EHRC starts to take action on Greens after Campaign Against Antisemitism referral
On 7th October, Campaign Against Antisemitism referred the Green Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in the wake of its passage of a motion declaring that “Zionism is racism”, which occurred against a backdrop of concerns regarding the Green Party’s relationship with Jews.
Our referral has been covered by national media, including a mention by GB News presenter Camilla Tominey.
The EHRC has now written to the Green Party following our referral.
“We have written to the Green Party of England and Wales about its recently adopted ‘Zionism is racism’ motion to ask for more information and assess its practical implications and potential impact,” the EHRC said.
“We have received complaints alleging unlawful activity under the Equality Act 2010, including concerns that Jewish people could face discrimination because of their beliefs following the adoption of the motion. As with every complaint we receive, we will assess the information provided carefully and following that consideration take action where appropriate”. You can read more here.
The vile motion has been widely condemned across the political spectrum, including by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. We welcome his recognition that “it is wrong, it is antisemitic.”
Former Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas has faced backlash from activists within the Party over her disagreement with the motion – you can read more about it here.
The national Labour Party has also issued an ultimatum to Green Party councillors to disown the “Zionism is racism” policy, or risk Labour councillors withdrawing from power-sharing arrangements. You can read more here.
In contrast, the Liberal Democrats have condemned the motion but declined to issue nationwide instructions to their councillors, insisting that it a matter for “local councillors on the ground”.
Stamping out antisemitism does not begin and end with the Green Party’s policy on Zionism though. It is rearing its head in multiple political parties, and it is incumbent upon politicians of all stripes to consider how their parties might be contributing to the crisis of Jew-hatred in our country, or what more they could be doing to confront political antisemitism.
Wife of Britain’s National Security Adviser appears to pledge support for Palestine Action
Sarah Helm, journalist and wife of Jonathan Powell, Britain’s National Security Adviser, posted on X last week in response to the reports that author Sally Rooney’s books would no longer be sold in the UK due to her alleged support for Palestine Action.
Ms Helm’s post read: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action. Sounds like Adam [Boulton] would have all our books swept off the shelves in a jiffy.” Palestine Action is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, and expressing support for a proscribed group is a terrorism offence.
The police have announced that her post did not reach the criminal threshold and therefore that no further action will be taken, with a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service reportedly saying: “It was determined that it did not meet the criminal threshold. No further action will be taken.”
In addition, Campaign Against Antisemitism can reveal a number of social media posts expressing incendiary rhetoric from Ms Helm going back years, including on ‘intifada’, Hamas, terrorists, Jeremy Corbyn’s antisemitism scandal, and Jewish history in the Middle East. You can read more here.
So it’s illegal to express support for a proscribed terrorist organisation if you’re an ordinary person, but if you allegedly do it when you’re the wife of the national security advisor, that’s okay? Aren’t we supposed to be a country where everyone is equal under the law?
With decisions like this, it’s no wonder that 89% of British Jews think the authorities are not doing enough to tackle political extremism. Police inaction in this high-profile case beggars belief. It’s another nail in the coffin of British justice.
Sally Rooney punished over support for Palestine Action
Irish writer Sally Rooney has announced that she is no longer able to receive UK royalties from her book sales, due to her alleged public support for Palestine Action, and that she will therefore withdraw her books from circulation in the UK.
Sally Rooney is finding out that she can’t have her cake and eat it. We previously reported her to Counter Terrorism Policing after she is understood to have claimed she would use the proceeds from the BBC adaptations of her work to fund Palestine Action, a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK, and that if support for the group ‘makes me a “supporter of terror” under UK law, so be it’. Yes, it does.
Now she is reaping the consequences of her actions. A lot of activists feel invincible because nothing has been done about their radicalism for three years. That has to stop.
Stephen Silverman, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Director of Investigations and Enforcement, spoke to GB News about Sally Rooney’s announcement:
“Much of this aggression has been aimed at British Jewish communities”
MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum has delivered the organisation’s Annual Threat Update, in which he highlighted the impact of foreign state threats on the safety of the British Jewish community.
