The chairman of London’s Southbank Centre, Misan Harriman, is facing strong criticism after he appeared to compare Reform UK voters to the supporters of 20th Century Nazi Germany.
The controversy emerged after Harriman posted a video on Instagram reacting to recent local election results, in which he described growing support for Reform UK as “a warning.” His video referenced historical reflections on the rise of the Third Reich and suggested that the recent political shift in Britain should be viewed with caution.
Such remarks quickly sparked backlash from senior political figures and Jewish organisations. Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman, condemned the comparison, calling it “disgusting,” adding:
Comparing the millions who voted Reform on Thursday [May 7th] to the Nazis is disgusting. This crass moron should be nowhere near a taxpayer-funded organisation.
Harriman, nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2024 Academy Awards, cited a conversation between Holocaust survivor Susan Sontag and writer Kurt Vonnegut about societal behaviour. Sontag had suggested that around 10% of any population is consistently cruel, 10% consistently merciful, and the majority can be influenced either way. Harriman said this was “topical” in light of recent election results.
He added that Reform voters were “not devils,” but argued that many had been influenced by “certain newspapers” and “certain charlatans.”
Jewish organisations strongly condemned the remarks. Fiona Sharpe of Labour Against Antisemitism called for his removal, saying it was “abhorrent” to draw comparisons involving the Holocaust. Karen Pollock of the Holocaust Educational Trust said it was shocking to liken election results to
the mechanised state-sponsored murder of six million Jews.
The Southbank Centre, a leading, London-based publicly funded cultural institution, later issued a statement condemning antisemitism and stressing that the personal views of board members do not represent the institution.
The row comes in the aftermath of last week’s local elections, where Reform UK recorded significant gains across England, while Labour lost more than 1,400 councillors and control of several long-held areas.
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