The actress expressed her hope that Memorial Day won’t be tainted by politics or serve as a platform for “antisemites to come out.”
The 77-year-old actress, who was born into a Jewish family, talked to Sophy Ridge on Sky News’ Politics Hub ahead of January 27, which is designated as a day on which people should remember the millions of people who were killed during the Holocaust, under Nazi persecution, and in other more recent international genocides.
This year’s Memorial Day is particularly poignant because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Dame Maureen expressed her hope that the day is not tarnished by politics or used as a platform for those who support Israel to come out.
“This is not a day for politics. She informed Ridge, “Today is a day for forgiveness and understanding, as well as for remembering the victims.
“I know that’s quite hard, but when people take on responsibility for what they’ve perpetrated on other people, it helps both sides.”
Dame Maureen hesitated before responding, “I honestly think that nowhere is a safe place to be Jewish at the moment, and the UK is part of that nowhere,” when asked if she felt that the UK was a safe place for Jews.