It’s possible to disagree with the boss of the Southbank without closing him down

Misan Harriman is being hounded out of his job over accusations of antisemitism – but is there more to the demands for his departure, asks Andrew Anthony

- Andrew Anthony

Over the past couple of weeks Misan Harriman, chair of London's Southbank arts complex, has been the subject of a very contemporary form of controversy.

Over the past couple of weeks Misan Harriman, chair of London's Southbank arts complex, has been the subject of a very contemporary form of controversy. It’s not just that he has divided opinion, but that his critics and supporters alike believe they represent what is true and decent, and that their opponents embody what is wrong and immoral.

A series of savage articles in the Daily Telegraph and the Times have demanded his exit. Sixty-four MPs and peers have written to Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, demanding his is investigated. And in a letter to the Times several senior cultural figures, among them former BBC1 head Danny Cohen and the historian Andrew Roberts, said that it was “time for him to go”. In return, an online campaign of support for Harriman, organised by the Good Law Project, has been backed by many thousands, including celebrities like Gary Lineker, Tracey Emin and Mark Ruffalo.

To his detractors, Harriman, appointed in July 2021, is unqualified. To his advocates he is a celebrated photographer and the maker of an Oscar-nominated short film.

He’s been criticised for downplaying antisemitism and for comparing Reform voters to Nazi supporters. And he’s been hailed as a courageous victim of a smear campaign by “a small group of rightwing white men” determined to oust Black people from prominent positions in public life.

To get to the truth of the matter is not simple, not least because Harriman, apparently in consultation with the Southbank, decided not to speak to The Observer. But what is clear, from his earlier posts, is that he believes himself to be a voice of truth. “[I] will never let truth slip away,” he promised his 550,000 followers on Instagram.