former Polish Lvov ghetto, Janine, 92, shared her tragic upbringing, watching her family perish at the hands of the Nazis when she was only nine.

Janine said: “I’m very concerned about the current rise of racism, fascism and Jew-hating in the UK and across the world.

Janine Webber (Image: NQ) “I think for me I am particularly worried about the rise of extreme right-wing political parties – I don’t know if parties like Reform and Ukip are classed as extreme because I have not delved deeply into their policies.

“They do both however sow division and I think that is a cause for concern.”

READ MORE: Holocaust survivor shares her story to crowds in Southampton

Janine’s comments come after Ukip a planned Ukip anti-immigration rally was met by droves of anti-racist protesters at the Bargate on Saturday.

The Ukip protest in Southampton last weekend (Image: NQ) The protests were peaceful, and Ukip leader Nick Tenconi's megaphone speeches were met by the counter rally's chants of 'there are many, many more of us than you'.

When asked if she feared that the world might again face a massacre on the scale of the Holocaust, the Janine said: ‘I wouldn’t say no.’

She added: “I’m afraid that if we, the people, don’t stand up and do anything then it might.

“There is a rise in antisemitism and who knows where it will lead to – so I am very concerned about all of this.

“We also have to consider other countries like America with Donal Trump – I think all these factors are a cause for concern and something we should make sure we keep in check.”

Janine was only seven when the Second World War broke out and she witnessed the murder of her father, grandmother and younger brother at the hands of the Nazis.