It's like one of those Christo wrap-ups...but this time definitely not for art's sake:
[Image: Hollie Adams/Reuters]
On the covering-up of the Holocaust memorial in Hyde Park:
The Metropolitan Police have denied involvement in the decision to cover up London’s Holocaust memorial to protect it during pro-Palestinian protests.
The memorial in Hyde Park was covered in a blue tarpaulin on Saturday, as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched from Parliament Square to a rally in Hyde Park.
After the decision to cover the monument was reported, the Metropolitan Police released a statement distancing itself. It said: “The decision to cover the memorial was taken by park authorities, not the police.”...
Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, described the precaution as “sad but necessary to avoid further offence to the Jewish community”.
He said: “We could take the risk that it would get defaced with the likes of placards and cause additional offence to the Jewish and other communities. It would have been nice if the organisers [of the rally] stopped to pay their own respects at the memorial.”
Well yes, you can see his point, but it's the same approach as the Met takes on the endless anti-Israel marches: tell Jews to stay away, remove the Iranian with his "Hamas are terrorists" banner....in effect, appease the antisemites.
Yad Vashem, the global Holocaust remembrance organisation, called on individuals and organisations not to hide the memory of the atrocity.
It said: “Holocaust memorials serve as solemn reminders of the unparalleled horrors perpetrated, during one of the darkest chapters in human history. They stand as testaments to the millions of innocent lives lost and are beacons of hope so that such atrocities cannot and will never be allowed to occur once more.
“The decision to cover up Holocaust memorials and exhibitions out of fear from the scourge of global antisemitism is deeply troubling. By concealing these historical reminders, we are only addressing the symptoms while ignoring the root cause of the issue.
Yad Vashem implores authorities to address the heart of the events: hatred and antisemitism. These are the true issues that are eating away at the moral fabric of our society.”
It's an insult to the memory of the Holocaust, and an admission of what's really going on with these marches.
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