Former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s sister-in-law has sparked outrage after she called the October 7 massacre “a legendary day” for the Muslim community.
Lauren Booth, the 58-year-old half-sister of Cherie Blair, is a British-born journalist who converted to Islam and now resides in Istanbul.
The remarks were made in a recently surfaced video interview with Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak.
“After October 7, this October 7, a legendary day in the Ummah’s history, yes, we can say that people are now picking up the Koran because of the steadfastness and sabr (patience) of the people of Gaza,” she told the outlet.
Ms Booth further claimed that “only Allah knows” how many “millions” would turn to the Koran following the attacks, suggesting the world had arrived at a historic “tipping point.”
In the same interview, Booth recounted becoming frustrated with Palestinians she had encountered during an earlier trip to Gaza.
She criticised what she perceived as their apparent lack of radicalism towards Israel and hatred of Jewish people.
“I got a little bit annoyed with the Palestinians when I met them at first because I thought they had Stockholm syndrome,” she stated.
Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of Tony Blair, described the October 7 massacre as ‘legendary’
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“Because not only were they not determined to hate all Jews or just take Jewish life, they said Allah will sort this out for us… We must be steadfast.
“And I was so angry that I said you really need to be resisting this in a different way,” Ms Booth said.
1,219 people were killed during Hamas’s attack on October 7 2023, with at least 810 of them civilians.
The footage came to light through an investigation by Israeli journalist Elchanan Groner for a TV documentary.
Ms Booth is the half-sister of Cherie Blair, Sir Tony’s wife
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Following her 2010 conversion to Islam after visiting Iran, Ms Booth has worked for the Iranian state broadcaster Press TV.
She also advocated for the group Cage International, which previously described ISIS executioner Jihadi John as “a beautiful young man.”
Responding to the reemergence of the damning interview on October 7, Ms Booth said: “I continue to advocate for the right of Palestinians to live free from occupation.
“The UN recognises the right to resist against foreign forcible actions that deprive people of their right to self-determination.
1,219 people were killed during Hamas’s attack on October 7 2023, at least 810 of them civilians
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“Within that understanding, I do not advocate for violence against any religious or racial group,” she told the Daily Mail.
Ms Booth and Cherie Blair share the same father, actor Tony Booth, known for playing Mike Rawlins in the 1960s sitcom Till Death Us Do Part.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism issued a scathing response to Booth’s remarks, with a spokesman declaring that “claiming to speak as a voice of human justice” whilst describing October 7 as “legendary” was “sick and perverse.”
“This is the sort of message that radicalises people,” the spokesman added.
The reemergence of Ms Booth’s remarks arrives at a particularly awkward moment for her brother-in-law.
Sir Tony has been previously mooted for a key role in US President Donald Trump’s Gaza “peace council” as part of American-backed reconstruction plans for the region.
While he is now believed to be out of contention, his think tank, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, is said to have assisted in developing proposals alongside Trump’s son-in-law and informal envoy Jared Kushner.