London’s Battersea Power Station was participating in a “Light Up the Darkness” campaign to commemorate the Holocaust.
By David Hellerman, World Israel News
London’s Battersea Power Station took a battering on social media after posting an image of its chimneys lit up in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Jewish Chronicle reported on Tuesday.
“We’re lighting our chimneys purple this evening to take part in the #LightTheDarkness national moment today. On #HolocaustMemorialDay, we remember those who suffered and we stand against prejudice and hatred in the world today,” said a now-deleted tweet.
According to the Chronicle, the tweet only began drawing attention this week. Chimneys have been associated with the Nazi death camps. After Jews were killed in the gas chambers, the bodies were typically burnt in crematoria with chimneys venting the smoke and ashes into the air and the surrounding countryside.
In a statement, Olivia Marks-Woldman, the Chief Executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, which organised the Light the Darkness campaign said: “We approached Battersea Power Station to light up in purple as part of the national ‘Light the darkness’ moment for Holocaust Memorial Day.”
“Over 150 different landmarks up and down the country lit up on the day – with a variety of buildings. Their chimneys were part of the many purple lights across London, including the Houses of Parliament, London Eye, BT Tower, The Gherkin, Natural History Museum, Southbank Centre and many more, and it was amazing to see each and every light up,” the statement added.
The statement did not mention if the Trust was aware that the chimneys themselves would be lit.
Battersea declined to comment for the Chronicle, but on Tuesday evening, it followed up with a tweet responding to the Trust’s statement, thanking the Trust for clarifying the matter. “We were really pleased to be asked to be involved in the ‘Light the darkness’ moment for the second year. We have taken the comments on board and will think of an alternative way to show our support next year,” Battersea tweeted.
The power station, built in the 1930s along the Thames River, used to be a coal-fired power station. Today, the brick, art deco-style edifice, is owned by a Malaysian consortium and houses a number of restaurants, shops and night-life venues.