Campaign Against Antisemitism reiterates call for antisemitism inquiry at the BBC
Along with several MPs, Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to call for an inquiry following the latest shocking revelations relating to antisemitism at our national broadcaster.
- The BBC has reportedly agreed a £400,000 payout to an award-winning Jewish documentary-maker, after she claimed she was bullied out of the Corporation due to antisemitism. Lucie Kon described how since 7th October 2023 she had been the victim of inflammatory comments made by colleagues, which included claims that “if you want to call Hamas terrorists then you have to call Israel terrorists, too”. You can read more here.
- BBC publicity staff were reportedly unwilling to promote a film commissioned by the broadcaster which spotlights the victims of the brutal 7th October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. According to Ms Kon,the BBC’s in-house publicists refused to market the documentary on the Nova festival massacre in southern Israel, titled ‘Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again’, due to its “subject matter”, which was allegedly considered “too political”. You can read more here.
- After a colleague called Israeli forces “baby-killers” during a conversation about Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved hundreds of Jewish refugee children from Czechoslovakia, a BBC manager allegedly asked a Jewish employee, “Would you like some therapy?”
- Another ex-employee said their concerns about the BBC’s coverage of Israel were met with “aggression” from a manager.
- Bushra Shaikh has a record of appalling rhetoric, yet she was recently invited as a guest on BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live. When we first called out the BBC last month, they dismissed our concerns, but only now, with more media scrutiny, have they admitted that there is a problem with their vetting. Perhaps the Corporation would improve its performance on antisemitism if it stopped dismissing complaints and started upholding and learning from them.
Our spokespeople spoke to the media about the implications of these incidents, which reveal the scale of the antisemitism problem within the BBC. You can watch our Chief Executive, Gideon Falter, here, and our Director of Investigations and Enforcement, Stephen Silverman, here.
The BBC has a deeply troubling track record when it comes to antisemitism, including choosing the son of a senior Hamas official to narrate a documentary on Gaza and paying his family licence fee funds. An Ofcom investigation called the programme “materially misleading”. The BBC went on to broadcast a horrendous Glastonbury set, and there have been a spate of other controversies, including relating to Gary Lineker.
According to our representative polling, 95% of British Jews believe that there should be an independent investigation into the BBC regarding alleged bias in its coverage of matters of Jewish interest.
It’s clear there is a deep rot at the BBC, and the Corporation is in need of fundamental reform.
To add insult to injury, the BBC licence fee is reportedly set to increase from £180 to £202.60 by 2031. That’s more money from British Jews whose safety the BBC has jeopardised, and more money from the British public whom the BBC has misinformed with misreporting.
That’s why we’re calling for a suspension of the BBC licence fee pending an investigation. Add your name to our petition at suspendthelicencefee.com.
Sir David Bell defends report on antisemitism in schools
Sir David Bell recently published his much-anticipated independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges. He made 27 recommendations, many inspired by Campaign Against Antisemitism’s suggestions, which you can read about here.
However, Sir David has already been forced to defend the review to critics determined to undermine the fight against antisemitism, explaining the thorough process behind his review. One critic called the report a “travesty” saying it was “riddled with factual errors.” You can read more here.
The report found that almost three in five Jewish youngsters have witnessed or experienced antisemitism, and that children don’t bother reporting incidents because they don’t believe they will be addressed.
Sir David’s report showcases what Jewish children are going through in this country. The Government, relevant bodies and schools must urgently move on to implementation – before it’s too late. We made proposals to Sir David as to how to proceed, and they inspired his recommendations.
Encouragingly, peers in the House of Lords held a debate on Sir David’s recommendations.
Speaking on behalf of the Government, Education Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said that “every school, college and teacher has a responsibility to identify, challenge and prevent antisemitism wherever it occurs.” Liberal Democrat Lord Mohammed commented that “we must move beyond statements of condemnation towards lasting cultural change”, and Baroness Cash outlined the chilling statistics in Sir David’s review.
Among Sir David’s recommendations were that schools embed high-quality teaching on media literacy and online safety, that education on Jewish people should not be limited to the Holocaust, and that Judaism should be studied in schools as a diverse and contemporary tradition.
That’s absolutely right, and it’s why Campaign Against Antisemitism has developed our highly-esteemed Educate Against Hate programme. For more information about bringing these sessions to your school, e-mail [email protected].
Campaign Against Antisemitism helps secure reversal of CPS decision not to charge bus driver
Following Campaign Against Antisemitism’s efforts, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has reversed its decision and charged a bus driver with a racially or religiously aggravated public order offence.
One year ago, a Jewish bus passenger in Hackney, North London, alleged that he was stuck on a bus after dropping his bank card into the driver’s cab and the driver refused to open the cab door or enable him to retrieve it. The driver is alleged to have made derogatory statements about Jews.
The CPS initially decided not to bring charges. Campaign Against Antisemitism is proud to have provided legal support to the passenger, following which the CPS has charged the driver with causing racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress, contrary to section 31(1)(b) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
The first hearing is scheduled to take place this month.
Success for Campaign Against Antisemitism as CPS finally to publish prosecution figures for antisemitic hate crime
It is years overdue, but after over a decade of Campaign Against Antisemitism repeatedly calling for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to record and publish figures for prosecutions for antisemitic hate crime, the CPS has now finally adopted this policy.
