TWO high school pupils received a round of applause for their presentation to MSPs at Holyrood.
Sixth-years Rachel Connelly and Liam Beattie, who is a member of the Youth Parliament, were invited up to the Scottish Parliament to share their experiences with politicians on their visit to Auschwitz.
They spoke during Parliament's time for reflec
tion.
Seventeen-year-old Rachel told the Hawick News: "It was very nerve racking because there was an important vote on later in the day and so it was a full house of MSPs and there were a lot of people there.
"We both spoke first and at the end we received applause, which doesn't ever happen in Parliament. We basically just spoke about our visit and how the damage that was done at Auschwitz and through the Holocaust is still affecting people today."
In his address to the Parliament, 17-year-old Liam said: "When Rachel and I visited Auschwitz, we learned how simple name-calling can escalate into something as terrible as the Holocaust, and we need to ensure that the majority protects society's minorities by putting equality and fairness at the heart of our society."
Liam and Rachel with Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson
