Greta Thunberg, Hugh Bonneville sign letter defending Southbank Centre chair Misan Harriman

"A petition signed by figures such as the actor Hugh Bonneville and the act Greta Thunberg has been circulating in support of Misan Harriman, the celebrated photographer and chair of the Southbank Centre in London, over what describes as "a dishonest smear campaign" against him."

"This online comment then formed the basis for in The Daily Telegraph pushing back against the assertion that the third stabbing had not been reported."

"Reflecting on the rise of the right-wing Reform party, he cited a conversation between the writers Kurt Vonnegut and Susan Sontag about the Holocaust in which Sontag reportedly said 10% of any given population were cruel, 10% were merciful, and 80% could be persuaded into either category. This was picked up by right-wing activists and politicians online, who alleged that Harriman was equating the rise of Reform to the Holocaust, and its supporters to Nazi sympathisers."

"Media outlets responded to the allegations, with one Telegraph article headlined: "Southbank Centre chief 'compares Reform victory to Holocaust'". Other critics included Karen Pollock, the chief executive of Holocaust Educational Trust, who said: "How on earth could yesterday's election results ever be comparable"

A petition signed by public figures supports Misan Harriman, chair of the Southbank Centre in London, amid accusations described as a dishonest smear campaign. Coverage focused on two incidents. After the Golders Green knife attack on 29 April, Harriman commented that a third stabbing involving a Muslim man was less reported by the press, following an MP’s social media post. Later, after UK local elections, Harriman posted an Instagram video reflecting on the rise of the Reform party and referencing a conversation attributed to Kurt Vonnegut and Susan Sontag about Holocaust-era proportions. Right-wing activists and politicians claimed the remarks equated Reform’s rise with the Holocaust, and media outlets amplified the allegations.

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