Carmichael highlights isles wartime history in Holocaust Memorial Day debate

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today spoken in the Holocaust Memorial Day debate in Parliament, highlighting the need to fight antisemitism and noting the role of the Shetland Bus during the Second World War in rescuing refugees including Jewish people from Nazi-occupied Norway. Mr Carmichael was a co-sponsor of the debate which was led by veteran MP Margaret Hodge.

Speaking in the House, Mr Carmichael said:

“As we get further from the lived experience, and those who survived the holocaust or served in the second world war become rarer, moments such as this become more important. In the community that I represent, we have our own story to tell on Holocaust Memorial Day. The Shetland Bus was a fleet of small fishing boats that went from Lunna and Scalloway in Shetland to bring those who were fleeing persecution and whose lives were at risk in Nazi-occupied Norway to safety.

“When we talk about the Shetland bus, we talk mostly about the work that it did in bringing downed airmen and others to safety, but it should be remembered that no fewer than 350 refugees came to Britain through that route. They were fugitives of the Gestapo. They were not all Jews, but many were. Indeed, I came across an article in The Jewish Chronicle from 2018 that highlighted an episode that I had never heard of. It records:

“Individual stories from individual sailings bring a human face to a brave, secret expedition. Just one example is the Bus’ first loss, Nils Johansen Nesse.

After dropping an agent in Bømlo, Norway, Nesse’s fishing boat Siglaos started the return journey to Shetland in dreadful conditions. Aboard were seven passengers rescued from Norway, including three children.

After several hours at sea battling the weather, the Siglaos was attacked by enemy aircraft. Nesse, who held his position at the steering wheel, sustained injuries to the leg and the head.

The boat returned safely to Shetland, but Nesse lost the fight for life, aged 23. Today, on a calm day in this picturesque, close-knit harbour town, it’s hard to imagine such heroic endeavours taking place.”

“Imagine them we must, because it is part of history, and part of what brings us here today.

“We have to recognise the context of today’s debate: what is happening in the world, and what is happening in Israel and Gaza as we speak. Apart from anything else, we know that the Jewish communities in this country feel so much more at risk and vulnerable than ever, as a consequence of what happened on 7 October.

“As somebody who has massive reservations about what Netanyahu is doing in Gaza I look with horror at the incipient antisemitism that is creeping up in so many different ways. Those of us who care about what happened in the past have to be honest, open and courageous in calling it out when we see it starting again. If we wait until it has taken hold, it will be too late.”