Holocaust survivor says home secretary’s words on migrants are similar to those of Nazi Germany | Politics News
One Holocaust survivor told Sky News that the language Interior Minister Suella Braverman used to describe immigrants was “very, very similar” to the language the Nazis used to fight back. the Jews again.
Joan Salter, 83 years old, faced Miss Braverman during a meeting in her Fareham constituency in Hampshire on Friday night, to criticize her choice of language. While the home secretary said she “shared a lot of concerns,” she refused to apologize for her words.
Ms Salter went further on Saturday, telling Sky News: “I feel very strongly that the Holocaust ended in death camps but it started with words, with other Jews, to blame. them about all matters in Germany, and I fear that the actions and words of our house secretary are very, very similar.
Joan Salter confronts Suella Braverman at a voter meeting in Hampshire
“She needs to look at her as a person rather than dehumanize a group of people many of whom are in complete despair.”
Ms. Salter, who received an MBE for her work in Holocaust education, stated at the meeting that Ms. Braverman’s rhetoric was similar to the justification for murdering her family during the Third Reich.
Footage of the exchange, provided by the charity Freedom From Torture, shows Ms Salter saying: “I’m a Holocaust survivor.
“In 1943, I was forced to leave my birthplace in Belgium and traverse war-torn Europe and dangerous seas until I was finally able to reach Great Britain in 1947.
“When I hear you use anti-refugee words like ‘swarm’ and ‘invasion’, it reminds me of the language used to dehumanize and justify the killing of my family and thousands of people. million others.
“Why do you feel the need to use that kind of language?”
‘I see my work as being honest’
Ms Braverman thanked Ms Salter for her question, and said she “shared a lot of concern and sympathy” about the “challenge” of illegal immigration, adding that her parents were not born in the UK.
Speaking of her parents, Ms. Braverman said: “They owe everything to this country and they taught me a deep love for England and its people. Tolerance, generosity, their decency and fair play.
“It also means we shouldn’t shy away from saying there’s a problem. There’s a big problem that we’re having right now when it comes to illegal migration, the scale of which we are. never known before.
“I’m not going to apologize for the language I used to demonstrate the scale of the problem.
“I see my job as being honest with the British people and being honest with the British people.
“I will not shy away from hard truths nor hide from the reality that we are all watching.”
Ms Braverman added she was “extremely proud” of the UK’s recent immigration record but added that “we have a problem with people taking advantage of our generosity, breaking the law”. and sabotage our system.”
Braverman’s answer received applause from the audience.
Response from the Ministry of the Interior
Born Fanny Zimetbaum in Brussels in 1940 to Polish-Jewish parents, Salter was three months old when Belgium was invaded by the Nazis.
After the invasion, she fled to France with her mother and sister before being brought to America by the Red Cross in 1943.
Ms. Salter was in foster care in the US until she was reunited with her parents in 1947 in London, where she has lived since.
A statement from the Home Office said footage of the exchange was “highly edited” and did not “reflect the entire exchange”.
It added: “The home secretary listened carefully to the testimony. She thanked her for sharing her story.
“The Home Secretary also expressed sympathy and outlined why it is important to tackle illegal migration.
“Because the video misrepresents the interaction about a sensitive policy area, we asked the organization that posted the video to take it down.”
What language did Miss Braverman use?
Less than a week into her tenure as home secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Ms Braverman calls her job “stopping an invasion of our south coast”.
She has said that speaking on the matter is “not xenophobic or anti-immigration” but “a fact acknowledged and perceived by the vast majority of the British public”.
