UK leaders, past and present, consider Holocaust memorial a ‘sacred national mission’

From Major to May, all living UK prime ministers endorse new Holocaust memorial as “sacred national mission.”

By The Algemeiner

British Prime Minister Theresa May was joined by all her living predecessors in the office on Tuesday as she voiced strong support for a new Holocaust memorial in the heart of London.

May, along with former Labour Party Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and Conservative Prime Ministers John Major and David Cameron, endorsed in a video message the project for a National Holocaust Education and Memorial Center alongside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

In the message, May declared that by building the Holocaust center alongside Parliament, “we make a solemn and eternal promise that Britain will never forget what happened in the Holocaust.”

Pointing to the persistence of anti-Semitism after the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis, May added: “Seeing this through is a sacred, national mission. In the face of despicable Holocaust denial, this memorial will stand to preserve the truth forever.”

A similar observation was made by Blair, in what some observers saw as a barely-veiled reference to the anti-Semitism scandals that have plagued Labour since far-left MP Jeremy Corbyn became party leader in 2015.

“Anti-Semitism and hate did not end in 1945,” Blair said. “Unfortunately today some of this poison is back from the political fringe to parts of the political mainstream.”

Blair emphasized that it was “absolutely right that this new national memorial is situated right next to Parliament so we can show what happens when racism and prejudice go unchecked.”

The project has not been without its opponents. Its planned location in Victoria Tower Gardens, overlooking the River Thames, has drawn criticism from heritage groups, including Historic England and The Royal Parks, which looks after the site.

The groups have complained that a memorial would obscure postcard views of the Palace of Westminster and restrict the public space in the area.

Jeremy Corbyn