United Kingdom House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle called for an investigation into reports on the rejection of a Holocaust exhibit’s display at Parliament.After a report by The Times that the National Holocaust Centre and Museum’s Vicious Circle exhibit was denied presentation at Westminster Hall “for being too political,” the speaker’s office said the decision was made at an early stage of the application process, and Hoyle, Lord Speaker Baron John McFall, and Lord Great Chamberlain Baron Rupert Carington were not involved.“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,” Hoyle said, according to a spokesperson. “I have now asked for the House authorities to conduct an investigation into how this decision was reached.”
Hoyle added that he would like to speak with the exhibit organizer to find out more about what happened.The museum confirmed on X/Twitter on January 30 that the exhibit had been refused for display, adding that it would be seeking clarification from Hoyle on the matter. The organization later thanked the speaker on social media for his call for an inquiry. The museum did not respond to The Jerusalem Post’s requests for comment.
Call for an investigation
The speaker’s call for an investigation was also praised by the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the latter of which noted in a January 31 statement that Hoyle had ensured that Westminster was a welcoming place for the Jewish community.“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,” Hoyle said.“We have held five Holocaust Memorial Day ceremonies in the House of Commons since I was elected speaker because it is so important that we remember those whose lives were cut short in the most brutal way and hear the stories of those who survived, even as the burden of memory has weighed heavily on their shoulders.”The HET exhibition Testimony 360: People and Places of the Holocaust was hosted at the Parliament Portcullis House in mid-January.The Vicious Circle, the exhibit that was allegedly told it would likely be turned down, explores the mindset behind pogroms, including from ancient times, Kristallnacht, and the October 7 massacre.