The World Holocaust Remembrance Center — Yad Vashem – on Sunday expressed its dismay at reports of Holocaust memorials and monuments being covered in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom to shield them from marauding pro-Palestinian protesters.
The Israel-based organization noted Holocaust memorials serve as “solemn reminders of the unparalleled horrors perpetrated, during one of the darkest chapters in human history.”
If it's not an antisemitic movement, why does a Holocaust memorial need to be covered up?
— David Hirsh (@DavidHirsh) April 27, 2024
If it's a movement of people who are protesting against genocide, why does a Holocaust memorial need to be covered up? pic.twitter.com/VR4ELt2c9A
They also stand as testaments to the millions of innocent lives lost will trying to ensure the same tragedies never, ever happen again. Yad Vashem issued a statement continuing:
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.
Yad Vashem calls upon all individuals, communities, and governments to uphold the memory of the Holocaust and to actively work towards a world free from hatred and discrimination. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to combat antisemitism, ensuring that the voices of the victims are never silenced and their legacies never forgotten.
The Daily Mail reported Sunday that Scotland Yard was facing yet more anger from Jewish groups after a Holocaust memorial was covered up over fears it would be vandalised by pro-Palestinian activists.
A woman with Stop The Genocide painted on her face during a Pro-Palestinian Rally on April 27, 2024 in London, England. ( Guy Smallman/Getty)
Thousands gather at Parliament Square march before they march to Hyde Park during a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians in London, United Kingdom on April 27, 2024. (Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Officials in Hyde Park hid Britain’s first public memorial to the six million victims of the Nazi genocide under a blue tarpaulin in a move one Holocaust survivor called “shameful.”
The monument was then guarded by Metropolitan Police officers to stop it being targeted by pro-Palestinian activists who marched through London in yet another demonstration against the war in Gaza.
