Misan Harriman to step down as chair of Southbank Centre

Harriman at the UK premiere of Disclosure Day in London in early June. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Harriman at the UK premiere of Disclosure Day in London in early June. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Misan Harriman to step down as chair of Southbank Centre Harriman, accused by Telegraph of sharing conspiracy after Golders Green attack, says he had decided ‘way before this madness’ to stand down Misan Harriman will not seek another term as chair of the Southbank Centre and is to step down in autumn after a month of intense pressure caused by accusations he shared a conspiracy about the Golders Green attack. Harriman, who has held the position since 2021 , confirmed in a social media post that he would not continue as chair beyond autumn. He said: “It’s semi-public knowledge that my term is coming to an end anyway … I had decided way before this madness that I was going to do two terms. “It takes a long time to find whoever the next chair will be, and that process will begin at some point, and I’ll update you more on exact dates and timelines probably in autumn.” Harriman praised the centre’s board and highlighted Harry Styles’ Meltdown festival, Anish Kapoor’s new show at the Hayward and the upcoming Nan Goldin show as evidence of an institution in fine health. He called the Southbank Centre , which is celebrating its 75th year in 2026, “a sacred 11 acres” and said he was “still very proud to be chair”. His departure comes after a month of intense scrutiny and criticism of his social media activity, although the Southbank confirmed Harriman had made the decision to depart in January. Harriman has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram after rising to prominence as a photographer of Black Lives Matter protests . In May, he was accused by the Telegraph of sharing a social media post that contained a conspiracy about the Golders Green attack because it questioned the amount of coverage given to the Muslim victim, Ishmail Hussein. Critics of Harriman said the repost risked minimising the antisemitic nature of the attack, with newspaper editorials calling for him to resign as chair of the Southbank. He was also criticised after England’s local election results, for making comments about Reform voters. One headline read: “ Southbank Centre chief ‘compares Reform victory to Holocaust’ ”, after Harriman quoted Susan Sontag in a video giving his thoughts after Reform’s gains. He said: “She said when thinking about the Holocaust, 10% of people in any population are cruel no matter what, and 10% is merciful no matter what and the other – this is important – the other remaining 80% could be moved in either direction. “It’s such a profound way to look at us. In the context of yesterday’s election result, it is something which I think is really topical.” A Times editorial called his online comments “crass” and “distasteful in the extreme”. “Mr Harriman is the head of a high-profile body in receipt of public funds. That positio