Councillor urged to apologise for comparing Holocaust with Palestinian plight
A Labour councillor in Ealing has been urged to apologise after appearing to liken the plight of the Palestinians to the Holocaust.
Councillor Aysha Raza took to Twitter during last week’s parliamentary debate on the recognition of Palestine to write: “Surely as survivors of holocaust would be adamant that they would not be responsible for another…”
LFI director Jennifer Gerber said: “Ms Raza’s comments do nothing to advance peace and are deeply offensive to the memory of the Holocaust and wilfully ignorant of the actual situation between Israelis and Palestinians.
“While the conflict in the Middle East understandably stirs emotions, it is worrying to see politicians making offensive and inappropriate comparisons.
“Lazy and deliberate distortions of the Holocaust have no place in British politics and we would ask Ms Raza to apologise for her remarks.”
Jay Stoll, who is the Public Affairs Director of the London Jewish forum, added the following remarks in response to the tweet:
“Councillor Riza’s tweet has provoked huge disappointment and anger in the community.
“For an elected representative to suggest Holocaust survivors are inflicting a similar experience upon the Palestinian people is both a gross distortion of reality and an affront to the memory and legacy of the Shoah.
“We believe London’s elected representatives have a duty to act with repute, and in the case, Cllr Riza should apologise for failing to do so and absence such apology should be disciplined by the Labour Party.”
Raza failed to respond to repeated requests for comment.
The Labour Party has also not yet offered comment, despite repeated requests.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
