On 10th December, two antisemitic gunmen attacked a kosher grocery store in Jersey City, New Jersey, killing three civilians. A Jersey City Police Department detective was also shot and killed at a nearby cemetery shortly before the attackers targeted the store, and the gunmen themselves were killed by law enforcement.

It is now understood that the attackers — a man and a woman — were motivated by hatred towards Jews. At least one is believed to have had connections with the Black Israelite Hebrews, an extremist Black supremacist group that has also harassed and intimidated Jews on the streets of the UK and the London Underground.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “First Pittsburgh, then Poway and now Jersey City. Yet again American Jews are being murdered for who they are, and by those with connections to a racist group active in the UK as well. Although white supremacists pose a serious and violent threat to Jews in the United States and throughout the Western world, antisemitism is by no means confined to their extremist ideology alone, but is present among the far-left, Islamist circles and, evidently, other racist groups. It is also desperately clear that what begins as intimidation of Jews on the streets eventually escalates to violence and murder, and we call on the authorities to show zero tolerance toward anti-Jewish hate crime whenever it arises. Once more we are reminded why all decent human beings must all stand #TogetherAgainstAntisemitism, not just in word but in deed.”

Those wishing to show solidarity with the Jewish community at this time may wish to visit TogetherAgainstAntisemitism.com to add a badge to their social media profiles.

Police have released images of two men to whom they want to speak after a Jewish man was subjected to antisemitic abuse in a kebab shop in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

The men asked the victim, “Are you a f****** Jew?” and the ensuing exchange included a torrent of antisemitic abuse from the men, who said that the Jews should be “wiped out”, denied that the Holocaust took place, and made a Nazi salute.

The incident took place around 22:30 on 16th November and is being investigated by Greater Manchester Police who, after analysing CCTV footage, have released the two images.

Anyone with information should call the police on 0161 856 3129  quoting incident number 2498 of 17/11/2019.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crime than any other faith group.

It has been reported that two men chased a fourteen-year-old Jewish child returning from evening prayers at synagogue shouting “F*** Jews your life is over”.

Police are investigating the antisemitic incident, which took place yesterday at around 21:30 on the junction of Dunsmore Road and Stamford Hill. The child was riding his bicycle and managed to get away from the men before alerting a member of the public who contacted Stamford Hill Shomrim, a volunteer Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anybody with information should call the police on 101, quoting reference number CAD36238 11/12/19, or call Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Never has the excellent work done by the Shomrim neighbourhood watch patrol been more vital. These appalling incidents of unbridled antisemitic hatred are occurring with increasing frequency and now even target children as well as adults. We call for the cowardly antisemitic offenders to be identified and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crime than any other faith group.

Three visibly Jewish boys were subjected to death threats on the Northern Line and reportedly left the train in fear.

The assault occurred on Saturday night at 21:00 on 7th December 2019, on an Underground train from Golders Green station, and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a volunteer Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anybody with information should call the police on 101, quoting reference number CAD6332/30/11/19, or call Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

https://twitter.com/Shomrim/status/1203642511543209984

CCTV footage has been released of the two men suspected of beating a visiting senior rabbi bloody while shouting “kill the Jews” two weeks ago.

The two men were also said to have shouted “f*** Jews” and “dirty Jew” during the antisemitic attack, which took place at approximately 21:45 on Friday 29th November as the rabbi walked along Amhurst Park in Stamford Hill. The two teenagers were described as black and wearing dark hooded clothing.

The incident took place during the Jewish Sabbath, when orthodox Jews do not use telephones and has now been reported to the police and Stamford Hill Shomrim, a volunteer Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anybody with information should call the police on 101, quoting reference number CAD6332/30/11/19, or call Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is an appalling attack on an innocent and eminent visitor to our country, and he will leave not only with physical injuries but an impression of the UK that sadly our country is beginning to deserve, as attacks on Jews proliferate and antisemitism appears daily on the frontline of our politics.”

A man who possessed Nazi, neo-Nazi, anti-Muslim, antisemitic and other racist and violent images will stand trial next year.

Sam Imrie, 22, reportedly hoarded knives, nunchucks, a hammer, a baseball bat, a rifle scope and petrol, which he referred to as his “arsenal”, and is accused of posting on Telegram, an online messaging platform, indicating that he planned to commit an attack on the Fife Islamic Centre in Glenrothes and stream live footage.

It is also alleged that he recorded and compiled details of terrorist attacks on places of worship.

Mr Imrie faces two charges under the Terrorism Act 2006 and one under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The trail is set for 1st June 2020 at the High Court in Glasgow.

In the latest of a spate of similar incidents, a group of men entered the Satmar Synagogue premises in Stamford Hill and threw a religious Jew’s hat to the ground.

The incident took place at 20:30 on 5th December at the Clapton Common synagogue of the Satmar community and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anyone with further information should contact Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: ref 4635138/19.

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

A swastika and messages comparing the Prime Minister to Hitler were scrawled on a campaign board in Golders Green.

