The suspension of British-Nigerian MP Kate Osamor has been announced by the UK after she made allegations of genocide against Israel on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day. Osamor faced widespread criticism for suggesting in her weekly newsletter that Gaza should be added to the list of recent genocides, a statement that drew significant public outrage.
In her newsletter, posted on social media, she shared a photo of herself signing the Holocaust Education Trust’s commemoration book in Westminster. In the post, she wrote, “Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, an international day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza.”
Following the backlash, Osamor issued an apology on social media later that Friday, expressing regret for any offense caused by her reference to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza during the period of remembrance for Holocaust Memorial Day.
Despite the apology, the Labour Party took swift action in response to the controversy. A Labour source confirmed on Sunday evening that Kate Osamor has been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party pending an investigation by the Chief Whip.
Several prominent organizations, including the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Labour Movement, and the Holocaust Educational Trust, expressed their concerns and condemned Osamor’s comments. The Campaign Against Antisemitism highlighted that the remarks effectively compared Israel to Nazis, which is listed as an example of antisemitism in the International Definition of Antisemitism adopted by the Labour Party.
The Jewish Labour Movement termed the comments as wholly inappropriate, especially during Holocaust Memorial Week, emphasizing that unilaterally including the war in Gaza in the list of genocides was both wrong and offensive.
The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of an interim ruling by the International Court of Justice, which stated that Israel must take measures to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza but did not order an immediate halt to operations. The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with Israel’s retaliatory attacks in Gaza reportedly killing 25,900 people, predominantly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The conflict started when Hamas attacked southern Israel, leading to civilian casualties and hostage-taking incidents.
