Yielding to pressure exerted by groups hostile to Israel, a London council canceled plans to exhibit a Hanukkah menorah outside its town hall during the Jewish holiday.
A spokesman for the Havering City Council issued this statement:
The Council has taken the difficult decision to pause the planned installation of the Chanukah Menorah outside Havering Town Hall this year. We appreciate this is a hugely sensitive issue but in light of escalating tensions from the conflict in the Middle East, installing the candelabra now will not be without risk to the Council, our partners, staff and local residents.
We would also be concerned with any possible vandalism or other action against the installation. There will still be a temporary installation and event to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah. This will be taken down after the event and we will look at a longer-term installation next year.
The statement claimed there was “an increase in the number of hate crimes in Havering, both towards the Jewish and Muslim community” before continuing, “after consulting with the Leader of the Council, we believe it would be unwise to move forward with the installation which could risk further inflaming tensions within our communities.”
The statement went on to say:
When we started work on the installation no one could have foreseen the recent international events and we have been fully committed to installing the candelabra with a number of council teams working to support it. Sadly, there are some who are politicizing this and making accusations of anti-Semitism. This is categorically untrue and such statements are likely to incite further unrest in our communities. The Council flew the Israeli flag in solidarity following the heinous terrorist attack against the people of Israel and we continue to stand by our local Jewish communities.
However, while the war is ongoing we feel we must postpone the planned installation. This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we will revisit next year when we hope that community tensions will have subsided. Havering Council does not take sides in the current conflict and regrets the loss of life, injury and distress on both sides. We have informed our community and faith partners and will continue to provide support to all our communities and work with the local Police to ensure that everyone feels safe in Havering.
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Local Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell, pointing out that the council permitted the public celebration of other festivals, including the Hindu festival Diwali, wrote Council leader Ray Morgon, declaring, “Should this be true, this would be a grave insult to the Jewish community in Romford. Fundamentally this is a matter of religious freedom, and has nothing to do with current affairs in the Middle East.”
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism called the decision “cowardly,” adding, “At a time when nearly seven in 10 British Jews feel afraid to express their identity in public, this is a monumental dereliction of duty.”