(JTA) — A London borough’s City Council has voted unanimously to oppose a national Holocaust memorial in a park next to the Parliament building.
The Westminster City Council said it is committed to building a national Holocaust memorial and education center and locating it near Parliament, just not in the Victoria Tower Gardens, which is on the banks of the Thames River. Other memorials already exist in the area, but not to the Holocaust.
UNESCO, Historic England and The Royal Parks have panned the proposal. The gardens are listed as a heritage of the United Nations cultural organization and officials say the building could obstruct the view from them. Opponents have called for the Holocaust memorial to be located in a more appropriate location, perhaps the Imperial War Museum about a mile from Parliament in London.
Ultimately the final decision will be made by the housing minister after a government-ordered independent inquiry releases its report. The vote will be included in the report.
“The Government remains implacably committed to the construction of the Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre right at the heart of our democracy, beside our national parliament to ensure that future generations never forget,” communities secretary Robert Jenrick said in a statement after the council vote, the London-based Jewish News reported.
Some $91 million in public funds has been pledged to cover the memorial’s estimated $124 million cost.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
