London Ramadan lights organised privately, not by London Mayor

No taxpayers' or local authorities' money was used to fund Ramadan Lights.

(Reuters) - A light display celebrating Ramadan in central London was funded privately and through community crowdfunding, contrary to claims in a video circulating on social media that London mayor Sadiq Khan prioritised the Islamic holiday over Easter in the British capital.

The video is circulating on Facebook claiming London authorities and Khan decided this year to celebrate Ramadan instead of Easter and pointing to a light display celebrating the Muslim holiday, Ramadan Lights (here).

The clip was created by political YouTuber Mahyar Tousi bit.ly/41ualYe .

He claims there are Ramadan lights over Oxford Street and Regent Street, two of the British capital’s main shopping thoroughfares where local authorities would usually erect lights for Christmas, and said there was nothing erected for Easter.

Tousi says: “Somehow, the Mayor of London and local authorities decided to focus on Ramadan… and nothing about Easter. What happened to Easter?”

The Ramadan display was organised by a group called Ramadan Lights, not the London mayor, according to group founder Aisha Desai, who spoke to Reuters (ramadanlights.co.uk/).

Desai said Ramadan Lights was a community-led project which is entirely financed by private funders Algbra, Aziz Foundation and Heart of London Business Alliance and through community crowdfunding.

No taxpayers’ or local authorities’ money was used to fund Ramadan Lights, she said.

However, Khan was invited by Desai to switch the lights on. “I invited the mayor down to switch on the lights because I wanted someone representative of the Muslim community in the UK.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told Reuters that Khan was not involved in organising the Ramadan display.

The Mayor was also not involved in organising any Easter lights in the capital, the spokesperson said.

A reenactment of Jesus' crucification has run in Trafalgar Square for more than 10 years, including in 2023 (here).

The mayor’s spokesperson said: “London’s diversity is its greatest strength, and the mayor is proud that over the Easter weekend The Passion of Jesus brought the Easter story to life in Trafalgar Square for thousands of people, while in the West End there continued to be lights to mark Ramadan.”

Tousi’s YouTube video also shows footage of a muezzin doing the Islamic call to prayer on Tower Bridge, suggesting it represents London during Easter.

But the footage is from May 2021 (here and here).

The Ramadan Lights were also erected by Piccadilly Circus Underground station, not on Oxford Street or Regent Street, according to the initiative (ramadanlights.co.uk/ and here).

Mahyar Tousi did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

VERDICT

Misleading. The Mayor of London was not involved in organising Ramadan Lights, a privately funded, community-led initiative. Celebrations for Easter also took place in the capital.