On Tuesday, 27 January 2026, Harlow Council banned Razed Roof from all council premises and withdrew all funding following an incident involving a single member at the Holocaust Memorial Service last week. As a result, the future of Razed Roof — a long-standing and deeply valued charity — is now in serious doubt.

Razed Roof — including its sister project, Gently Creates — is not simply a drama group. It is a vital charity that has operated in Harlow for many years, providing support, community, creative expression, and a safe space for people with disabilities, learning difficulties, and additional needs. For many members, Razed Roof is a lifeline — a place where they are accepted, understood, and encouraged to grow. The work they produce is meaningful, thoughtful, and often profoundly moving, and it is delivered by people who give their time, energy, and compassion selflessly.

We are appalled that the actions of one individual have resulted in collective punishment for TWO entire groups. This response is grossly disproportionate. Banning the organisation from their only rehearsal space, pulling all funding, involving the police, and reporting the charity has stripped dozens of vulnerable people of something positive, supportive, and stabilising in their lives — overnight.

This decision does not protect the community; it harms it.

The council’s actions suggest an alarming lack of understanding of the SEND community. The implication that people with special educational needs and disabilities are incapable of understanding context, learning from mistakes, or responding appropriately to guidance is not only incorrect — it is deeply patronising and damaging. Such assumptions reinforce harmful stereotypes and have no place in responsible public leadership.

Furthermore, presenting this decision as a matter of “safety” rings hollow. The blanket punishment of an entire charity conveniently delivers cost savings to the council while attempting to justify them through moral grandstanding. Publicly circulating correspondence addressed to Razed Roof has only compounded the harm, appearing more concerned with optics than with fairness, compassion, or due process.

Why should two entire groups suffer for a single sentence spoken by one individual?

Why should vulnerable people lose their community, achievements, and support because the council chose the most extreme possible reaction?

Razed Roof has consistently been spoken of positively by council representatives in the past. To withdraw support so suddenly and completely, and to leave the organisation to struggle at a critical moment, is a profound failure of leadership and responsibility.

We, the undersigned, call on Harlow Council to:

• Immediately reverse the ban on Razed Roof from access to council premises
• Restore funding and support for Razed Roof
• Engage in a fair, proportionate, and informed review process with Razed Roof
• Work collaboratively with Razed Roof to ensure learning and safeguarding without collective punishment

Razed Roof and its members deserve dignity, respect, and support — not scapegoating and abandonment. The council should be ashamed of a response that has caused such unnecessary distress and harm to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

We stand with Razed Roof. We thank them for the beauty, creativity, and compassion they bring to Harlow. And we demand better from those entrusted to serve the public.