The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today joined the Mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, in Warsaw, to promote diversity and highlight the need to combat the rise of anti-Semitism and far-right extremism.
Sadiq and Mayor Trzaskowski discussed how cultural and social diversity strengthen cities and how cities can work together to cope with rising extremism, in front of an audience of 120 people, including representatives from a range of charitable foundations and cultural institutions.
The debate – ‘Diversity as a strength: how cities can profit from cultural and social plurality’ – was moderated by journalist and activist Dorota Warakomska.
Ahead of the event, Sadiq laid a wreath at the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto to commemorate the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1942. He also met with Zygmunt Stępiński, Acting Director of POLIN Museum, Marian Turski, Chair of the Museum Council and a Holocaust survivor, Dr Piotr Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, and Wojciech Soczewica, Director General of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation.
The visit to the POLIN Museum formed a key part of the second day of Sadiq’s visit to Poland to strengthen economic ties with Warsaw and highlight need for progressive leaders to work together and combat the rise of anti-Semitism and far-right extremism across Europe.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m honoured to visit Museum of the History of Polish Jews and pay my respects at the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto today. We must never forget the horrors of the past and as we see anti-Semitism and far-right extremism on the rise again, it’s more important than ever that we stand together against this hatred and truly celebrate our diversity.”
