None of the people behind this can remain a police officer
This week a scandalous policy paper emerged, produced last year by the National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) but only now garnering publicity.
The paper, which was published on the official police UK website but now appears to have been deleted, was written by Khaldoun Kabbani, the then-Vice President of the NAMP.
It is understood that the NAMP is associated with sixteen major British police forces, including Greater Manchester Police and West Midlands Police.
Entitled “From Past Prejudices to Present Policies: Confronting anti-Muslim hatred and Promoting Human Rights”, the paper contains alarming material which essentially seems to downplay the atrocities of 7th October, cast doubt on the murder of Israeli children and demonise ‘Zionists’.
The people responsible for publishing this extremist screed are unfit to be police officers and must be immediately investigated by their respective forces’ professional standards departments and dismissed.
This is every bit as scandalous as the West Midlands Police debacle and even more so – this is not police acquiescence to Islamist extremism, it is evidence that a major national policing association has been infiltrated by or is controlled by Islamists.
British Jews have long suffered two-tier policing that sees antisemitic crime go unpunished and faith in the police has dropped to its lowest level since our polling began. Saying that the movement for Jewish self-determination contributes to anti-Muslim hatred and that even talking about Hamas’ 7th October atrocity should be stopped is the kind of extremism we would expect to read in the opening of the prosecution case against an antisemite, not on the national police web domain.
We are writing to the Home Secretary to ensure that this clear threat to British policing results in a clear message being sent.
This cannot pass with the document being quietly deleted. Not one of the people involved in publishing this document can remain as a police officer.
Furthermore, the National Police Chiefs Council must show leadership by immediately denouncing the National Association of Muslim Police for bringing policing into further disrepute in this manner.
If they do not, that is perhaps more alarming than the publication of this document in the first place.
No place for politics in the NHS
The NHS has an extremism problem.
This week, the Government’s independent advisor on antisemitism, Lord Mann, has recommended that NHS staff should not be allowed to wear political badges in the workplace.
The suggestion has sparked national debate, in which our spokespeople played a leading part. You can watch our Chief Executive, Gideon Falter, debate the topic on GB News, and listen to our Director of Investigations and Enforcement, Stephen Silverman, who spoke to LBC.
Jewish patients should not have to worry about whether they will receive proper medical treatment or, worse still, fear being harmed because of their doctor’s or nurse’s views.
NHS staff must leave their political opinions at home, not flaunt them at the bedside. They should not be wearing foreign flags or any other political symbols while at work.
The NHS has a responsibility to ensure that all of its patients feel safe.
Yes, that includes Jews.
Extremists are not welcome in Britain
Last week, the Home Secretary made the welcome decision to ban both Hasan Piker and his uncle Cenk Uygur from entering the United Kingdom, ahead of their scheduled appearances at multiple events including the SXSW London Festival.
The ban has been rebuffed by both men who claimed that the decision was based on their criticism of Israel.
That is a convenient narrative.
Watch as Elie takes you through some of Mr Piker’s other remarks which we suspect might have had something to do with the Home Secretary’s decision, which we applaud her for making.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chief Executive appeared on LBC to discuss the decision, and the wider problem of extremism and radicalisation in this country.
As he says, “The Government has made the right call here.”
Can’t Jews travel without being harassed?
Two identifiably Jewish guests were met with a “Free Palestine” message on their television screens when they checked into their room at Travelodge’s London Manor House branch last week.
You can watch the footage here.
We have called for Travelodge to fire those responsible.
Meanwhile, in Germany, an employee at Hotel zum Hirschen, located in Lam, Bavaria, reportedly sent this message to an Israeli family attempting to book a room to stay there: “Sorry, there are no jews [sic] allowed in our hotel.”
The Bavarian Ministry of Justice is reportedly investigating the incident.
This is becoming an unfortunate pattern in the travel industry. Only last week we saw horrendous footage of airport employees shouting “Free Palestine” in London Stansted Airport, shortly after a flight from Tel Aviv had landed.
This is doing nothing to bring peace to the Middle East – but only causing local Jewish customers gross discomfort.
Schools are for learning, not learning hatred
“Jew, Jew, Jew.”
This is what was reportedly shouted at a group of Jewish schoolgirls taking their A-Level exams last week at a college in Hackney, as part of an agreement with Be’er Miriam seminary in Stamford Hill.
