Middle East minister Hamish Falconer has said he does “not agree” with remarks made by Elon Musk after the billionaire X social media owner called for Germans to to “move beyond” the “guilt” over the Holocaust.
Speaking to Jewish News after he attended a moving reception to mark Holocaust Memorial Day at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Falconer said keeping alive accounts from the Shoah is “absolutely vital.”
He said the UK the view is that it is “incredibly important to keep remembering” and “don’t move on” from learning the lessons of the Holocaust.
Asked for his view of Musk’s comments, made at an election campaign launch for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party last Saturday, Falconer said:”I wouldn’t agree with those comments.”
Hamish Falconer speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
“We have both just come from that incredibly moving ceremony that we were proud to host here,” said Falconer of the Foreign Office’s event, at which survivor Janine Webber BEM, who survived the Holocaust as child in occupied Poland, enduring the tragic loss of her parents and brother at the hands of the Nazis, spoke.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy co-hosted Monday’s ceremony with the Ambassador of Israel Tzipi Hotovely to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp,
In his speech Lammy said:”As a black man descended from the Windrush generation, as MP for the most diverse constituency in Britain – including, I am proud to say, a thriving Jewish community. And now, as Foreign Secretary, I see all too many signs of that lingering infection.
“Auschwitz did not start in its gas chambers. Genocide does not start with genocide. It starts with denial of rights. With attacks on the rule of law. With a festering resentment of the other.
“And so, as Levi and so many other survivors rightly insisted, it is a duty for us all to reflect on what had happened. ‘Never again’ is a solemn promise which we owe to the victims, but also which we must uphold for our own sake, and for the sake of future generations.
“We need Holocaust remembrance. Holocaust education. Action against antisemitism – it is how we build a better future for us all together.”
Earlier Lammy had met with Webber, where she spoke of her hope for peace amongst all people regardless of race or religion.
Falconer read a short poem by Primo Levi at the ceremony, while an ambassdor from the Holocaust Educational Trust gave an exceptional speech on why she had committed herself to fighting antisemtism, despite not being born Jewish.
Asked about relations between the UK government and the new US Donald Trump administration Falconer welcomed talks on Sunday with Keir Starmer and the American leader.
“We have got to be respectful of the US process which takes a bit of time to work through its appointments,” he added.
“I look forward to having discussions with my American counterpart, this is a deep rooted relationship and one where we have plenty of shared interest both in the Middle East and elsewhere.
“We will go at the pace that the US administration are keen to go at – they take a little bit more time over appointments than we do.”
