The Labour MP Kate Osamor has been suspended and has issued an apology for calling Israel’s attacks on Gaza a “genocide” in comments marking Holocaust Memorial Day.
The BBC reports the MP for Edmonton in London had written: “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.”
Osamor wrote on X late last night: “I apologise for any offence caused by my reference to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza as part of that period of remembrance.”
A party source confirmed Labour’s chief whip had issued a precautionary suspension of the whip, pending an investigation, leaving Osamor outside the Parliamentary Labour Party and sitting as an independent MP.
She joins a sizeable list of MPs sitting without the whip, including Diane Abbott, Nick Brown, Bambos Charalambous, Jeremy Corbyn, Geraint Davies, Conor McGinn, Andy McDonald, Christina Rees and Claudia Webbe.
The Jewish Labour Movement called her comments “inappropriate and offensive” as the loss of six million Jews in the Holocaust is commemorated, and said her “subsequent non-apology rang hollow”.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said in a statement: “We commend the Labour Party for suspending the whip from Ms Osamor following her disgraceful comments regarding Holocaust Memorial Day. This is the right decision, sending a clear message that such behaviour is unacceptable. We trust that the investigation will proceed swiftly.”
But left-wing campaign group Momentum said the decision should be reversed, saying that “just two days ago, the International Court of Justice found that Israel had a plausible case to answer on genocide in regards to its brutal & inhumane war on Gaza”.
Labour national executive committee member Mish Rahman alleged “double standards” over Osamor’s suspension, noting some other MPs had not lost the whip or shadow frontbench posts for controversial comments they subsequently apologised for.
Osamor was approached for comment.
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