CAMERON MUST APOLOGISE FOR AUSCHWITZ 'GIMMICK' SLUR
25 February 2008
Gordon Banks, MP for Ochil & South Perthshire joined Schools
Minister Ed Balls today in his calls for David Cameron to apologise
immediately after he described trips taken by schoolchildren to study
the horrors of Auschwitz as a 'gimmick'.
Earlier this month, the Government announced a £4.65 million
payment of funds to the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) to extend
their programme of sending two young people from every sixth form
and college in the country to Auschwitz to learn about the Holocaust.
Mr Banks accompanied school children from Lornshill Academy and Crieff
High School in his constituency on a trip to Auschwitz in 2006.
Mr Cameron sought to criticise the Government’s funding of these
in a document released to accompany a speech in Bolton.
Mr Banks said:
"This is a truly disgraceful remark by David Cameron and he should
apologise immediately for the offence he has caused. I and indeed
some of my constituents have been to Auschwitz with the Holocaust
Educational Trust and it was certainly a life changing experience
for me and I know the school children who accompanied me also found
it very moving, I can assure you that neither I nor the pupils found
this to be a ‘gimmick’ and I am offended by Mr Cameron’s
comments. Maybe David Cameron should speak to some of those young
people and find out whether they thought their experiences were a
gimmick."
“David Cameron has shown once again that he not only lacks judgement but also a basic sense of decency. The Holocaust provides a focus for each of us to learn about the horrors of the past. We must not only reflect upon the tragedy of the Holocaust and remember all the victims killed and persecuted by the Nazis but also to challenge all types of prejudice and discrimination which continue in our society today.”
“I will be writing to Mr Cameron to make him aware of my dissatisfaction at his comments and to urge him to make a public apology.”
Mr Banks is a strong advocate of HET’s work and he also recently signed up to be a guardian of the memory of a Holocaust Victim –
“Karen Pollock and her team at the Holocaust Educational Trust do a fantastic job and it is my aim to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are taught to our children here in Scotland. I will be writing to Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop in order to determine what the Scottish Executive’s position is with regard to funding Holocaust teaching in Scotland’s schools. There are obviously Barnett consequentials because of the money promised by the UK Government so I will be pursuing the Scottish Executive to ensure that the Executive make a similar commitment in Scotland.””
ENDS
Editor's notes:
1. The £4.65 million funding from the Government means the Holocaust
Educational Trust's 'Lessons from Auschwitz' programme will continue
for another three years from 2008 to 2011. Each visit takes up to
200 students from across the country to Auschwitz in Poland, where
expert guides and educators from the UK show pupils around the site
and let them see first hand where the horrendous atrocities occurred.
2. The visits, combined with an orientation seminar beforehand where
students hear testimony from an Auschwitz survivor and a follow-up
seminar after the visit, provide a unique opportunity for students
to learn about the Holocaust and its vital lessons which remain relevant
today. On returning to their schools and local communities, students
are required to disseminate what they have learned to their peers
through a wide variety of activities and programmes.
3. Since it began taking schoolchildren to Auschwitz in 1998, at an
average cost of £350 per pupil, the Holocaust Educational Trust
has always asked schools to contribute £100 towards the cost
of each trip. In 2005, the Government made an initial payment to the
HET to allow them to extend the schools visit programme nationwide,
with the announcement in February guaranteeing the funding of the
nationwide programme through to 2011.
4. At the Conservative's North West Conference in Bolton today, David
Cameron made a speech entitled 'Government by Gimmick', highlighting
26 announcements by the Government which he referred to as gimmicks.
Fourth on his list of 'gimmicks' was 'Trips to Auschwitz'. In the
draft of his speech released to the press, he referred to them as
'Trips to Poland'