Jeremy Corbyn visits Grenfell Tower’s Al-Manaar for iftar

An Islamic centre at the heart of helping the victims of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire held a Ramadan iftar meal on Monday which was attended by the leader of the Labour party.

Jeremy Corbyn and members of the local community broke fast at Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre (MCHC) in North Kensington while remembering the 72 people who lost their lives in Ramadan of last year in one of west London’s worst fires in living memory.

In his speech commemorating the incident, Mr Corbyn said: “Next week is the first anniversary of that devastating and tragic fire. Faith communities were one of the first to respond, including worshippers of this mosque. And it continues to play a critical role here for the community including by opening a dedicated counselling centre. Al-Manaar is a great example of how in times of hardship it’s in each other, in our communities, where we live, side by side, where we can find solidarity, strength and support for each other.”

On his Facebook page, Mr Corbyn also added: “It was a pleasure to help prepare food at Al-Manaar Mosque for this evening’s Iftar, the moment at the end of a day of fasting during Ramadan when people come together to share a meal.

“It’s just a mile from Grenfell Tower and worshippers here were among the first to respond to last year’s tragic fire. They continue to provide for the community and have opened a Grenfell counselling service.”

During this fasting month, Al-Manaar has continued to provide free evening iftar meals to the community while “going Green to mark the first annual remembrance of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy”.

The centre posted on its Twitter page: “Our thoughts & prayers are with those who left us and their families.”