Starmer vows to fight 'poison of antisemitism' ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day

Starmer and his wife, Victoria Starmer, attended a reception on Downing Street to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

 Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a book as he sits beside Holocaust survivor Renee Salt, right, during a reception in Downing Street to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in London, Britain, Jan. 22, 2025. (photo credit:  ALBERTO PEZZALI/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a book as he sits beside Holocaust survivor Renee Salt, right, during a reception in Downing Street to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in London, Britain, Jan. 22, 2025.
(photo credit: ALBERTO PEZZALI/POOL VIA REUTERS)

Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a promise in the Holocaust Educational Trust's Book of Commitment to honor survivors and vowed to fight antisemitism, an official Thursday X/Twitter post showed.

The pledge was made before the scheduled date of Holocaust Remembrance Day, set for next week on January 27. The prime minister and his wife, Victoria Starmer, attended a reception on Downing Street to mark the remembrance day. 

"Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day next week, I sat down with survivors to hear their extraordinary stories of courage," Starmer wrote in the post.

"In their honour, I made a promise in the [Holocaust Educational Trust's] Book of Commitment today. A promise to fight the poison of antisemitism and hatred in all its forms," he continued.

The post also included photos of Starmer signing the book and looking at a photograph of the scene from the Holocaust.

 Holocaust survivor Renee Salt is helped by Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Victoria Starmer as they attend a reception in Downing Street to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in London, Britain, Jan. 22, 2025. (credit:  ALBERTO PEZZALI/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Holocaust survivor Renee Salt is helped by Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Victoria Starmer as they attend a reception in Downing Street to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in London, Britain, Jan. 22, 2025. (credit: ALBERTO PEZZALI/POOL VIA REUTERS)

An additional photo showed him and his wife walking together with Holocaust survivor Renee Salt.

Rising antisemitism in the UK 

Back in December, Stramer met with major UK Jewish organizations to discuss concerns about rising antisemitism and hostages held by Hamas.

The UK Jewish groups said they had emphasized to Starmer a need to keep the frequent anti-Israel demonstrations in the country away from synagogues and Jewish community sites. 

The UK has seen a spike in antisemitic incidents since the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023 and the war that followed them.


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Michael Starr contributed to this report.