A coalition of Jewish leaders has sharply criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khan for not lighting up the city’s landmarks in tribute to the Bibas family, who were murdered by Hamas terrorists. Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two young children, Ariel, five, and Kfir, two, were buried in Tsoher Cemetery yesterday following their abduction and brutal killing by Hamas militants after they were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

The family’s tragic deaths have prompted a global outpouring of support, with over 100 iconic landmarks, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, the Empire State Building in New York, Brandenburg Gate in Germany, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, lit up in orange to honor the Bibas family. The orange hue has become synonymous with the Bibas family due to the distinctive ginger hair of the boys.

However, in Britain, no such tribute was organized. Jewish organizations and Israeli officials expressed disappointment, calling Mayor Khan’s refusal to light up landmarks a “failure of moral leadership.” They are now calling for an urgent emergency commemoration to be arranged in recognition of the Bibas family’s brutal murders.

A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism condemned the lack of a tribute in London, stating: “The horrific murder of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas was rightly commemorated by cities across the globe. It is disappointing and shameful that London was not among them.”

Eylon Levy, former spokesperson for the Israeli government, added, “After months of London hosting marches in solidarity with the monsters who kidnapped and murdered the Bibas family, the least Mayor Khan could do is light up a landmark in solidarity with the murdered kids themselves.”

The decision to light up landmarks like City Hall or Trafalgar Square falls under the Mayor’s Office, while buildings such as the London Eye or the Houses of Parliament are managed by the Government. The Mayor’s office responded by stating that while they did not receive any specific requests to light up landmarks, their thoughts were with the Bibas family and community during this difficult time.

Critics, including Michael Dickson, Executive Director of Stand With Us, and Fiona Sharpe from Labour Against Antisemitism, expressed their outrage over the lack of solidarity shown by London. Dickson questioned why cities like Paris and New York could come together in remembrance while London failed to do the same. Sharpe criticized the lack of acknowledgment, highlighting the failure of British leaders to recognize the tragedy and the growing isolation of the British Jewish community.

You also might be interested