“Antisemitism is not racism-lite,” says Home Secretary, as she condemns “double standard” on hate towards Jews
The Home Secretary has revealed her concern that there exists a “double standard” when it comes to antisemitism, which must not be treated as “racism-lite”.
Suelle Braverman made the remarks in an interview last week with the JC.
“When it comes to antisemitism,” she said, “I have felt for a long time that there’s a double standard.” She added: “Racism that would be called out if it were directed against any other minority is explained away or ignored when it comes to Jews. We need to be really clear. Antisemitism is not racism-lite. It’s racism.”
She went on to elaborate that “whereas racism directed against other minority groups would trigger a very firm response from law enforcement, when similar behaviour is targeted towards the Jewish community, it tends to be accepted. A blind eye is turned, and so it becomes normalised. That is something we cannot tolerate.”
After being shown the level of security at Jewish institutions, which is funded by a Government grant managed by CST, she concluded: “you can’t but say that yes, collectively, as a law enforcement community, we can do better. And we must.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over five hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than five times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
At the CST annual dinner later the same day, she announced the establishment of a new Jewish Community Police, Crime and Security Task Force, which will be led by her and will include senior figures from the Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service, police and Jewish charities.
The Task Force is intended to meet three times a year to strengthen accountability and enhance efforts to combat antisemitic crime and violence against Jewish communities.
She also noted her support for the International Definition of Antisemitism and that she “is writing to all Home Office public bodies and police leaders to ask them if they’ve adopted it. And I’ll encourage them to do so if they haven’t.”
Regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), for the proscription of which Campaign Against Antisemitism and other groups have called, she observed: “We’ve seen how the IRGC sponsors terrorism across the globe and has used its illicit money to suppress dissent in Iran itself.” She would not comment on whether the Government is intending to ban the group, a move that is being heavily resisted by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, according to reports, despite its role propagating antisemitism in the Middle East and around the world and the very real security threat that the organisation presents to the Jewish community and the UK as whole.
She reflected: “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on that. What I can say is that the Government and I are well aware of the threat that Iran and the IRGC pose and we will take robust and appropriate action to keep the British public safe.”
In the interview, she also noted that her husband is “a proud Jew and Zionist”, and she has often reflected on her connection to the Jewish community.
