UK Suspends British-Nigerian Minister Over Comment on Israel’s Actions in Gaza

• A serving British minister has been ousted from Labour's parliamentary party because she said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
• The suspension of Kate Osamor, who is of Nigerian descent, has sparked reactions on social media, with some supporting her and others criticising her statement
• The development came on the heels of the ICJ putting Israel on trial for genocide

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Labour Party (LP) has suspended MP Kate Osamor following her statement that Gaza should be remembered among those who have suffered genocides in a post about Holocaust Memorial Day, equating the genocide of Jews with the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip in the Israel-Hamas war.

Although the Edmonton MP has since apologised for "any offence caused" by the message distributed to local party members on Friday, January 28, Jewish groups have criticised her remarks, BBC reported.

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The chief whip suspended her from the parliamentary party while launching a probe into the matter.

Details of the Holocaust Memorial Day

According to reports, the Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is the day for everyone to remember the six million Jews and other groups murdered during the Holocaust, alongside recent genocides.

Osamor had shared a photograph of herself at a Holocaust Educational Trust event.

In a tweet that has gone viral on her X account, she wrote:

"Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, an international day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and now Gaza."

In a recent interview with the BBC, she described her remarks as a "painful insult to survivors of the Holocaust".

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The MP for Edmonton in north London is due to meet other party officials again later this week, The Guardian reported.

This came days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel must obey the Genocide Convention, taking urgent steps to avoid the killing and harming of civilians, AlJazeera reported.

Nigerian government reacts to Israel-Palestine war

In another development, Legit.ng reported earlier that the federal government of Nigeria expressed deep concern over the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, in the early hours of Saturday, October 7, 2023.

In a statement signed by the minister of foreign affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, the Nigerian government called for de-escalation and a ceasefire between the warring parties.

The Bola Tinubu administration urged both sides to give room for humanitarian considerations.

Source: Legit.ng