First town to be twinned with Gaza in solidarity ‘against genocide'
Hastings borough council, which is controlled by the Green Party, voted to twin with Al-Mawasi, a town in Gaza near Rafah in a move criticised by Jewish groups for its anti-Semitic tone.
At the meeting where the decision was made, several councillors drew comparisons between Israeli attacks on Gaza and the Holocaust. This was despite the official International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism saying that 'drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis' is such an example.
Hastings council, which covers an area with high deprivation, adopted the IHRA definition in 2020, despite long-running opposition from some Labour councillors.
The resolution by the council means it will enter a partnership – including fundraising, political support and raising awareness of issues in Al-Mawasi. This is despite concerns raised by other councillors over whether Hamas has control of the area.
The Hastings motion, proposed by Cllr Yunis Smith of the Greens, passed with 14 votes in favour, three against, and 11 abstentions, the majority of which were Labour councillors.
In his speech to the council, Cllr Smith, a Muslim convert, said: 'We all remember the haunting images from the Holocaust, the rise and fall of the Nazi regime, and we ask how the world stood by, I say to you now, don't look away.
'Don't let history repeat itself on our watch. Let never again mean never again.'
Cllr Mike Turner, an independent, explicitly referred to the Holocaust, saying: 'This is a very similar situation. It's the same old story. Powerful people make decisions and little kids die.'
Cllr John Rankin, a fellow independent, compared the situation in Gaza to the Blitz, urging councillors to 'remember what it's like when children live in fear'.
Cllr John Cannan, also an independent, defended the activities of Palestine Action – the group recently proscribed and known for vandalism and abuse targeting Jewish-owned and Israel-linked businesses.
Independent Cllr Simon Willis, whose family fled Nazi persecution, also made reference to the Holocaust, telling the chamber: 'This is what genocide looks like.'
Some in the meeting warned that the debate risked inflaming community tensions. Cllr Helen Kay said the motion 'goes way beyond the remit of local councillors to serve our residents in such areas as improving housing, bin collections [and] fly tipping'.
Dany Louise from Hastings's Jewish community said: 'The meeting was horrifically anti-Semitic and is deeply concerning for Hastings's Jewish community. The area is one of the most deprived in the country and we ought to be focusing on our local community – not wading into divisive political issues.'
Alex Hearn, of Labour Against Antisemitism, said: 'Hastings is one of the most deprived areas in the country. But instead of addressing the urgent problems facing constituents, the council chose to obsess about a conflict thousands of miles away.
'Their inflammatory rhetoric was irresponsible and not only fails the very small Jewish community but further isolates and alienates them. Hastings council needs to do better for all its citizens.'
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