Example set by Jane Haining should inspire us all, say MSPs

The example set by a Scot who died in Auschwitz should encourage people to confront "prejudice, persecution and hatred wherever they arise", say MSPs.

Cross-party members of the Scottish Parliament said the story of Jane Haining, who refused to abandon Jewish schoolgirls in her care during the Holocaust, was an enduring illustration of "Christian service, compassion and moral courage".

They signed a motion recognising the Church of Scotland school matron after her name was added to a special memorial wall at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland, 82 years after her untimely death.

The call to action comes after official Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service figures show hate crime in Scotland is at a record high.

The total number of charges reported containing at least one element of hate crime in 2025-26 was 7,115, a 17% increase on the previous year.

Racial crime remains the most commonly reported hate crime with 3,990 charges reported in 2025-26, an increase of 17% on the previous year.

The motion says: "That the Parliament remembers the life, courage and sacrifice of Jane Haining, the Scottish missionary and Church of Scotland school matron who cared for Jewish and Christian girls at the Scottish Mission School in Budapest during the Second World War.

"Notes that, despite being urged to return to the safety of Scotland as the threat to Jewish people in Hungary intensified, Jane chose to remain with the children in her care, believing that they needed her all the more in times of danger; recognises that Jane was arrested in Budapest in 1944, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and died there on 17 July 1944, aged 47.

"Further recognises that Jane Haining was posthumously honoured by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for her courage in helping Jewish people during the Holocaust; welcomes the addition of her name to a memorial wall at Auschwitz-Birkenau, ensuring that her story will continue to be told to future generations.

"Believes that her life stands as an enduring example of Christian service, compassion, moral courage and the refusal to abandon others in the face of persecution.

"Considers that her example has particular resonance at a time when antisemitism and hatred reportedly continue to threaten Jewish communities around the world, and encourages people across Scotland to remember Jane Haining and to reflect on the responsibility of every generation to confront prejudice, persecution and hatred wherever they arise."

The motion to recognise the sacrifice of Miss Haining, who was born and raised in the village of Dunscore in Dumfries and Galloway, was lodged by Stephen Kerr, a Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP.

A Church of Scotland spokesman said: "Jane Haining's story is a fine example of Christian service over self-interest, and it is wonderful to see her story and example highlighted in the Scottish Parliament, garnering the support of cross-party MSPs."

Agnes Rostas, a former pupil at the Scottish Mission School. witnessed Miss Haining's arrest.

"On the morning of that day German officers were visiting Miss Haining and from our bedroom window across the hall, we could see her room," she said.

"After hours of questioning, we could see that the two officers were taking her away and as they were going down one set of stairs, we hurried to another set to follow them down.

"We were sitting at the foot of the stairs crying and she looked back and said to us, ‘don't worry, I'll be back by lunch'.

"That was the last time I saw her, and I found out 40 years later she had died in Auschwitz."