A Conservative councillor in the northeast of England has compared Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza to the Holocaust.
Justin Thompson, a councillor in Redcar and Cleveland in Teesside, made the controversial comment in response to a Facebook post ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day by the Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Luke Myer.
Luke Myer MP signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in Parliament (Image: Facebook).
Myer had posted a photograph of himself signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment on Thursday saying: “It is more important than ever that we remember the victims and the terrible consequences of the Holocaust … we must pledge that it should never be repeated and stand firm against ideologies of hatred”.
Thompson replied by saying: “Very much in support of the Memorial Day but how can we pledge never to see another when the previous and current government are supporting a 2024/25 holocaust in Gaza?
“This makes not [sic.] sense.”
Facebook comment by Justin Thompson
Myers replied directly to the Skelton East Tory councillor on his Facebook page, rebuking him for the comparison.
He said: “What is happening in the Middle East is horrific, and I sincerely hope the ceasefire holds … But nothing is comparable to the singular evil of the Holocaust and the atrocities committed by the Nazis against the Jewish people.”
He added: “Whatever people’s views are about the conflict, it is in no way comparable to the calculated, premeditated, industrialised murder of six million Jews.”
The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) has reacted with outrage at the seeming misuse of the Shoah to score political points.
A spokesperson for JLM told the JC: “Elected politicians playing fast and loose with the concept of the Holocaust, let alone on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, is deeply concerning.”
They went on to call on the leadership of the Conservative Party to throw the book at the Teesside councillor, fuming: “This wouldn’t be tolerated from a Labour councillor, and it shouldn’t be tolerated from a Tory. I look forward to seeing the Conservative Party take firm disciplinary action here.”
The JC has contacted both Conservative Party and Justin Thompson for comment.
Last week, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch met with Jewish communal leaders where she “reaffirmed” her party’s “commitment to tackling antisemitism, promoting community cohesion in the UK”.
In an column for the JC ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, she said the Holocaust “stands as a unique evil in human history” and that “It is crucial that we learn its lessons and continue to combat antisemitism, ensuring that ‘never again’ truly means never again.”
