Cornwall councillor under pressure over Holocaust-denying rant

Ten local groups have unequivocally called out a Cornwall councillor over an antisemitic, holocaust-denying rant he made at a recent far-right rally.

Groups call out Cornwall councillor’s antisemitic rant

Groups including All Under One Banner Kernow, Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union Kernow, Cornwall Resists, Kernow Anti Fascist Network, Palestine Solidarity Cornwall, have signed a joint statement to Mylor Parish Council ahead of its Extraordinary meeting on 5 June. The signatories also include Penzance Socialists, Trade Union Council Cornwall, Unite the Union Community Branch, West Cornwall Against Racism, and Yes Kernow.

All the groups either supported or attended the protest, co-ordinated by Cornwall Resists, where British Democrats councillor Peter Lawrence was caught on film saying the holocaust was “massively over-exaggerated” and that antisemitism doesn’t technically exist.

On Thursday, councillors at a Mylor Parish Council meeting voted through a motion to condemn Lawrence’s speech.

The statement therefore expresses gratitude to the council for its swift response to the footage. It addresses the impact of Lawrence’s words, and provides additional information the council should be aware of. In particular, it points out his association with the neo-Nazi group Patriotic Alternative.

Alongside this, it documents a catalogue of Lawrence’s antisemitism and conspiracy theories. Specifically, the statement notes that:

In other videos he talks about ‘Jews controlling the world’, echoing the grossly antisemitic great replacement theory. Another captures one of his much repeated and bizarre rants, telling us to look up Karl Marx’s real name, and his belief in some nefarious Jewish-communist conspiracy theory. In another, he tells us to look up henrymakrow.com – a site full of vile antisemitic conspiracy theories.

‘Words have consequences’: no place for hate speech

As the statement highlights:

This wasn’t an isolated two minute conversation, this was the culmination of over twenty minutes of him ranting antisemitic conspiracy theories at us. The first question asked in the video – “do you believe in antisemitism?” – was asked because of the blatant antisemitism he continually espoused.

Other videos show the support he received from the crowd he was a part of. He wasn’t challenged. This wasn’t one lone voice.

The video stops at the point Lawrence denies the holocaust because the person filming, who is Jewish, couldn’t take it any longer and had to walk away.

It continues:

Words have consequences. In a personal statement posted on social media last week, the person who filmed the discussion described how Lawrence’s rant had made them feel “unsafe as a Jewish person in Cornwall” partly because Lawrence’s prominence as a councillor and his platform in the local media as a spokesperson for the Farmers Movement in Cornwall gives him legitimacy.

The statement further points out that:

This is not a free speech issue. This is an issue of an unelected councillor, in a position of trust in his community, advocating Nazi ideology. Lawrence can say what he wants – and we’re glad he did – as it helped us expose him. Despite Lawrence’s appalling words almost certainly constituting a hate crime, we have not reported him to the police, or advocated for prosecution.

We believe in free speech because we trust our community groups, businesses and institutions to take action against fascists. This action is already happening through the Parish Council’s Extraordinary meeting, and the number of local businesses disassociating from him. Soul Farm, in particular, has taken a courageous stand handing in their notice with Lawrence, despite the fact this will impact on their business.

Featured image via the Canary