Key facts
- Photographer Misan Harriman is receiving death threats.
- Harriman attributes the threats and criticism to his focus on Palestine.
- He rejects accusations of antisemitism, calling the backlash a smear campaign.
- Over 97,000 complaints were filed with the UK's Independent Press Standards Organisation concerning articles about Harriman.
- Harriman is the chair of the Southbank Centre in London.
Photographer and activist Misan Harriman has reported receiving death threats after directing his lens toward Palestine, stating that criticism only emerged when he began speaking out against Israel's actions in the region. Harriman, who is also the Chair of the Southbank Centre in London, rejects accusations of antisemitism leveled by conservative news outlets, characterizing the backlash as a smear campaign.
Over 97,000 complaints have been submitted to the United Kingdom’s Independent Press Standards Organisation following articles in right-wing news outlets that characterized Harriman's social media posts as antisemitic. A group of 245 individuals, including artists Tracey Emin, Greta Thunberg, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Doig, and Aimee Lou Wood, signed an open letter in support of Harriman amid calls for his removal from the Southbank Centre board.
Harriman, the first Black man to shoot a cover of British Vogue, has a career that balances socially conscious photojournalism with celebrity portraiture. His work has documented movements such as Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion, as well as the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2024, his documentary work focused on protests in London advocating for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. He was appointed chair of the Southbank Centre in July 2021 and made his directorial debut with the Oscar-nominated short film 'The After' in 2023.