Foreign Secretary David Lammy has distanced himself from a controversial commentator whose book on racism he had given a promotional quote to.
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, an activist, lawyer and commentator, claimed that the Prime Minister was prioritising “antisemitism over racism” because of “white supremacy” and appeared to equate Israel’s war with terrorist group Hamas with the mass-murder of Jews during the Holocaust.
After Sir Keir Starmer’s address to the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET)’s annual dinner in September, in which he promised to keep Holocaust education on the school curriculum, she posted on X/Twitter: “Why is it a National Ambition for Nazi Holocaust of White Jewish people to be 'critical part of every British student's identity' but not the Transatlantic Slave trade of Africans, Holocaust/Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing of Black people, Erasure of Black History, Colonisation & ongoing systemic racism, dehumanisation? White Supremacy. Why does Keir Starmer say Holocaust of Jews must never be repeated but arms & supports the Holocaust of Palestinians by Israel? White Supremacy.”
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1)
September 17, 2024
Mos-Shogbamimu went on to describe the Prime Minister as a “Zionist Political Prostitute who will trade the lives, liberties & livelihoods of Black & Brown people in a heartbeat”.
Her book, This is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity, written about racism and anti-blackness in the UK and the US, was first published in 2021. It features a supportive quote from David Lammy on its cover, saying the book was “written with fearless articulacy … this book recalibrates the conversation on race to ignite transformational change.”
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Promotional material for Mos-Shogbamimu's book, including a quote from David Lammy.[Missing Credit]
The quote is also displayed prominently on Mos-Shogbamimu’s X/Twitter profile at present as well as on promotional material for her book on retail websites like Amazon.
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[Missing Credit]
When contacted by the JC, Lammy immediately condemned Mos-Shogbamimu’s expressed views on Israel and the Holocaust.
A Labour Party spokesperson told the JC: “David Lammy categorically disagrees with the author’s recent comments highlighted by the Jewish Chronicle, which are completely unacceptable. The Foreign Secretary believes there should be more Holocaust education, not less.
"The Labour government will make sure every child learns about the Holocaust by making it a mandatory topic in schools and will build a national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre next to Parliament.”
Sources close to Lammy have told the JC that he will not be looking to provide Dr Mos-Shogbamimu with any future endorsements or promotion and that it is not possible to retroactively withdraw endorsements made several years ago.
There is no suggestion that Lammy had been aware of the kind of views recently aired by Mos-Shogbamimu when he provided her book on racism with his supportive quote.
Mos-Shogbamimu had appeared frequently on mainstream media outlets like the BBC, ITV, CNN and LBC to comment on anti-black racism over many years.
However, it is not the first time this year that Mos-Shogbamimu’s posts on social media have caused controversy.
In February, the Newcastle Chronicle reported that the family of David Goldman, co-founder of the software business Sage, had cut ties with Newcastle University over their decision not to rescind an honorary doctorate given to Mos-Shogbamimu after she appeared to compare Israel’s war in Gaza to the Holocaust.
David’s son Daniel told the publication: “The university decided to honour Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu with an honorary doctorate of law for her work on racism. The day before the degree ceremony she tweeted out that basically Israel is like Nazi Germany — the first of a series of aggressive and antisemitic tweets, including attacking the Auschwitz Museum and again comparing Israel to Nazi Germany in ‘honour’ of International Holocaust Memorial Day”.
He continued, “We, the Goldman family, have now decided to withdraw our name from Newcastle University. We are doing so because of the inaction of the university following her repeated and aggressive comments.”
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has been approached for comment.