Addressing the activities of Iran-linked organisations in the UK, Sir Ken said that “much of this aggression has been aimed at British Jewish communities, with whom I want to express solidarity”. You can read more here.
This will not be news to British Jews. Almost all British Jews (96%) consider Islamists to be a serious threat, according to our representative polling, and 91% do not think that the authorities are doing enough to tackle religious extremism. Recognition of the outsized threat posed to British Jews is a vital first step. But to change these perceptions the Government must now act decisively against both homegrown and imported extremism. Until it does, British Jews will continue to bear the brunt.
In parallel, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced the opening of a public inquiry into the deaths of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, who were killed in the October 2025 Heaton Park synagogue terror attack in Manchester. You can read more here. Once the terms of reference for the inquiry are finalised, Campaign Against Antisemitism intends to contribute to the inquiry.
Clearly, our European peers are more cognisant of the threat posed to Jewish communities. Members of the European Parliament have voted to put individuals and groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood on the European Union’s terror watchlist. You can read more here.
Our polling shows 85% of British Jews think that the British Government should proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. Once again, Britain has lost the opportunity to lead, but it can still follow and do the right thing. The Home Office should stop dithering and follow the lead of allies across the world in confronting terror groups and their sources.
As homegrown extremism continues to have a devastating impact on British Jewry, it is refreshing to hear from an individual who was able to move away from this indoctrination.
In this week’s episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism, Elie interviewed Taryn Thomas, a former pro-Palestine activist and protester. After taking part in numerous demonstrations, she began educating herself on the horrors of Hamas’ 7th October terrorist atrocities. She soon became aware of the antisemitic nature permeating many of the protests, leading her to abandon the movement.
You can listen to the interview wherever you get your podcasts, or watch by clicking here.
Macklemore and other artists are spitting in the face of Britain’s Jewish community
Macklemore’s mask is coming off. After leading the walkout of Ed Sheeran’s support on his tour, Macklemore announced a “Free Palestine” concert at Wembley Arena later this month. It has now emerged that proceeds from the show will go to a group which seemed to justify the 7th October Hamas attacks on Israel.
Campaign Against Antisemitism previously raised concerns about this organisation, known as the Palestinian Youth Movement. Earlier this year, the organisation hosted a summer camp where – as footage appeared to show – children were encouraged to chant “We will crush Zionism” and “Young people, rise up, our revolution is an Arab revolution.”
The Telegraph also reports that the group posted on X, “When people are occupied, resistance is justified” after the events of 7th October 2023.
After we wrote to them, the host of the camp said they were investigating. We have also written to the venue for the concert and its organisers.
Meanwhile, Fontaines D.C., a band with a history of espousing anti-Israel rhetoric and whose guitarist declared “F*** Zionism” at an awards show, will be allowed to perform over two days next July at Heaton Park – just minutes down the road from the Yom Kippur attack on Heaton Park that left two worshippers dead.
One of those days falls on the Jewish Sabbath, when worshippers leaving that same synagogue could walk straight into crowds cheering this band.
Elsewhere in what is generously termed the arts, Matthew Collings recently hosted a panel at hARTslane Gallery on the opening night of his week-long “Drawings Against Genocide” exhibit.
During the event, speakers appeared to express antisemitic views and support for proscribed group Palestine Action. You can read more here.
Given Mr Collings’ history of recycling grotesque antisemitic tropes in his artwork, it is entirely unsurprising that a panel discussion on his work would play host to such rhetoric.
At a time when Jewish communities in London are facing unprecedented levels of violence, it is deeply concerning that he was given a platform to showcase his work and seemingly disseminate hateful ideology in a building owned by Lewisham Council. We wrote to Lewisham Council ahead of the exhibit, and urge it to ensure it upholds its responsibility to take its own commitments to combating antisemitism seriously.
As antisemitic acts grow bolder, Campaign Against Antisemitism is taking action against the police
This past week, several incidents have occurred which are a sobering reminder of the antisemitism faced by Jews in Britain today.
