Greta Thunberg and Gary Lineker sign letter defending Southbank Centre chair
Greta Thunberg, Tracey Emin and Gary Lineker are among those to sign an open letter in support of Southbank Centre chair Misan Harriman, after what they call a “dishonest smear campaign” by media outlets that accused him of promoting Golders Green attack “conspiracies” and comparing Reform voters to Nazis.Harriman, who has been chair of the Southbank Centre’s board of governors since 2021, was accused by the Telegraph of sharing a social media post that contained a “conspiracy” about the Golders Green attack because it questioned the amount of coverage given to the Muslim victim, Ishmail Hussein.Critics of Harriman said the repost risked minimising the antisemitic nature of the attack.David Taylor, the Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, said: “These posts are not only incredibly inappropriate for the chair of a charity board, but for anyone in the public eye.”The Telegraph ran a story with the headline “Southbank Centre chief ‘compares Reform victory to Holocaust’” after the activist quoted Susan Sontag in a video giving his thoughts after Reform’s historic local election results.
He said: “She said when thinking about the Holocaust, 10% of people in any population are cruel no matter what, and 10% is merciful no matter what and the other – this is important – the other remaining 80% could be moved in either direction.“It’s such a profound way to look at us.In the context of yesterday’s election result it is something which I think is really topical.”Karen Pollock, the chief executive of Holocaust Educational Trust, also criticised Harriman, asking: “How on earth could yesterday’s election results ever be comparable to the Holocaust?”Robert Jenrick, the Reform MP, said the post was “disgusting” and called for him to be removed from his position at the Southbank Centre.He wrote: “This crass moron should be nowhere near a taxpayer-funded organisation.
”Amid widespread coverage of Harriman’s comments, the letter reflects concern that public figures are being silenced for speaking out at a moment of heightened tension over antisemitism.But critics argue that Harriman’s role leading a major publicly funded institution makes the scrutiny not only legitimate but necessary.“The purpose of the smear campaign, which we repeat, is entirely without foundation in fact, is to traduce and marginalise Misan,” reads the letter.“And it is intended to send a message to others that if they speak out, they will be subject to harassment and threats.”More than 245 people signed the letter, including Riz Ahmed and David Oyelowo, which said that “trying to silence responsible critics of Israel by smearing them as antisemitic does not protect Britain’s Jewish community”.
Several Jewish cultural figures, including Pulitzer prize-winning Sontag biographer Benjamin Moser, actor Morgan Spector and the photographer Jillian Edelstein, signed the letter,Harriman told the Guardian: “We have reached the point where truth itself is being crushed by the very institutions that are supposed to uphold it,I will never whisper about the oppressed,I stand with truth, I stand by my right to use my voice to help others,”The letter comes after 53,000 people backed a campaign to lobby the press regulator Ipso about the coverage, which is more than double the number of people who complained about Jeremy Clarkson’s 2022 column where he said he wanted the Duchess of Sussex “paraded naked through the streets of every town in Britain”.
A separate letter from parliamentarians has been sent to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, expressing concern over what the signatories describe as attempts to “mischaracterise” and “silence” Harriman.The letter, seen by the Guardian, has been signed by the peers Sayeeda Warsi, Shaista Gohir and Meral Hussein-Ece; Labour MPs John McDonnell and Naz Shah; and Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer of the Greens.The signatories argue that questioning disparities in media reporting “should never have been a cause for concern” and warn against a “rising tendency to pressure institutions and public bodies to distance themselves from individuals who engage in legitimate public discourse”.They condemn what they describe as a “smear campaign” against Harriman “seemingly aimed at whipping up a furore to engineer an ever-growing environment of cancel culture”.The parliamentarians wrote that “at a time of heightened communal tensions, it is essential that all victims of violence and hatred are afforded equal visibility, dignity, and compassion in public discourse”.
They added that efforts to delegitimise people speaking about anti-Muslim hatred risked “deepening division rather than fostering social cohesion”.Harriman has built a large online following after emerging as a photographer during the Black Lives Matter protests and is the subject of a forthcoming documentary about his work made by Bafta-winning director Andy Mundy-Castle.He was chosen by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to shoot their portrait, while Harriman has worked with children who have fled Gaza, giving them equipment to shoot their own images.He is also an ambassador for Save the Children.A spokesperson from the Southbank Centre said the institution was an “inclusive and welcoming place for everyone including our artists, audience and all colleagues.
