Campaign Against Antisemitism Meets with Home Secretary, Police and CPS Chiefs to Address Antisemitism
On Thursday evening, 8th January 2015, the Campaign Against Antisemitism attended a private meeting convened at the Home Office to address last year’s record-breaking number of antisemitic incidents.
Joining the Home Secretary, Theresa May, at the meeting were Home Office Special Adviser, Nick Timothy; the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders; the Chief Executive of the College of Policing, Alex Marshall; and Campaign Against Antisemitism Chairman, Gideon Falter.
The meeting was held to discuss practical ways in which the authorities and the CAA could work together to address antisemitic hate crime and marks a major milestone in the CAA’s campaign for zero tolerance enforcement against antisemitism.
CAA Chairman, Gideon Falter, proposed a five-point plan which will be the focus of the ongoing discussions between the Home Office, Police, Crown Prosecution Service and the CAA.
The key points of the plan are:
- Production of a quick reference guide on how to enforce the law against antisemitic hate crime for police officers and prosecutors;
- Strengthening oversight mechanisms within the Police and CPS to ensure that the response to antisemitism is as firm as the law will permit;
- Taking enforcement action against the organisers of marches and protests which become intimidatory or antisemitic;
- Ensuring that social networks tackle online hate crime effectively; and
- Formally adopting a definition of antisemitism which includes antisemitism disguised as anti-Israel political discourse.
Last summer, when antisemitism reached its highest recorded level, the CAA held a rally attended by thousands outside the Royal Courts of Justice calling for zero tolerance enforcement against antisemitic hate crime.
Since then the CAA has held a series of meetings with the government to deliver on its zero tolerance agenda, including at ministerial level, with the Home Office, Cabinet Office, Department for Communities and Local Government, Police and CPS, as well as at local authority level and with major corporations such as Twitter.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: “I was very pleased to welcome Gideon Falter to the Home Office so we could discuss the response of the police and prosecutors to antisemitism and hate crime. I hope we can continue to work together to eradicate antisemitism in all its forms.”
CAA Chairman Gideon Falter said: “Britain is at a tipping point. Antisemitism must be met with zero tolerance and British Jews must feel secure in their own country. I am pleased that the government is so determined to tackle antisemitism as was evident at my meeting with the Home Secretary, Police and CPS.”