Letter to Editor: On Razed Roof and Harlow Council’s decision
Your Say / Thu 29th Jan 2026 at 11:09am
Dear Councillor Swords,
I AM writing to express my deep disappointment at your recent statement and decision to prohibit Razed Roofs from using council facilities.
This action appears to be a direct response to a brave individual choosing to speak truthfully rather than bow to pressure or censorship. Local councils should be spaces that uphold free expression, transparency, and fairness – not institutions that penalise honesty or silence voices simply because they are uncomfortable.
By taking this stance, the council sends a troubling message: that conformity is rewarded, and integrity is punished. That is not the standard many of us expect from elected representatives or public bodies entrusted to serve the whole community.
This decision undermines trust, discourages open dialogue, and reflects poorly on the values the council claims to uphold.
Frankly, it is disheartening to see censorship take precedence over courage.
Shame on you for allowing this to happen.
Your sincerely,
Alamin Ahmed
David Forman
2026-01-29 12:51:13
Well said Alamein Ahmed. It is worth pointing out that council leader Dan Swords in his letter to Razed Roof on January 27 deliberately misrepresented the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism by omission of a follow-up sentence. In the 6th paragraph of his letter Cllr Swords says: "Manifestations [of antisemitism] might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity." Unfortunately, councillor Swords deliberately left out the next sentence of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The sentence being: "However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic." Criticising any government for slaughtering a civilian population is legitimate criticism. Therefore, criticism of Israel in the context of Gaza is not antisemitic. See for yourself at https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism
Stuart G
2026-01-29 13:51:56
Totally agree. The right are champions of free speech, until that speech is about something they don't like, and then they're as quick to 'cancel' people as they accuse the left of. Bunch of hypocrites. Joshua was right to include what he did, the council was wrong to try and gag him, and hopefully this will be overturned. After all, we all say we love free speech and hate cancel culture don't we?
Eddie
2026-01-29 18:59:31
Stop having a go at Harlow Council, and vent your anger at Hamas when it comes to Gaza. You seem to forget what started this latest fight.
Mark
2026-01-29 19:38:22
Eddie is right. Hamas provoked this entire situation. Israel is merely acting in self-defence amend needs to eradicate the terrorist Hamas group.
R Rayne
2026-01-30 07:53:29
Mark and Eddie, supporting Gaza and Palestinians does not automatically mean people support Hamas. What they did was abhorrent and should not be condemned. However the genocide in Gaza did not start just because of October 7th. This has been going on many, many years and Israel have just as much a part to play in this as Hamas, if not more. You only have to see the scenes in Gaza to know this isn’t self defence. Targeting children’s hospitals is never self defence it is a deliberate attempt to extinguish all Palestinians.
Mark
2026-01-30 08:21:49
The cowardly Hamas terrorists have cynically used schools and hospitals as human shields leaving the Israeli forces with little choice. Yes, the retribution of Israel followed the horrendous and barbaric Hamas incursion and attacks on unarmed civilians. Israel has been given warnings to Palestinians to evacuate and for Hamas to free hostages illegally held. Usually to no avail. What are they expected to do? They have a duty to protect their citizens and to eradicate the Hamas terrorists.
David Forman
2026-01-30 08:41:46
Correction for Mark. My brother lived in Israel on two different Kibbutz over a period of five years. Each Kibbutz had a well stocked armoury of automatic rifles, because men and women up to age 50 (depending on rank and role) are IDF reservists. After their national service, which varies from 18 months to 3 years, they are liable for reserve duty up to 60 days at present, less in peaceful periods. See article at https://en.idi.org.il/articles/52912#:~:text=When%20Israelis%20finish%20their%20compulsory,%2C%20their%20studies%3B%20their%20careers.
David Forman
2026-01-30 09:02:33
Hamas won an election in 2006. This was the year after Israel withdrew its troops following 38 years of illegal occupation which was condemned by numerous United Nations resolutions. Since then the people of Gaza have not had full autonomy. For example, to get specialist medical treatment abroad Palestinians need a special visa from Israel, often delayed. They cannot freely travel as a wall has been erected with numerous Israeli armed checkpoints and watchtowers. Despite the nonsense Israel talks, hospitals are protected under the Geneva Convention. On January 29 the Israeli Defence Forces finally accepted the Gaza Health Ministry figure of 71,000 Palestinians killed. This reality is announced in Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper. See for yourself at https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-01-29/ty-article/.premium/idf-accepts-gaza-health-ministry-estimate-of-over-70-000-palestinians-killed-in-the-war/0000019c-0918-dec4-adfd-fd5dde830000
A Tigerman
2026-01-30 12:45:39
Dan Swords and Chris Vince are an embarrassing embodiment of spinelessness. Shameful.
Clark Renney
2026-01-30 14:55:12
So are we now comparing genocides? I shall never forget how, as a boy, my Father told me about the Holocaust, and I shall carry his words to my grave. He described it as: "The greatest act of Man's inhumanity to his fellow Man that this World has ever seen." I never presumed to debate him. On Holocaust Memorial Day the World remembers that act of monstrous wickedness AND... The victims of genocide everywhere. It is solemn act of remembrance, not the place for political point scoring. So I have an idea, why don't Razed Roof expel the one, single fool who sought to besmirch a memorial gathering for the greatest act of wickedness in human history; and Harlow Council continue to fund a valuable and respected local group?
Katherine Frances
2026-01-30 19:54:58
Discussion of international conflict is obscuring the real issue. Razed Roof is a long-standing inclusive theatre company providing vital creative and social support to disabled people. What is happening now concerns collective punishment of that organisation and its members, not the causes or conduct of a war thousands of miles away.
Katherine Frances
2026-01-30 19:56:09
Discussion of international conflict is obscuring the real issue. Razed Roof is a long-standing inclusive theatre company providing vital creative and social support to disabled people. What is happening now concerns collective punishment of that organisation and its members, not the causes or conduct of a war thousands of miles away.
David Forman
2026-01-31 11:29:59
Clark Renney, a long-standing Labour Party member, should note that the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website mentions every year a range of other genocides, but ignores Gaza. This is very odd because the theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day is 'Bridging the Generations'. This year's theme briefing paper says: "Together at HMD, we’ll build empathy and understanding, using the lessons of the Holocaust and of recent genocides to sharpen our awareness and deepen our compassion in the face of contemporary injustice." A contemporary injustice is Gaza. See briefing paper at https://hmd.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/HMD-2026-Bridging-Generations.pdf
Joshua
2026-02-01 05:11:38
@Clark Renney No, we ARE NOT comparing genocides, and this is not a competition for which genocide was worse BY ANY MEANS. Our piece expressly attempted to avoid that by taking all genocides as a collective. As David points out, the Holocaust Memorial Trust gives special treatment to Gaza as uniquely suspect in reliability due to deference to Israel.
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