Rise of right-wing parties akin to 1930s Europe, MP says during Holocaust debate

The rise of right-wing parties across the world is creating a similar atmosphere to the 1930s, MPs have heard, as Parliament paid tribute to the millions killed in the Holocaust.

MPs drew comparisons with the rise of antisemitism in the years before the Second World War, as populist parties came to power across Europe.

Iqbal Mohamed MP said Elon Musk’s one-armed salute during a post-election Donald Trump rally should “send a shiver down everyone’s spine”.

The Independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley referenced the increasing popularity of right-wing parties in Germany, Austria and France, as well as the recent election of Mr Trump in the US.

He also made reference to MPs who have been elected to the House of Commons.

He said: “These are not fascist parties of the classic type, but they are walking on that ground.

“And when members, I’m sorry to say, of this House demonise and talk about deporting immigrants and the President of the United States commits to deporting millions of immigrant families, with the richest man in the world cheering him on while giving fascist salutes, it should send a shiver down everyone’s spine.

“There is more than a whiff of 1930s in the air.”

SNP MP Kirsty Blackman (Aberdeen North) said: “We know that that divisive rhetoric is being used around the world right now. We know it’s being used here. We know.

“I’m sure all of you are getting a rise in the number of emails that are saying to you, ‘I cannot afford to pay my energy bill, and that’s because of the number of illegals that there are in this country’. We are getting a rise in that, and we all need to stand up against that.”

She added: “It’s about countering those people that will stand up and say ‘yes, but you have to allow us our free speech, you have to allow us the freedom to say things that dehumanise others’.”

The comments came during a debate to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, which will take place on Monday. It will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp by Soviet Union forces in the final months of the Second World War. About six million Jews were murdered at the camps, as well as LGBT people, Gipsy Roma, and trade unionists.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Auschwitz last week during a trip to Poland with his wife Victoria, ahead of the anniversary of the camp’s liberation.

On Wednesday during Prime Minister’s Questions he recommitted to building a National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre near Parliament, saying the visit had “strengthened” his resolve.

Bob Blackman, co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre, said the UK and US should have done more to prevent the genocide eight decades ago.

Mr Blackman (Harrow East) said the Holocaust was one of the most “tragic events the world has ever seen”.

The Conservative MP said: “It’s clear that the Nazis deliberately set out to kill the six million Jews. There are many actions that we in the UK and the United States could have undertaken.

“Auschwitz was accessed by a vast network of rail routes, bringing trains full of Jews from the whole of Europe. At no point did the allied forces choose to bomb the rail networks to prevent access to the camp.”

He added: “We have reiterated time and again that the Holocaust must serve as a reminder that we must never allow such persecutions to take place towards any race or religion, and so we must make a conscious effort to stand up against violations on our own streets.”

Conservative MP Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) referred to the genocide that took place at Srebrenica during the Balkans War, where 8,372 men and boys were killed.

“It is only by learning from the past that we can strive for that better future,” he said.

Mr Vickers added: “The tragic events in Srebrenica or the Holocaust, or other genocides since then must never be forgotten, and we must continue to speak out on this issue if we hope for our children and grandchildren to have a better future.”

Communities minister Rushanara Ali said: “The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day for 2025 is for a better future. It is an opportunity, as others have said, for people to come together, learn about the past and take actions to make a better future for all.

“There is much we can all do to create a better future. We can speak up against Holocaust and genocide denial and distortion. We can challenge prejudice. We can encourage others to learn about the Holocaust, as well as other victims of the Nazis and the subsequent genocides.

“In remembering the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of the Nazis, let us all vow to work together in unity, in solidarity for a better future.”