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Sadiq Khan has contacted the Chief Rabbi to apologise for comments he made during a discussion about Islamophobia.
Labour’s London mayoral candidate implied Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had not been treated in the same way over similar remarks he had made about wanting a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Mr Khan said the Manchester mayor was “not called Ahmed Burhani” and so his views on Gaza were seen differently.
Mr Khan made the remarks during an interview on Wednesday.
In a statement issued to the Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis on Friday, Mr Khan said he apologised for his remarks, “which I deeply regret”.
Sir Ephraim is currently celebrating Passover and so is unable to respond, a spokesman said.
Mr Khan made the comments in an interview with British-American broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, released on Wednesday, covering topics including Islamophobia, the Israel-Gaza war and climate change.
Mr Khan said during the interview: “Very shortly after I called for a ceasefire, the mayor of Greater Manchester called for a ceasefire.
“I’ve not seen the Chief Rabbi, the Jewish Chronicle, say comments said against me in relation to my calls for a ceasefire. And I’d ask those Jewish people to just pause and reflect on their response to me calling for a ceasefire.
“What motivated them to come out in the way they did against the mayor of London and the mayor of Greater Manchester?
“I’ll give you a clue. He’s not called Ahmed Burhani. He’s called Andy Burnham, whereas I’m called Sadiq Khan.”
Mr Burnham made his call for a ceasefire in a statement issued on 27 October. He wrote: “We are deeply concerned about events in the Middle East and the anguish being experienced by people in Greater Manchester, most acutely, in our Jewish and Muslim communities.
“We condemn unreservedly the appalling terror attacks on innocent civilians in Israel by Hamas on 7 October. We recognise that Israel has the right to take targeted action within international law to defend itself against terror attacks and terrorist organisations and to rescue hostages.”
‘It wasn’t fair’
More than a month later, on 30 November, during a humanitarian pause in hostilities, the Chief Rabbi had a meeting with Mr Burnham.
Afterwards, Sir Ephraim posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Today I met Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, to thank him for his consistent message of support for the Jewish community in Manchester and to discuss his response to the war between Israel and Hamas and the way the conflict has impacted Jewish communities here in the UK.”
A month earlier – before the humanitarian pause in hostilities – the Chief Rabbi had met Mr Khan at City Hall.
After that meeting on 31 October, Sir Ephraim posted on X, saying: “This afternoon at City Hall, I thanked Sadiq Khan for his ongoing, unequivocal commitment to fighting antisemitism across London and I also explained to him why I believe that a ceasefire now would be an irresponsible stepping stone to yet more Hamas terrorist brutality.”
In his apology issued to the Chief Rabbi on Friday, Mr Khan said: “He has, along with other Jewish leaders, been a friend to me, and we have worked hard together to unite our city and celebrate our diversity.
“At times it is clear to me, and others, that as a mayor of London of Islamic faith, I am held to a different standard, and that can be frustrating, particularly during a divisive election campaign.
“But it wasn’t fair of me to have levelled that frustration at the Chief Rabbi. I am sorry for any hurt this has caused and will continue working with Jewish leaders to build a safer London for everyone.”
In response to Mr Khan’s apology, Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden described his comments as “dirty dog-whistle politics against the Chief Rabbi”.
Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall said: “It’s important we continue to bring communities in our great city together.”
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22 May 2023