A senior Conservative MP has been engulfed in a furious row over Holocaust revisionism after making deeply controversial comments about Anne Frank.
Lee Anderson, the Tory Deputy Chairman, sparked immediate and widespread condemnation by suggesting the Jewish diarist would have "believed in freedom" and potentially avoided her fate in the Auschwitz concentration camp if she had been in possession of a firearm.
An 'Appalling' and 'Ignorant' Statement
The remarks, made during an interview on GB News, were branded "appalling" and "ignorant" by critics and Holocaust educators alike. The Anne Frank Trust UK led the outrage, stating the comment was "based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the Holocaust."
They emphasised the systematic, state-sponsored nature of the Nazi genocide, pointing out that "the notion that a firearm could have saved her is a complete misreading of history."
A Political Firestorm
The backlash was swift and cross-party. Labour's Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, called the comments "beyond stupid," while a spokesperson for Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) was forced to distance the party from the views, clarifying they were Anderson's own.
The incident has placed renewed scrutiny on the rhetoric used by MPs, particularly those with platforms on partisan news channels. Critics argue such comments risk trivialising one of history's darkest chapters and fuelling misinformation.
Context of the Controversy
Anderson's remark came during a discussion on policing, where he argued that more law-abiding citizens should be permitted to carry weapons for self-defence. It was in this context that he invoked Anne Frank's name, using her story to make a political point about gun ownership.
Historians and educators were quick to dismantle the argument, explaining that the Frank family went into hiding precisely because the Netherlands was under a brutal military occupation. Armed resistance, while it occurred, was extraordinarily dangerous and often resulted in severe collective punishment for the Jewish community.
This episode is likely to intensify debates about historical awareness, political responsibility, and the fight against antisemitism in modern political discourse.