The offensive messages were graffitied onto material promoting the local Conservative candidate outside a Jewish home.

The incident was reported by Shomrim North West London, a Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

It is understood that this followed a separate, similar incident, which was also reported to police.

Barnet Council reportedly dispatched a team to both locations to remove the graffiti.

A Spokesperson for Shomrim North West London said: “It is incidents like these which bring the issue of antisemitism into sharp focus. This is the second incident reported to Shomrim in the last week of antisemitic graffiti daubed in Golders Green. Shomrim are committed to supporting victims of all hate crime. We urge any victims of Antisemitism to come forward and we will support you in reporting these incidents to police, and provide you with the necessary support.

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.

Five youths singled out two Jewish men and threw their hats to the ground in two separate incidents.

The incidents took place at 16:30 on 4th December on Dunsmere Road in Stamford Hill and were reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anyone with further information should contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD5193 4/12/19.

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

Campaign Against Antisemitism is shocked by reports that the police will not treat an attack on three Jewish children on a bus in Stamford Hill as an antisemitic hate crime.

The three visibly Jewish children are believed to have been the only passengers attacked during the incident, which took place on a bus in Clapton Common.

CCTV footage has been captured showing two men running for the number 253 bus, with one slipping at the back door, appearing to attack Jewish passengers, before some passengers begin to exit the bus.

The victims had their hats thrown off and one was punched in the eye.

The incident took place at around 08:15 on the morning of 24th November and was reported by Shomrim Stamford Hill, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD5111 24/11/19.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 noted that law enforcement against antisemitic hate crime must be consistent and firm, and that in our experience, procedures and oversight within police forces fail to ensure that each and every response to antisemitism is as firm as the law permits. Among the recommendations was that police forces should implement a positive arrest strategy so that decisions not to take further action in hate crime cases are reviewed by senior officers under the ultimate supervision of a relevant Single Point of Contact, which all forces should appoint.

A twenty-year-old man from Chigwell has been jailed admitting to harassing and stalking Jewish women because of their religion, and for religiously aggravated robbery of a Jewish man.

Sam Hemmati is reported to have bombarded numerous Jewish victims with antisemitic messages on several social media platforms, and to have stalked and harassed eight women between September 2018 and March 2019.

The messages included references to the Holocaust and sexually explicit material, and he repeatedly contacted the women despite requests to stop.

Mr Hemmati had also pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated robbery of a Jewish man in London in July.

He was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on 28th November to three years in prison for all the offences.

Inspector Jason Scrivener, from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, said: “The nature of Hemmati’s online communications can only be described as vile. He took pleasure in hounding his innocent victims using online channels, subjecting them to the most horrendous vitriol about their religion. This case highlights how seriously the police takes religiously motivated offences and I am pleased that he will now have a long spell behind bars to reflect on his actions.”

A Jewish family in London has discovered a swastika and “Hail Boris” graffiti on their home. It is believed that the incident took place during the Jewish sabbath.

The swastika was one of the emblems of Nazi Germany and “Heil Hitler” was the salutation accompanying the Nazi salute.

The family called Shomrim North West London, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, which has reported the matter and arranged for the local council to remove the graffiti.

Anybody with information should call the police on 101 or Shomrim North West London on 0300 999 1234.

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

A senior rabbi has flown straight to Israel after teenagers in London beat him severely and left him bleeding on the ground.

At approximately 21:45 on Friday, the rabbi was approached as he walked along Amhurst Park in Stamford Hill by two teenagers described as black and wearing dark hooded clothing. The teenagers allegedly shouted “Kill Jews” and “F*** Jews” and beat him, leaving him bleeding on the ground.

The victim is now flying out of the UK to Israel.

The incident took place during the Jewish Sabbath, when orthodox Jews do not use telephones and has now been reported to the police and Stamford Hill Shomrim, a volunteer Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anybody with information should call the police on 101, quoting reference number CAD6332/30/11/19, or call Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is an appalling attack on an innocent and eminent visitor to our country, and he will leave not only with physical injuries but an impression of the UK that sadly our country is beginning to deserve, as attacks on Jews proliferate and antisemitism appears daily on the frontline of our politics.”

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

A Jewish filmmaker from Hertfordshire who has become increasingly worried about the rise of antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has received a swastika by post at his home address after tweeting criticism of the Labour leader.

On Friday, his partner was outside their house while the postman was carrying out his rounds. He handed her a bundle of post in which the antisemitic poison pen letter was included. It was a single sheet of paper with a swastika crudely drawn in the middle, delivered in a stamped envelope. The filmmaker ran his own company for several years from his home address, and believes that the perpetrator tracked him down via information held at Companies House as his Twitter handle and bio included the name of his company.

He was shocked on opening the letter but has told Campaign Against Antisemitism that he finds this sort of low level bullying “pathetic”. Rather than frightening him, the man is now more determined than ever to expose and call out antisemitism wherever he witnesses it, however his partner has been shaken and worried by the incident. He immediately reported the letter to the police and an investigation has commenced.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We are assisting the victim and the police are investigating. This is hardly the first time that we have seen antisemitism in politics cross into criminality. The perpetrator must be brought to justice to send a strong message to those trying to intimidate anyone standing up to antisemitism in the Labour Party.”

