Skip to main content
Lammy must clarify understanding of genocide, say human rights groups
Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Downing Street, London, October 30, 2024

HUMAN rights groups called on David Lammy today to clarify his understanding of genocide following comments he made on Gaza.

Last week, the Foreign Secretary said that the term genocide is “largely used when millions of people lost their lives in crises like Rwanda, the second world war, the Holocaust, and the way that they are used now [regarding Gaza] undermines the seriousness of that term.”

Thirty-seven organisations, including the British Palestinian Committee (BPC), today said his focus on death tolls appeared to show “a dangerously misguided understanding of the crime.”

In an open letter, they said his comments “injected a deeply troubling ambiguity.”

BPC director Sara Husseini said Mr Lammy’s position “betrays a chilling double standard on Palestine and a clear pattern of erasure when it comes to Palestinians.”

“With each day that passes, this government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide deepens, as it continues to misrepresent the reality of the situation, while approving arms sales and other forms of military and diplomatic support to Israel,” she told Middle East Eye.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You can read five articles for free every month,
but please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber.
Similar stories
Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaving Downing Street, London
Britain / 20 March 2025
20 March 2025
Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie during the par
Britain / 8 July 2024
8 July 2024