Other abusive comments were understood to have also been hurled against a cohort of Jewish schoolgirls. The incident led to a second group having to be chaperoned by college staff.
This was not the only concerning example of hatred in an educational environment this week.
Messages from a private WhatsApp group chat have been unearthed by The Telegraph, in which the current Oxford Union President makes some astonishing and frankly sickening attempts to rationalise Hamas’ barbaric terrorist atrocities on 7th October as “proportionate”.
Any effort to excuse or explain Hamas’ actions away should disqualify someone from being the President of the Oxford Union – one of the most prestigious positions at one of the UK’s most elite institutions.
The University of Oxford must take action to protect its students from extremists and the police should investigate some of these comments, which we are raising with our lawyers.
Over in the US, the right course of action has been taken to dispel hatred off campus. Hate crime charges have been brought against Alexander Stepnowsky, 23, who is accused of raising a flag bearing a swastika and a Star of David over a graduation ceremony at the New York University last month. The University also stated that the student would face disciplinary action.
Back in the UK, we have written to the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in relation to regular demonstrations that are taking place on the grounds of this prestigious institution.
We have raised concerns with the positioning, frequency and nature of these demonstrations which risk creating a climate in which Jewish students feel unsafe or unwelcome.
We have asked the school to take immediate action to manage the situation.
Educational institutions have a duty of care, and Campaign Against Antisemitism will always intervene to ensure that it is discharged.
Arson and abuse are continuing
Hatzola ambulances, synagogues, a former site of a Jewish charity and now, it seems, a block of flats.
According to Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch organisation, a residential block of flats where the majority of occupants are Jewish was the scene of an attempted arson, with residents reporting seeing a person starting a fire in a communal stairwell before fleeing.
Also last week, outside Beis Gavriel Synagogue in Hendon, we understand that an incident took place in which a man directed verbal abuse towards synagogue security.
We have been told that an arrest was made after a man yelled, “Hitler was right.”
The week prior, another reported incident took place outside the same synagogue when, as Jews prepared to celebrate the festival of Shavuot, two Jewish men were allegedly attacked. The suspect was swiftly arrested and charged with assault.
Taken alongside a series of recent incidents in surrounding areas – including stabbings in Golders Green and the assault of a man reportedly targeted after being overheard speaking Hebrew – there is an undeniable pattern in which Jews and Jewish spaces are under attack.
Enough is enough. It’s time to finally see robust action.
An explanation needed from Police Scotland
Not even a slap on the wrist.
Police Scotland has decided that they will record the image of Jewish actress Dame Maureen Lipman with devil horns and accessories as a “non-hate crime incident”.
The image, published by the Aberdeen branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, surfaced some weeks ago in a failed effort to cancel the acclaimed Jewish actress’ performance of the play Allegra, in Aberdeen.
Ms Lipman has also revealed how she has been forced to hire security guards for the upcoming national tour of the show, due to the level of targeted intimidation by anti-Israel activists.
If depicting a Jewish person using a longstanding antisemitic trope is not enough for Scottish Police to act decisively, they must explain why.
Britain’s Jewish community deserves more than vague and opaque statements from those meant to protect them.
ITV must answer these calls
A letter signed by nearly twenty Jewish working professionals in the arts and media has urged ITV to respond to the allegations presented in a fifteen page dossier, which details concerning statements made by the TV personality Nadia Sawalha.
We had previously raised concerns over Ms Sawalha’s claim that “dark forces” were at work in the wake of her husband’s suspension from the Green Party, for which he was running as a candidate.
The letter, signed by key Jewish industry figures, claims that her comments show a “repeated promotion, legitimisation and endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy narrative” and a “mocking, dismissive, or trivialising treatment of antisemitism allegations and concerns”.
At a time of unprecedented hatred and incitement, much of which is going unchecked and unresolved, ITV must look into these concerning allegations at once.
To our volunteers: Thank you
This week, we celebrated Volunteers Week by shining a light on the incredible work that our volunteers do.
A huge thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers.
You make CAA’s vital work possible.
Our volunteers truly are the backbone of our organisation, and you can join them in the fight against antisemitism. Visit antisemitism.org/volunteer to see what roles are available.
