Apology over 'hostile' Alderney population comment

Alderney had the only Nazi concentration camp on British soil during the wartime occupation

A Holocaust expert has said she would not resign from a panel looking into World War Two deaths in Alderney.

It comes after Dr Gilly Carr was filmed saying residents on the island were "hostile" in a seminar in May at the University of Cambridge.

As a result, there have been calls for Dr Carr to consider her position on the panel.

Dr Carr said she was "sorry" for any offence caused but said her comments had been taken out of context.

In a video which was shared on social media, Dr Carr said there was "a very hostile local community" in Alderney "that doesn't want anyone to come in and tell them what to do...".

Dr Carr, who is the Channel Islands representative for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, said her comments had been taken out of context.

Speaking to BBC Radio Guernsey, she said: "It is certainly unfortunate that, you know, that a quote has been taken out of context from a seminar in Cambridge," she said.

She said at the time the video was filmed, she was talking in a seminar and was relaying information passed to her by a colleague about their experience in Alderney.

Dr Carr said, personally, she had only had "a very warm welcome in the island", adding she was "very sorry to have upset a lot of people".

It is not known exactly how many people died in Alderney during the occupation

Dr Carr is part of a panel of 11 independent and internationally recognised experts building on pre-existing knowledge and working together to examine files from archives across Europe to identify the most accurate number of people who died under the occupation.

The panel is due to announce its findings in a report in March 2024.

Alderney had the only Nazi concentration camp on British soil during its wartime occupation.

The island - along with the rest of the Channel Islands - was occupied by Germany and housed four forced/slave labour sites, including the concentration camp Lager Sylt.

The official number of deaths was nearly 400 but there have been several claims that it could be much higher.

'Atrocious'

Kev South, campaign lead for Channel Islands World War Two Remembrance Campaign, said he thought Dr Carr's comments were "atrocious".

He said: "You can't be on an inquiry, an inquiry that hasn't really begun yet, to give the opinion that the islanders are hostile before you've started.

"The inquiry has to report back equally to the population of Alderney, but...if you agree with what she's saying then this inquiry is going to report back to a hostile population," he added.

Mr South said he thought Dr Carr "should think about her position".

"I actually think that Dr Carr should think about her position within the inquiry because she has clearly said that the population is hostile."

'Constant reminders'

The States of Alderney President, William Tate, has issued a statement after the comments made by Dr Carr.

He said: "We do not recognise the characterisation of Alderney people as a hostile community.

"Alderney is acutely aware of the tragedy that took place in their absence during the occupation following the evacuation.

"We live day by day with constant reminders of that terrible time. We will never forget the ultimate price that was paid by those innocent victims."

Alderney's Hammond Memorial was built by islanders to remember the slaves and forced labourers who were brought to the island during the war.

A sign was also recently erected at Lager Sylt forced labour camp, giving details of the history of the site.