In the past, former Directors of Public Prosecutions (DPPs), who lead the CPS, have, at our prodding, promised Home Secretaries that the CPS would break down these figures, only to renege once they left the room.
We wrote to the current DPP just a few weeks ago reiterating our call for a policy change. You can read more here.
We cannot hold public bodies to account if they make it impossible to assess their performance, and they cannot improve without public scrutiny. This policy change vindicates our years of advocacy and is an important milestone in the fight against antisemitism.
Leave a Legacy to Campaign Against Antisemitism!
It took many years to push the Crown Prosecution Service towards transparency. The next task will be accountability. That, too, will take time.
That’s why at Campaign Against Antisemitism, as well as tackling antisemitic incidents when they arise, we also always have to plan for the long term. This fight requires sustained commitment and support to meet the challenges of the years ahead.
So for the first time, we are asking you to consider leaving a gift to us in your will. You can find more information here.
By doing so, you help safeguard our community and provide critical resources to ensure that future generations are equipped to continue the fight.
Green Party under pressure over Labour’s power-sharing ultimatum
A number of Green Party councillors have reportedly made statements in opposition to the abominable ‘Zionism is racism’ motion, which became official Party policy when it was adopted at the Greens’ conference earlier this month.
Their remarks follow an ultimatum issued by the national Labour Party to Green councillors to disown the policy, or risk Labour councillors withdrawing from power-sharing arrangements.
It is becoming clear that even some Green councillors cannot defend their Party’s position, or are unwilling to do so. But opposition to the motion on a local level is not the same as working to overturn it.
If you let extremists hijack your party and make antisemitism an openly stated policy, there will be repercussions. That is why we have referred the Green Party to the EHRC.
Meanwhile, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Ross Greer MSP, said that designating Hamas as a terror group is “a mistake” and a “barrier to peace”. Mr Greer said that while the “military wing” should be proscribed, the “political wing needs to be engaged with”.
Of course there is no substantive distinction between the political and military wings of Hamas, which is a paramilitary terrorist organisation that achieves its ends through violence. One wonders if the Scottish Greens would be so forgiving if Hamas so relentlessly targeted an ethnic group other than the Jews.
Given that their English sister party believes that Zionism is racism – a belief that Hamas essentially shares – perhaps this generosity towards an Islamist group that has murdered well over 1,000 Jews is not altogether surprising.
‘Confronting’, mocking and blaming Zionism
An event held by the University of Glasgow’s Islamic Society titled “What is Zionism and how do we confront it” platformed speakers which included barrister Franck Magennis, who campaigned to de-proscribe the antisemitic terrorist group Hamas, and University Rector Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who has been reported to the General Medical Council over his extremist rhetoric.
80% of British Jews identify as Zionists; only 6% do not. That ‘confronting’ a core part of their identity is being promoted on university campuses is hardly going to alleviate their concerns about their safety.
The event was apparently also promoted by the Glasgow University Justice for Palestine Society, which has reportedly attempted to ban Zionists attending university societies by designating Zionism as a “racist ideology”.
The weaponisation of anti-Zionism to intimidate and harass British Jews is spreading rapidly across university campuses.
Zionism is simply the belief that Jews have the same right to self-determination afforded to all other peoples of the world under Article 1 of the UN Charter. Denying them that right is racist. It is high time that university administrations recognise that, and take a stand against racist hate.
Elsewhere, Jewish identity has become the butt of a joke:
- Big Brother contestant Omar El Mayer posted a video of himself with exaggerated features, the Jewish folk song Hava Nagila playing in the background and the question “Is this version of me rich?” The myth of the greedy, money-obsessed Jew is one of the oldest antisemitic tropes in existence, and it has fuelled hatred against Jews for centuries.
- A Jewish audience member at a comedy club in London was mocked after they admitted to speaking Hebrew as part of a set.
Zionism and Israel also continue to be the subject of online conspiracies.
Within hours of the train crash in Spain that claimed dozens of lives, conspiracy theorists online wasted no time pointing the finger at the Jewish state. These claims are patently nonsense and draw on the classic antisemitic trope that Jews have undue power which they exert to the detriment of others.
It’s not just Jews who face this hatred – Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott spoke out about the abuse even non-Jewish allies like herself receive for calling out antisemitism or standing with the Jewish community.
Extremism is taking hold in our country, and children – both those being indoctrinated and the victims of their abuse – aren’t being spared. We need radical change to turn the tide.
Black and Jewish, and proud
Amid a torrent of hate, it is refreshing to see a young Jewish woman being loud and proud about her identity.
Elie spoke to Jael Cohen-Rothschild, a Jewish student, content creator and community advocate, about her experiences as a Black Jewish woman.
She’s been told she’s not Jewish enough and not Black enough. She’s been accused of secretly being white because she’s Jewish. And now, she’s answering your questions. Watch the full video here.
Campaign Against Antisemitism marks Remembrance Sunday
This weekend is Remembrance Sunday, when we recall those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
The Jewish community has always saluted our veterans, and contributed no small number to those who fought and even perished protecting our country.
By contrast, Palestine activists have desecrated cherished national symbols under the guise of political expression, from the creation of a ‘Palestine poppy’ to the vandalism of the Battle of Britain memorial.
The fight over antisemitism is the fight not just over Britain’s future, but also over its past. Lest We Forget, may the memories of those who died for us be a blessing.
