A Holocaust memorial exhibition has been denied permission to be displayed in Parliament after being deemed “too political” – despite pro-Palestinian campaigners and the Trades Unions Congress having previously being allowed to display signage in the same space.
In correspondence seen by The Jewish Chronicle, parliamentary authorities told the National Holocaust Museum (NHM), which sought to display the exhibition for Holocaust Memorial Day, that:
“Westminster Hall is a politically neutral space and activity which could be perceived as campaigning/lobbying or trying to influence political opinions would not be permitted.”
The exhibition, Vicious Circle, tackles the history of violent attacks on Jewish communities from the Nazi era to the present, displaying five pogroms on display walls arranged in a circle: Berlin in 1938, Baghdad in 1941, Kielce in Poland in 1946, Aden in Yemen in 1947 and Kibbutz Be’eri on 7th October 2023.
The decision has drawn scrutiny following revelations that the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) was permitted to host a stall in Westminster Hall in July last year. Witnesses reported seeing supportive MPs engaging with members of the public at the event. In February 2023, The Times reported that a PSC director had told demonstrators he wanted “parliament to have to lock its doors”, as the anti-Israel slogan “From the river to the sea” was projected onto Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben).
NHM Director Marc Cave questioned why an exhibition confronting the ideological roots of anti-Jewish violence had been blocked. “Why does our desire to highlight the delusion that drives all murder of Jews so unsettle the Westminster Hall committee? … It is only fair that Westminster Hall accords us the same democratic opportunity it has granted to monomaniacs who absurdly pin all the world’s problems on 0.2 per cent of its population,” he told The Jewish Chronicle.
Parliament’s decision has also been criticised by Lord Pickles, the government’s special envoy on post-Holocaust issues, who said Winston Churchill would have been “appalled” by the ruling. “Considering the timing of it, that we have just commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps put by Nazi Germany, I was frankly astounded. It just seems to me that if you are going to ensure that the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign has something there, it’s not unreasonable to have a government-funded exhibition there.
“Dealing with the questions of antisemitism, I mean, after all, Westminster Hall is where Churchill lay in state. Westminster Hall is where he received many honours. There was perhaps no greater fighter against antisemitism than Churchill. He would be appalled by this decision.”
The exhibition’s creator, Marc Cave, has already secured display slots in the European Parliament in Brussels and the Bundestag in Berlin. However, his application to bring Vicious Circle to Westminster Hall for a week – including Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27 – was rejected. Speaking to Times Radio, Cave warned that Parliament was setting a dangerous precedent by appearing to privilege certain perspectives over others. “It’s one of the great tragedies, I think, of the social media era, and my fear is that by parliament being perhaps more ready to house one side of the argument but not the other – that’s kind of dangerous.”
A House of Commons spokesperson defended the ruling, arguing that mass lobbying events – such as those hosted by the PSC – should be distinguished from formal exhibitions. “Requests for exhibitions in Westminster Hall are taken on a case-by-case basis, and many requests are made throughout the year. These are completely different to mass lobbies – signage is considered on a case-by-case basis for the sole purposes of directing individuals during a mass lobby.”
However, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has since clarified that he was not involved in the decision-making process.
In a statement to Jewish News, Hoyle expressed his disappointment and announced an investigation into how the ruling was made.
“I had absolutely no knowledge of this request, was never asked about it, and I am disappointed it was turned down without input from the Lord Speaker, Lord Great Chamberlain or myself.
“The Holocaust was one of the darkest chapters in human history. Six million Jewish people were exterminated by the Nazis, alongside the millions of other victims targeted by hate and tyranny.
“I have now asked for the House authorities to conduct an investigation into how this decision was reached. I would also like to meet with the organiser of the exhibition to find out more about it.”
The blocking of Vicious Circle is not an isolated incident.
Elsewhere in Europe, similar restrictions have been placed on exhibitions dealing with anti-Jewish violence. The Free University of Berlin (FU) recently barred the same exhibition, claiming it could provoke “intense debates” and “emotional reactions” from students. Yet the university has previously allowed events on other contentious topics without issue.
An FU spokesperson cited concerns about the “intense debates” the exhibition might provoke, adding that unsupervised exhibitions “of all kinds and on various topics can evoke emotional reactions” which pose challenges to public order.
Tensions on German campuses have been rising. In October, a masked group of anti-Israel activists reportedly broke into an FU building, threatening staff with axes, saws, crowbars, and clubs. In February, a Jewish student was hospitalised after being beaten by a fellow student following an argument about the Hamas-Israel conflict. The FU cancellation follows similar decisions at Leipzig and Freiburg universities, both of which recently withdrew planned lectures on antisemitism. Critics argue that European institutions are becoming increasingly reluctant to engage with Jewish history – particularly when it intersects with contemporary political sensitivities.
Professor Maiken Umbach, chief academic advisor to the UK Holocaust Museum, warned that limiting discussion of anti-Jewish violence to Holocaust museums risks restricting its reach. “If we talk about Jewish history and anti-Jewish violence only in Jewish museums and in Holocaust museums, we’re preaching to the choir and they’re not reaching the people we need to reach right now.”
With antisemitism surging across Europe, the reluctance of institutions to engage with discussions of anti-Jewish violence has raised concerns over a selective approach to free expression – one that accommodates certain causes while marginalising others. Many of these institutions, influenced by critical race theory’s divisive, reductionist framework of ‘oppressed’ and ‘oppressors’, seem increasingly unwilling to recognise Jewish history in a way that acknowledges Jews as a historically persecuted group.
