London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Member of London mayor’s ‘statue toppling’ diversity commission resigns amid accusations of racism and anti-Semitism

Member of London mayor’s ‘statue toppling’ diversity commission resigns amid accusations of racism and anti-Semitism

A member of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s controversial ‘statue diversity’ commission has resigned, following heavy criticism of his past comments as ‘racist’ and complaints over anti-Semitic remarks in his blog posts.
“Toyin Agbetu has today resigned from the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm and the Mayor believes this is the right course of action,” a spokesperson for Khan told Jewish News on Wednesday.

The mayor has a “zero-tolerance policy towards racism and prejudice in any form, and all allegations of this nature are taken extremely seriously,” the spokesman added.

Agbetu was a member of the 15-strong committee appointed by Khan to strive for greater diversity in public spaces, including evaluating the relevance of statues, street names, building names, and memorials.

The activist and pan-Africanist, who also works for Hackney Council reviewing names of public places, came under intense scrutiny in recent days following British media reports that Agbetu had made a number of derogatory remarks regarding black public figures and the Jewish community.

Agbetu reportedly had previously condemned black Labour MPs, saying Diane Abbott was “disloyal to her own community” and labelling David Lammy as a “poor example of Africans.”

Concerning Abbott, Agbetu added that Labour should not be “elevating a woman who – to be frank – the African community is embarrassed about.”

Jewish News raised concerns over anti-Semitic remarks in Agbetu’s blog with London’s City Hall after the outlet carried out an investigation into his writings. In one post, Agbetu reportedly claimed that Holocaust survivors had an “immoral hierarchy of suffering” and they had been “served well by Nazi hunters” compared to African victims of the slave trade.

Agbetu was already a controversial figure before his appointment in early February, having made headlines in 2007 when he shouted “You, the Queen, should be ashamed” at the British monarch during a commemoration for victims of slavery at Westminster Abbey, for the country’s part in the slave trade.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
×