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Kemi Badenoch has expressed her opinion that a Ramadan event held in central London should not have been permitted to proceed. This controversy arose after Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, criticized the public prayers taking place during the gathering at Trafalgar Square, describing them as an “act of domination.” Timothy’s remarks drew strong condemnation from the Labour Party, who labeled his comments “abhorrent” and called on the Conservative leader to remove him from his frontbench position.
The dispute revolves around the Ramadan event hosted on Monday evening, which was part of a series of “open iftar” meals organized by the Ramadan Tent Project, a charity. The iftar meal marks the breaking of the fast during Ramadan, often accompanied by prayers. On social media platform X, Timothy posted footage showing men—including Labour London mayor Sadiq Khan—praying together at the event. Timothy argued that public ritual prayers belong inside mosques and are inappropriate in shared public spaces, emphasizing, “Last night was not like a televised football match or a St Patrick’s Day celebration. It was an act of domination and therefore division.” Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, echoed similar concerns, suggesting the event was an attempt to exert dominance over London.
Labour has urged Badenoch to dismiss Timothy for his remarks, with Anna Turley, the party chair, calling the comments “utterly appalling.” In response, Sadiq Khan defended the event, pointing out that Trafalgar Square has previously hosted religious celebrations for Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs, and questioned why Muslims celebrating their religion should be treated differently. Meanwhile, Badenoch praised Timothy as a “fantastic” colleague and framed his criticism as a discussion about “norms of British culture.” She mentioned that women had been “pushed to the back” during the event, describing the gathering as “exclusionary” and raising concerns about how religious expressions fit within shared public spaces. Badenoch added she intended to review the rules and planning permissions that allowed the event to take place at that location.
The Ramadan Tent Project strongly refuted Badenoch’s statements, calling them a “gross misrepresentation” and “totally untrue.” Omar Salha, the charity’s founder, emphasized that the event was “open to all” without any restrictions and noted the presence of members from Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Sikh communities. He also highlighted that feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Events held in Trafalgar Square require authorization from the Greater London Authority (GLA), which confirmed that Monday’s iftar was the sixth event of its kind in the square. The GLA also noted that the venue has hosted various cultural and religious gatherings, including Easter’s The Passion of Jesus, the Sikh festival Vaisakhi, and the Jewish holiday Chanukah
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