Tory MP: It’s ‘distasteful’ to compare child refugees cap with Kindertransport
Michael Fabricant, who has Jewish ancestry, dismissed comparisons between today's situation and pre-Holocaust 1930s conditions
A Conservative MP of Jewish ancestry has said it is “distasteful” to compare a cap on child refugees coming to Britain to efforts to provide refuge for Jewish children fleeing Nazi Germany.
Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) hit out at commentators who have used the Kindertransport scheme of the 1930s to criticise the Government’s decision to restrict the number of children brought to Britain under the Dubs Amendment.
Kindertransport was the informal name of a series of rescue efforts which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children to the UK from Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1940.
Ministers have faced a backlash after announcing that just 350 children will be brought to the UK as part of Labour peer Lord Dubs’s scheme – far fewer than the 3,000 originally expected.
Mr Farbricant said: “Like Lord Dubs, I share Jewish extraction ancestry.
“May I just say how distasteful I find it when I hear some commentators compare the situation today with that in the 1930s and the Kindertransport.
“In those days there was no opportunity to go into Germany or the axis countries and assist those children who faced death in concentration camps.
“In this situation it is very different.
“I simply ask, will she condemn those commentators – thankfully no one, so far, in this House – who do compare the situation in the 30s with today?”
Home Secretary Amber Rudd agreed, saying: “He makes a very good point. It’s not the same.
“Perhaps the one comparison one might make is the conditions sometimes of the camps out in the region.
“There, where there are some terrible situations – there is a terrible situation in some of the camps – is where we should put all our effort, to make sure that we take the children that we can from that most vulnerable area.”
However, Labour veteran David Winnick (Walsall North) called Mr Fabricant’s remarks “unfortunate”.
He added: “Is it not the case that it was an act of common humanity at the time that he referred to, and it’s no less now the same as far as children are concerned.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
