House of Commons authorities have ruled against displaying a Holocaust memorial exhibition in Westminster Hall, citing concerns over political neutrality.

The exhibition, The Vicious Circle, created by Marc Cave from the National Holocaust Centre and Museum, explores the history of anti-Jewish persecution, spanning events from Kristallnacht in 1938 to Baghdad in 1941, and most recently, the attacks of October 7, 2023. Despite its historical focus, the committee overseeing exhibitions deemed it politically sensitive and declined the request for its display.

The decision comes in contrast to the approval granted to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which has been permitted to set up stalls in the same location multiple times. PSC’s displays have previously included signage directing individuals to anti-Israel lobbying events, which were attended by politicians such as Jeremy Corbyn and other MPs.

Calls for reversal

Lord Pickles, the government’s special envoy on post-Holocaust issues, criticized the rejection, urging authorities to reconsider. Speaking to Times Radio, he expressed his dismay, particularly given that the decision coincides with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps.

“I was frankly astounded,” he said. “If the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is allowed to have a presence there, it seems entirely reasonable for a government-funded exhibition on the Holocaust to be included as well. Westminster Hall, where Churchill laid in state and was honored, should be a place for fighting antisemitism—not avoiding it.”

Despite the setback, The Vicious Circle has been welcomed elsewhere, securing spots at the European Parliament in Brussels and the German Parliament in Berlin. Cave had sought to bring the exhibition to Westminster Hall for a week that would have included Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27, but his application was rejected.

“It’s a real concern in today’s social media-driven era that one perspective is given space while another is not,” Cave told Times Radio. “That kind of imbalance is dangerous.”

Parliamentary response

The decision was made by a committee, not Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who acts only on its advice. A parliamentary spokesperson defended the process, explaining that all exhibition requests are reviewed individually.

“Requests for exhibitions in Westminster Hall are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and many applications are received throughout the year,” the spokesperson said. “These differ from mass lobbying events, where signage is considered for the sole purpose of directing individuals during a lobby.”

The ruling has reignited debates over political bias and free expression within parliamentary spaces, with critics questioning why one organization’s presence is deemed acceptable while another’s is rejected. Photo by Mary-Grace Blaha Schexnayder, Wikimedia commons.