Chair of Britain’s largest arts center to step down amid antisemitism scrutiny

JTA — The chair of the United Kingdom’s largest arts institution will step down this fall following months of controversy over allegations of antisemitism and his social media activity related to Israel.

Misan Harriman, 48, the chair of the publicly funded Southbank Centre in central London, publicly stated this week that he would not seek another term.

In a since-deleted social media post, Harriman wrote on Monday that his departure had long been planned. “It’s semi-public knowledge that my term is coming to an end anyway,” he said, according to The Guardian. “I had decided way before this madness that I was going to do two terms.”

He added, “I came on just after COVID, two terms, then handing the baton to whoever the next chairman will be. We will find out in due course, and of course, I am going to support that.”

The Southbank Centre, which hosts millions of visitors per year, said that it had been informed earlier in the year of Harriman’s decision.

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“Misan confirmed with the deputy chair in January that he would not be seeking a third term and would step down in the autumn of 2026. Succession planning is already underway,” with further details to be confirmed in July, the Centre told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

In May, more than 64 MPs and peers wrote to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy asking the government to open an investigation into Harriman’s behavior, expressing concern that his public comments “have not been treated with sufficient scrutiny, particularly given their implications for public trust and community confidence,” in a publicly funded institution.

Nandy later confirmed that the Charity Commission and Arts Council England were examining complaints, alongside an internal review by the Southbank Centre.

Nandy’s office told JTA that she “asked officials to be in touch with the Southbank Centre, Arts Council and the Charity Commission on the issue,” but noted that the Southbank Centre was conducting its own investigation.

The Centre told JTA, “As with any allegation or concern raised about our staff, we are following our established internal processes carefully and in line with our governance obligations.”

Harriman, a photographer and self-described social activist, came to prominence in 2020 for photographing a Black Lives Matter protest in London. He has overseen the Southbank Centre since 2021, but it’s only in recent months that he has faced increasing scrutiny over his public and social media comments, including referring to Israel as an “occupying power” and accusing the country of genocide, a charge Israel denies.

In April, when two Jewish men were stabbed in the heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green in London, Harriman posted on social media about a third victim who was Muslim. He wrote, “Wait, so there was a 3rd victim on the SAME DAY who was Muslim?! And our press isn’t reporting it? Even the Met Police didn’t mention the Muslim victim in its X post?! What is going on @metpolice_uk ?”

The Muslim victim did in fact receive coverage, and the focus on the Jewish victims stemmed from the alleged attacker’s anti-Jewish animus.

Then, following Reform UK’s gains in the May 7 local elections, Harriman shared a post that critics said compared the party’s success to the events that led to the Holocaust.

The post prompted Reform MP Robert Jenrick to respond on X, “Comparing the millions who voted Reform on Thursday to the Nazis is disgusting.”

The Centre did not respond to a request for information about the role the antisemitism controversy played in his stepping down.

Harriman’s office, however, referred JTA to a New World article that spoke of a “confected outrage” against Harriman given that he had made the decision to step down before any of the antisemitism allegations. The article also notes that Harriman condemned the attacks in Golders Green in a social media post.

His office also sent a link to one of Harriman’s posts of photos he took, which states, “Our Jewish brother and sisters are out with us in numbers” with people carrying “Jewish Antizionist” and “Jewish Bloc for Palestine” banners.

Harriman has received support from many prominent activists and artists who signed a petition in May organized by The Good Law Project. The petition accused right-wing media of running a smear campaign against Harriman.

Those who signed included activist Greta Thunberg, actors Aimee Lou Wood, Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon, director Yorgos Lanthimos and journalist Mehdi Hassan.

Following Harriman’s announcement, the Campaign Against Antisemitism praised the decision, posting on X, “Mr Harriman’s decision to step down — supposedly always his intention — is welcome. This saga has exposed a rot in the arts world. We hope that his successor will be more worthy of the post.”