Genevieve Holl-Allen
Sun, January 28, 2024
Kate Osamor served on the Labour frontbench under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn - PA/Danny Lawson
A Labour MP has been suspended after accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza in a post about Holocaust Memorial Day.
Kate Osamor, the MP for Edmonton, had said in a weekly newsletter for local members on Friday that Holocaust Memorial Day was “an international day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza.”
She also shared a photograph of herself signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s commemoration book in Westminster.
Ms Osamor has now been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party by the party’s chief whip pending an investigation, a Labour source confirmed on Sunday evening.
The former frontbencher under Jeremy Corbyn had issued an apology on Friday for “any offence caused” by her comments.
Ms Osamor wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a day to remember the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the genocides that have occurred since.
“I apologise for any offence caused by my reference to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza as part of that period of remembrance.”
Tensions within the Labour Party
The Jewish Leadership Council had said of Ms Osamor’s comments before she was suspended: “To invoke our history and abuse Holocaust Memorial Day to attack the Jewish state is not only amoral, it is offensive to survivors and the wider Jewish community.”
A weekly update post on Ms Osamor’s website now reads: “Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, an international day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia.”
The suspension reflects the ongoing tensions within the Labour Party about its response to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Last Wednesday, Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green Tahir Ali apologised after being spoken to by party whips for telling the Commons that Rishi Sunak had “the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands” over the Government’s handling of the conflict.
Earlier this month, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy had a major policy speech in London interrupted by pro-Palestinian protestors.
Labour MP has whip suspended after Gaza comment in Holocaust Memorial Day post
Nina Lloyd, PA Political Correspondent
Sun, 28 January 2024
Kate Osamor British politician
An MP has had the Labour whip suspended after she appeared to say the war in Gaza should be remembered as a genocide in a post about Holocaust Memorial Day.
Kate Osamor has issued an apology for “any offence caused” by the message on the eve of the day marking the murder of six million Jews during the Second World War.
A Labour source confirmed that the chief whip has suspended her from the parliamentary party while an investigation takes place.
The Edmonton MP had appeared to suggest the conflict in Gaza was a genocide in a message she shared online the day before Holocaust Memorial Day.
She later tweeted: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a day to remember the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the genocides that have occurred since. I apologise for any offence caused by my reference to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza as part of that period of remembrance.”
The former shadow development secretary, who served in Jeremy Corbyn’s top team, is the second Labour MP to apologise for remarks about the war in Gaza this week.
Tahir Ali accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of having “the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands” over his response to the conflict.
The comments in the House of Commons prompted the Labour leadership to quickly distance itself from his position and Mr Ali later posted an apology on X, formerly Twitter.
“Earlier at PMQs I asked the Prime Minister about the actions of Israel in Gaza. This is obviously a deeply emotive issue,” he said.
“While I do not resile from my strongly held views on the situation in the Middle East, I would like to apologise for the way in which I described the Prime Minister in my question.”
A Labour spokesman said of his remarks: “That language is clearly inappropriate and not language we would support or endorse or believe should be used.”
Labour suspends Kate Osamor over Gaza comments in Holocaust message
Rowena Mason Whitehall editor
Sun, 28 January 2024
Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA
The Labour MP Kate Osamor has had the whip suspended while she is investigated for saying Gaza should be remembered as a genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day.
The MP for Edmonton in north London is due to meet party whips on Monday after issuing an apology over the message she sent on the eve of the day marking the murder of 6 million Jews during the second world war.
Osamor had distributed the message to her party members, saying Holocaust Memorial Day should be observed, but other genocides should also be remembered – listing Gaza as one of them.
The former shadow development secretary, who served in Jeremy Corbyn’s top team, shared a photograph of herself signing the Westminster remembrance book of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
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She also wrote that there was an ‘“international duty” to remember the victims of the Holocaust, as well as “more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza”.
Osamor later tweeted: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a day to remember the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the genocides that have occurred since. I apologise for any offence caused by my reference to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza as part of that period of remembrance.”
Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, told Sky News that Osamor had met the chief whip to discuss her comments and was due to meet officials again this week.
“What is happening in Gaza is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe that is recognised,” he said. “But there are specific reasons why the Holocaust is considered as it is. It’s important on Holocaust Remembrance Day to remember that.
“And I understand Kate has apologised. There’s been a conversation with the chief whip. There’ll be further conversations next week, but of course we take anything in this space extremely seriously.”
Asked if Osamor was likely to be disciplined, Reynolds added: “There will be those conversations, and I can tell you that they have already been scheduled for the week ahead. Of course, whenever we have a situation like this, we take it extremely seriously.”
Starmer has supported Israel’s “right to defend itself” in Gaza against Hamas, but more recently called for a sustainable ceasefire and hit out at the “intolerable” casualties.
His position has caused tensions within Labour. Many in the party have pressed him to be more critical of Israel’s military action, which has caused an estimated 24,000 deaths.
Momentum, the pressure group on the left of Labour, said it was an “outrageous decision [that] further damages Labour’s reputation for anti-racism under Keir Starmer, and should be immediately reversed”.
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