- A nine-year-old boy has reportedly been withdrawn from his school by his parents over its handling of an alleged conversation about the 7th October Hamas attacks on Israel between the boy and his teacher. According to the father, his son spoke to his teacher about a previous family discussion on Hamas’ targeting of Israelis at the Nova festival, to which the teacher replied “actually it’s the opposite”. Prior to this conversation, the boy had allegedly been subjected to abuse at the school. You can read more here.
- A woman yelled “Dirty Zionists!” in the middle of Golders Green station. She then asked passersby: “Do you support genocide? Do you support the killing of babies as well?” Golders Green is home to a large sector of Britain’s Jewish community.
- We obtained footage which appears to show a Thameslink supervisor downplaying the atrocities which Hamas carried out in Israel on 7th October 2023. You can read more here.
- In a video circulating online, a migrant found not guilty after vandalising the statue of Sir Winston Churchill appears to hold a sign reading “British courts deserve contempt” while encouraging viewers “to globalise the intifada”. You can read more here.
- Six Jewish women were allegedly violently assaulted in Stamford Hill. A man has been arrested. You can watch some of the horrific footage here.
- Palestine House has erected a tasteless statue of Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five consecutive life sentences in prison for the murder of four Israelis and a Greek monk, and for his membership of the paramilitary Tanzim group. This grotesque decision sends the message that those who have orchestrated the murder of Jews should be honoured, instead of abhorred.
Also this week, there was yet more evidence that the pro-Palestine mob hates Britain. At a careers fair at Queens University, Belfast, activists appear to have approached an RAF stall, which they then covered with a Palestinian Authority flag, stating that they had thereby “reclaimed it for Palestine”. You can read more here.
In another case, Independent councillor Mark Howell wore a Palestine football shirt to a recent Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council meeting. The meeting agenda didn’t mention the Middle East, but did include discussions about lease agreements and SEND reform. The Daily Mail reported that Cllr Howell “sat immediately in front of two Jewish councillors as they debated lease agreements.”
Amid a wave of antisemitism, Campaign Against Antisemitism is taking action: We are proud to provide and fund legal representation to enable Mark Birbeck, founder of Our Fight UK, to challenge the lawfulness of his arrest by the Metropolitan Police five days after he showed solidarity with British Jews following the Heaton Park synagogue terror attack. You can listen to our Director of Investigations and Enforcement explain more here.
We will always stand up for our allies when they need us, just as they stand with us.
With antisemitism permeating all aspects of British society, we are more resolved than ever to raise awareness and educate across the country.
That’s why last week, Elie spent the day with our friends at Leeds Leads Against Antisemitism educating people about racism against Jews.
Some were receptive. Others less so. Watch here.
UN panel cheated in order to accuse Israel of ‘genocide’
A member of the UN inquiry that accused Israel of genocide has admitted that the bar it set for that verdict was “not a high standard” of proof from which to draw such conclusions.
Speaking at a debate with a US military law expert at a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, jurist Chris Sidoti said that proving genocidal intent is “a very, very high test” – one “higher than the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt”. But the UN panel only used a standard of “reasonable grounds”, he explained. You can read more here.
In other words, the panel levelled the gravest charge in international law against the Jewish state only because it applied a far lower standard of evidence than what was actually required – the UN cheated.
His remarks appear to contradict claims by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Navi Pillay, the chair of the UN panel, who reportedly asserted that the panel “essentially worked like a court” and that “every fact was verified by us”. That now appears to be nonsense.
Branding the world’s only Jewish state as ‘genocidal’ on such flimsy grounds is more than a gross oversight. It has had – and continues to have – dangerous consequences for the safety of Jews across the world. Its motivation – well, that has always been clear enough.
The UN panel cheated in order to defame the Jewish state, and the Nobel Committee has rewarded them.
We have been down this road before.
We referred the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn to the EHRC, even as others insisted that neither he nor the party he was leading were antisemitic. We disagreed, we acted and we got results.
We have called on the EHRC to investigate, and that call has been answered. This may be the beginning of a long road, but we have been down it before, and nobody is more experienced or, with your support, better equipped than Campaign Against Antisemitism to traverse it.
