Sick ‘pro-Palestine’ activists heckle council leader as she outlines Holocaust memorial events
EXCLUSIVE Lambeth Council leader Claire Holland faced screams of 'Shame on you' from the public gallery as she spoke proudly of the borough's Holocaust Memorial Day events.
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
This is the shocking moment pro-Palestine activists heckled a London council leader as she spoke about this month’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations in the borough.
Leader of Lambeth Council Claire Holland had been outlining the borough’s impressive roster of events to recall the murder of six million Jews in the Shoah, when she was interrupted by a group of activists seated in the public gallery.
They proceeded to scream insults including “Shame on you” and “There’s another Holocaust happening in Gaza now.”
Sources told Jewish News that Labour leader Cllr Holland looked “horrified and upset” as the activists continued for some time with chants, while banners and three Palestinian flags were raised.
This is the moment ‘pro-Palestine activists’ shamefully disrupted Lambeth Council leader Claire Holland as she spoke proudly of this month’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations in the borough. Story below pic.twitter.com/SO8JDtNHAx
— lee harpin (@lmharpin) January 26, 2024
A mobile phone video recording picked up some of the activists shouts, but the source confirmed other chants made at the leader as she praised the borough’s record on HMD commemorations included “What about the genocide in Gaza now?” and “You have blood on your hands.”
The Lambeth Community HMD Planning Group and Lambeth Council had hosted an event on 21 January to mark HMD 2024, which was opened by Cllr Holland and the Mayor of Lambeth, Cllr Barznji.
Holocaust survivor and educator Annick Lever spoke at the event, which also saw local school children contribute with poems and readings.
Tensions were raised during this week’s full meeting of the South London council after the Green Party tabled a motion attacking Israel, and condemning “warmongers who profit from the misery inflicted on innocent civilians.”
The Labour Group’s agreed position was to vote against the motion noting “the council does not have the power or influence to affect an international conflict” and adding the Greens motion “risks creating division with our communities when focus should be on uniting our borough.”
Four Labour councillors broke the whip and ignored the agreed position.
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