Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 August 2024.

On 25 and 26 July, 35 Stolpersteine were laid in the Channel Islands: 20 in Jersey and 15 in Guernsey. These follow the first and only UK Stolperstein, laid in May 2022 in Golden Square, London, for Jewish Dutch woman Ada Van Dantzig.

Stolpersteine were created by the studio of German artist Gunter Demnig, and are 10cm by 10cm concrete cubes topped by brass caps, stating the name and life dates of victims and survivors of Nazism. They are laid into pavements outside the last freely-chosen address of those they commemorate before their arrest or deportation. Over 106,000 have been laid across mainland Europe. ‘Stolpersteine’ translates as ‘stumbling stone’, but these stones are laid flush with the surface of pavements. You ‘stumble’ across them, as Demnig puts it, ‘with your heart and head.’

Dr Gilly Carr of the University of Cambridge, and a member of the UK’s delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, introduced the Stolpersteine project to the Channel Islands.

The Stolpersteine in Jersey were laid, in all but two instances, for survivors to ensure no crossover with the purpose of other memorials in the island which commemorate the 21 women and men who died in Nazi prisons, forced labour camps and concentration camps. Chris Addy of Jersey Heritage, who oversaw the stone laying in the larger island, said:

“The Jersey stones will raise awareness of Islanders who were persecuted for their Jewish heritage or went into hiding for that reason; those convicted of acts of resistance and defiance, including those caught while attempting to escape from the island; individuals sent to Alderney as forced labourers; or interned in Germany for being English born.”

In Guernsey, the Stolpersteine were laid to eight Islanders who died in Nazi prisons and camps for acts of resistance and defiance; three Jewish women without protective British citizenship, deported to France in 1942 and later murdered in Auschwitz; and a Viennese-born Jewish islander with British citizenship who was deported to civilian internment camps and survived. Another stone was laid in memory of Frank Falla, who survived Nazi prisons and later campaigned for compensation for all Channel Islanders who were victims of Nazism. The final two stones were laid for Frank Tuck and Kingston Bailey, two of 16 policemen who were deported to Nazi camps in 1942 for stealing food from German stores and distributing it to starving Islanders. None of the 16 men have had their sentences overturned or received an official apology from the States of Guernsey.

Helen Glencross, Head of Heritage Services in Guernsey, who organised the installations in Guernsey, said:

“Guernsey Museums is honoured to be part of the Stolpersteine project. Logistically it has been challenging and I am very grateful to all those who have assisted. I hope that the Stolpersteine will raise awareness with islands and visitors about those who were victims and survivors of Nazism during the Second World War.”

On bringing the project to the Channel Islands, Dr Gilly Carr said:

“Each stone is so eloquent; they are quietly defiant. They say ‘you deported me but I’m back home and here to stay. I belong here.’ They also speak of pride and of acknowledgement that those deported did no wrong. I am proud to have been involved in this project and I hope it won’t be too long till we can bring more Stolpersteine to the Channel Islands.”

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 August 2024.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Yemen.

President, the situation in Yemen is desperate, with devastating flooding coming on top of an already dire humanitarian crisis and we express condolences to all those affected by the flooding. The prospect of regional escalation threatens to further undermine security and stability. We urge all parties to deescalate to avoid deepening the humanitarian crisis. The United Kingdom condemns the Houthis’ reckless and escalatory attacks across the region in conjunction with other Iranian-linked groups. We also reiterate our call on the Houthis to cease their attacks in the Red Sea which threaten international shipping.

Recent reports have also shown Houthi links to Al Shabaab. We firmly condemn these actions as part of a wider pattern of Houthi destabilising activity beyond Yemen’s borders. The relevant UN sanctions committees must coordinate closely to monitor and counter this worrying trend.

President, the UK condemns the Houthis’ closure of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sana’a. The OHCHR presence is critical for the protection of civilians and reporting of human rights abuses. As we’ve heard, this follows the detention of UN, NGO and former diplomatic missions’ staff in June, and is yet another blatant aggression which will severely impede the delivery of vital aid to those most in need.

These acts demonstrate, once again, the willingness of Houthi leaders to inflict harm and suffering on the Yemeni people to advance their own ambitions.

It is the duty of this Council, to ensure the Houthis guarantee a safe and unimpeded operational environment for humanitarian organisations. We call on the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release the detainees, leave the OHCHR premises and return the assets they have seized.

Finally President, the Yemeni people deserve peace and further escalation will only move us further away from achieving this. We urge restraint from all parties to preserve space for negotiations in line with the UN roadmap.

We call on this Council to remain unified in support of the Special Envoy’s efforts to secure an inclusive and sustainable peace in Yemen.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 August 2024.

Take part in the consultation from the UK and France on the threat presented by proliferation and irresponsible use of commercial cyber intrusion capabilities.

This consultation is taking place under the Pall Mall Process, an international and multi-stakeholder dialogue to develop joint solutions to address this shared threat.

Led by the governments of the UK and France, a coalition of states, businesses and civil society came together in February 2024 to discuss the issue. They published the ‘Pall Mall Declaration’, also available in French: Processus de Pall Mall.

Through this consultation, we invite stakeholders to share views on good practice relating to commercial cyber intrusion capabilities (CCICs) across 3 stakeholder groups:

• states:  as regulators and potential customers of the market for CCICs
• industry organisations: involved in and around the market for CCICs, alongside their wider value chain
• civil society, experts, and threats researchers : with relevant expertise on the threat presented by the market for CCICs, and responses to it

The consultation will close on 11 October 2024.

Note that:

• we may share your details with our partners in the French government, as the Pall Mall Process is a joint initiative
• responding to the consultation questionnaire does not represent a formal commitment to the Pall Mall Process, nor membership of the initiative

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 August 2024.

Statement by Jonathan Hollis, Acting Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council Meeting on South Sudan.

President, as we have heard today the picture in South Sudan remains precarious.

Since its independence, the country has been plagued by appalling violence. Now is the moment for the South Sudanese authorities to demonstrate the political will to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges and realise a more stable future. I would like to focus my remarks today on three points.

First, the UK calls on the Government of South Sudan to take the necessary steps to deliver peaceful, credible, and inclusive elections. While we recognise some progress has been made with the partial funding of key institutions, we remain concerned that the preparations for elections on 22 December remain behind schedule.

We urge the Government to fully disperse the resources needed to enable crucial preparatory work to get underway. We also call upon the parties to the Revitalized Agreement to engage in political dialogue to reach a consensus to deliver elections. This includes making decisions on voter registration, the type of elections that are to be called, and progress on the deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces.

Second, civic and political space are cornerstones of any functioning democracy and must be respected. The UK remains concerned at reports of threats and intimidation of political activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.

We are particularly troubled by the passing into law of the new National Security Service Bill, which allows the security services to arrest individuals without a warrant. We call on the Government of South Sudan to act in accordance with its constitutional commitment to respect human rights.

Third, we recognise that three quarters of the population in South Sudan is suffering from a protracted humanitarian crisis, deepened by conflict, climate and economic shocks.

We urge partners to work together to support the most vulnerable and for the Government of South Sudan to ensure a conducive environment, which enables the delivery of humanitarian assistance and prevents attacks on aid workers.

In closing, while the challenges ahead are significant, they are not insurmountable. With the right political will and courage, South Sudan can take an important step towards a more peaceful, democratic and prosperous future.