British Lawmaker’s Nazi-Themed Bachelor Party ‘Not Anti-Semitic’
Image by twitter
A British lawmaker who arranged a Nazi-themed bachelor party in France was not racist or anti-Semitic, his political party determined following an internal investigation.
The internal investigation of Aiden Burley by the Tory Party was released on Tuesday, according to British media reports.
Burley was dismissed in December 2011 as parliamentary private secretary for Transport Secretary Justine Greening a week after photos of his presence at the stag party at a French ski resort came to light.
At least one party participant dressed up in an SS officer’s uniform, and the guests toasted to the Nazi Party and the Third Reich.
According to the investigation’s report, “as best man, Burley purchased the costume alongside the flights and other costs associated with the trip on behalf of the other attendees. Mr. Burley argued strongly that the choice of costume was inspired by the British comic association with aspects of the war.”
The report said Burley “categorically denies” any political motivation.
“He argued that the purchase and wearing of the Nazi costume is legal in the UK and that he was unaware that wearing the costume could be an offense in France,” it said. “He regrets the offence caused by the wearing of the costume.”
It is illegal in France to wear or exhibit in public Nazi-era memorabilia or copies of such memorabilia.
Burley, who was elected to the House of Commons as a member of Parliament in 2010, offered an “unreserved, wholehearted and fulsome apology” in a letter to the London-based Jewish Chronicle newspaper.
Prime Minister David Cameron ordered an investigation into the incident following reports that Burley had been responsible for ordering the SS uniform costumes.
Following an investigation by French prosecutors, the groom was fined for wearing the SS uniform, and also was required to donate money to an organization representing the families of Holocaust victims.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
