People who clamber over the Holocaust Memorial Garden without 'a good reason' would face up to three months in prison and a fine of up to £1,000. The garden, built in 1983, will be listed alongside other memorials such as The Cenotaph in Whitehall, Birmingham's Hall of Memory, the Liverpool Cenotaph, The Response in Newcastle, and the Portsmouth Naval War Memorial. Climbing on the statue of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill outside the Houses of Parliament would also become a crime.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said that the Holocaust Memorial Garden had to be covered in tarpaulin as recently as April 2024, pointing to a fear it could have been vandalised in an anti-Semitic attack. He added that 'many other memorials' were worthy of additional protection from climbing. Peers also agreed to add the Monument to the Women of World War II in Whitehall to the list on Monday.
The Holocaust Memorial Garden in Hyde Park is, of course, designed to be enjoyed as a garden and people are free to walk within it.
Lord Katz, speaking for the Government, said both monuments were 'culturally significant' and indicated ministers supported Lord Parkinson's proposal. ' He emphasized that the Bill 'intentionally sets out a clear and fixed list of memorials, which provides certainty for the public, policing and the courts,' and warned that including any listed or scheduled memorial risked 'undermining the clarity and consistency' of the Bill. It is unknown how 'a good reason' for climbing will be defined and enforced by police, and when the Crime and Policing Bill is expected to be passed into law.
I've given consideration to the practical issue of whether the police will be able to enforce this offence.