“The Southbank Centre condemns all forms of antisemitism, hatred and discrimination.All Southbank Centre board members, including the chair, have the right to exercise their freedom of expression within the law.The personal views of individual members of our board do not represent the views of the Southbank Centre and in no way affect our programming nor the welcome that we extend to all.”Additional reporting by Aamna Mohdin
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang joins other US bosses on Trump trip to China
The billionaire chief executive of the chipmaker Nvidia, Jensen Huang, has joined Donald Trump’s China delegation after a reported last-minute invitation, highlighting the US’s AI and tech ambitions.Huang will join a roster of US bosses including the Tesla chief executive and X owner, Elon Musk, the Apple chief executive, Tim Cook, and Goldman Sachs’s David Solomon at Trump’s 36-hour meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.The high-stakes summit is the first overseas trip for Trump since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February. The summit is expected to cover topics including that conflict, tariffs and China’s relationship with Taiwan.Huang was not on the initial list of business delegates, according to reports
How to use spent tea leaves to smoke Chinese-style duck – recipe
A masterclass in smoking duck breasts the Sichuan way, but with used teabagsWhen I worked at River Cottage HQ, we used to smoke duck, rabbit and fish in a smoker made out of an old bread bin. It always felt like an exciting and alchemical way to cook, yielding incredible results, and it’s so simple, not least because food has been smoked since we first learned to cook over fire. Today’s recipe is my simple take on Chinese zhangcha duck, River Cottage-style and with a zero-waste twist by using spent teabags as the perfect fuel.It was always fun cooking at River Cottage: in between cooking lunch for our guests, we’d do cooking demos and sometimes cooked to camera (I have a cameo at the end of this video of Gill Meller making smoked duck that was filmed more than 20 years ago!)Zhangcha duck is traditionally smoked with camphor leaves and green or black tea, and while you can find camphor in some Asian supermarkets and online, tea alone does the job very well, too. Even still-wet spent teabags will work perfectly, imparting their incredible aroma into the meat
Weight gain as adult increases cancer risk by up to five times, research shows
Gaining weight as an adult increases the risk of cancer by up to five times, according to research involving more than 600,000 patients.Obesity can cause 13 different cancers and is thought to be linked to another eight. But less is known about the impact on cancer risk of the amount of weight put on – and when in life it is gained.To find out, researchers at Lund University in Sweden analysed weight and cancer incidence data from more than 600,000 men and women and found there was no safe age to get heavier.The study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, measured the weight of more than 250,000 men and just under 380,000 women an average of four times between the ages of 17 and 60
Sarah Taylor named England men’s fielding coach while Gay, Rew and Baker are called up
On a day when England named three uncapped players in their Test squad, brought Ollie Robinson out of cold storage and officially confirmed a new selector had joined the set-up, perhaps the most significant news was the identity of their fielding coach.Sarah Taylor, the former England wicketkeeper, will be in charge of the fielding drills during the three-Test series against New Zealand that begins at Lord’s on 4 June – the first female coach to work in the men’s senior setup.The fact that Rob Key, the England men’s team director, almost mentioned it in passing was fitting for a coach who has quietly risen through the ranks. Taylor, 36, has held a number of roles in the men’s game since hanging up her gloves five years ago, including spells with Sussex men and Manchester Originals in the Hundred.This latest post is just for the New Zealand series initially but may continue through the summer
Wes Streeting prepares to launch leadership challenge against Keir Starmer
Wes Streeting is preparing to launch a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer on Thursday if the health secretary can secure the support of enough MPs to trigger a contest.Streeting’s move to force a race has sparked a frantic scramble on the left of Labour to find a candidate to oppose him, with Ed Miliband and Angela Rayner both possible contenders.The health secretary, who is considered to be on the Blairite right of the party, has been organising an attempt to oust the prime minister for days since Labour’s disastrous election results, despite his friends insisting he did not want to make the first move.Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, is the favoured replacement for Starmer by many on the soft left, but does not yet have a seat despite trying to persuade several MPs to stand down for him. His latest hopes are said to be Afzal Khan or Jeff Smith, both Manchester MPs
Coconut dal, cheesy pickle toasties, carrot halva cakes: Ravinder Bhogal’s tastes of home – recipes
Public institutions, from hospitals to museums, are the most international communities, both in the workforce and in those who visit. It’s something that became obvious to us when we were cooking our globally inspired meals for frontline workers at Kings College Hospital, London, during the pandemic. The menu at Café Jikoni, our new restaurant at the V&A East museum, speaks to the depth and breadth of east London’s diverse community, with dishes that cross borders, celebrate pluralism and taste like home – wherever that may be. After all, the best hospitality is all about making your guests feel at home.This dal wanders from India into Thailand; we make a curry paste from scratch at Café Jikoni, but using a good-quality one, such as Maeploy, is a smart shortcut
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