Estate agent suspended after ‘anti-Semitic’ post that appeared to celebrate death of Lord Rothschild

Suspended … Amanda Hardy apologised for her remarks and said she had been unaware of what the word ‘Zionist’ meant

An estate agent has been suspended after appearing to celebrate the death of Lord Rothschild and hoping all Zionists would die.

Lord Rothschild, the financier and member of the Rothschild banking family, died at the age of 87, his family announced earlier this week.

Following his death, Amanda Hardy from Barkers Estate Agents in Borehamwood, Herts, allegedly wrote a social media post which said: “The world is a better place with this Zionist dead. Just got to hope all the others follow.”

Speaking to Jewish News on Tuesday, she apologised for the offence caused and said she had been unaware of what the word “Zionist” meant. She denied her comments were anti-Semitic, saying: “I had a different impression of the word and totally misunderstood the meaning.

“I got the meaning completely wrong. I respect and care deeply about the Jewish community and have lots of close friends and clients who I have worked with over 20 years. I would never wish death on anyone. I’m a caring human and want peace for all of us on this beautiful planet we are blessed to live on.”

She added: “It’s nothing against the Jewish religion at all… It’s the same as the Muslims and the terrorists. There are always the good and the evil. Not everyone prays to the demons. That’s how our world is set out.”

In a statement, Lord Rothschild’s family said he was a ‘towering presence in many people’s lives and a passionate supporter of Jewish culture and Israel’ – York Liberman/PA

She went on: “I appreciate the call but there’s a lot of things that will come out. Lots of things about Israel not on the mainstream news that will be coming out. You might want to start looking at Israel and what the Israeli people really think.”

She added: “This is not as it seems. Share love, spread the love. Stay positive. Keep our frequencies high and we can conquer the evils of this world.”

Chris Newell, the proprietor of Barkers, confirmed that she was suspended as soon as the post was drawn to his attention.

He said: “When I realised this post had been made, I was shocked and horrified. It doesn’t represent my view or that of the business, or my staff – some of whom are Jewish. It is deeply offensive.

“It has upset our customers and the community we serve. It should not have been done. It is a breach of our code of conduct and social media policy and, as a result of that, she was suspended within about half an hour of me realising this post had been made.”

Chris Newell, the proprietor of Barkers, confirmed that Amanda Hardy was suspended as soon as the post on X, pictured, was drawn to his attention. – X

Lord Rothschild was born in Berkshire in 1936 and educated at Eton College. He went on to study history at Christ Church, Oxford.

He joined the family bank in 1963 but left in 1980 after falling out with his cousin, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, and built his own financial empire in the City of London, founding investment trust RIT Capital, where he was chairman until 2019.

The Rothschild family has an estimated fortune of about £825m, according to last year’s Sunday Times Rich List.

Following the death of Lord Rothschild, his family said in a statement: “Our father Jacob was a towering presence in many people’s lives, a superbly accomplished financier, a champion of the arts and culture, a devoted public servant, a passionate supporter of charitable causes in Israel and Jewish culture, a keen environmentalist and much-loved friend, father and grandfather.

“He will be buried in accordance with Jewish custom in a small family ceremony and there will be a memorial at a later date to celebrate his life.”

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