On 28th May, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In recent months, thirteen MPs and three peers have resigned from the Labour Party over antisemitism, along with a large number of MEPs, councillors and members.

Over 58,000 people have now signed our petition denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

In Thanet, Kent, swastikas were found drawn on the street, although the graffiti had been adapted in order to incorporate the lines into a different, non-offensive drawing. The graffiti appeared to make reference to the EDL, the acronym for the English Defence League.

On Finchley Road in North London, the word “Jews” was scrawled onto a bus stop at Golders Green Station on Finchley Road. This is apparently the third time this month that the graffiti has appeared there. The incident was reported by North West London Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD9514 19/11/19

Meanwhile, on Castlewood Road in Stamford Hill, a Jewish school van with visible Hebrew words was vandalised. The incident took place at 20:37 on 25th November and was captured by CCTV, according to Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

The suspect appeared to be driving a white Maserati with licence plate PO64 ASZ.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD4900 26/11/19.

A police officer in Northamptonshire has been found to have committed gross misconduct for selling items from Auschwitz and Nazi memorabilia on eBay.

Police Constable Matthew Hart was revealed last year by the JC to have, together with a relative, Paula Hart, administered an eBay account by the name of ww2autographs, which sold memorabilia from Holocaust extermination camps. At the time, the police force said that “no wrongdoing had been identified”, but it since decided that PC Hart’s eBay activity “contravened his declared business interest”, and he was hauled before a discplinary panel.

The panel found no evidence of criminality nor any indication that the sales were motivated by any extremist ideology or Nazi sympathies. Instead, it concluded that PC Hart had “a genuine historical interest in this period of history.”

Nevertheless, it decided: “The officer has shown an extreme lack of judgement and insensitivity which is not fully acknowledged. He sought to justify his conduct at every step and offered a rationale which cannot be accepted by the panel…He manipulated the listings…with a view to frustrating eBay policy over a significant period of time. He was not open and transparent with his own force. There is a failure to embrace [his own] responsibility and a lack of recognition which troubles us going forward. We lack faith in his judgement and compliance with matters requiring openness and self-regulation in future.”

Although removing items from the death camps is illegal under Polish law, it is not illegal under English law, nor is there any suggestion that PC Hart was himself involved in removing the items.

PC Hart has a right of appeal.

A Jewish passerby on Clapton Common in Stamford Hill was cursed at angrily by a man in an unprovoked attack.

The assailant also made hand gestures at the victim, including one signifying a gun.

The incident took place at 12:30pm on 26th November, and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD31816 26/11/19

A Jewish mother was harassed while breastfeeding when a woman screamed at her “you f***ing Jews, breastfeeding and blogging up all the buses.” The victim was brought to tears by the unprovoked outburst.

The incident took place on 26th November on Mare Street in Hackney on the 254 bus from Royal London Hospital, and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD6515 26/11/19

Three Jewish children have been attacked on a bus in Clapton Common in Stamford Hill.

CCTV footage has been captured showing two men running for the number 253 bus, with one slipping at the back door, appearing to attack Jewish passengers, before some passengers begin to exit the bus.

The victims had their hats thrown off and one was punched in the eye.

The incident took place at around 08:15 on the morning of 24th November and was reported by Shomrim Stamford Hill, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD5111 24/11/19.

A Jewish man who was subject to antisemitic abuse, along with his family, on the London Underground, has spoken out about the ordeal.

On Friday a man hurled antisemitic abuse at a Jewish family, including children, on the tube. The incident was filmed by another commuter and two courageous individuals – one unseen man and one Muslim lady – eventually confronted the man.

The Jewish victim has made the following statement:

“On the morning of Friday 22nd November, my wife and I were sitting on the Tube travelling from Hendon Central to Covent Gardens minding our own business, discussing with our children our plans for the day.

“A man boarded the train after I did. As soon as he got on he came over and asked me if we were Jews. He shouted at me that the Jews started the slave trade and threatened that I, my wife and children were going to be his slaves and suffer various other ailments. He said the Jews were from the synagogue of Satan, and continued with vile antisemitic abuse which was very unsuitable for any child or adult to hear.

“I was confused. I was ready for the antisemitic comments after the Jewish question, but I was not prepared for the hail of antisemitic abuse which followed. The video only shows a short clip of fifteen- to twenty-minute ordeal.

“The only thing I could think about was the safety of my children and the best thing to do at that time was to restrain myself and try to get my children to ignore the situation. My wife and I tried to constantly reassure the children and distract them so they would not sense how anxious we actually were. We tried to remain calm and ignore the abuse, hoping this would keep our three young children calm.

“A man with a baseball cap bravely tried to intervene and he himself was subject to threats of violence. We are extremely grateful for the Muslim lady wearing the headscarf, who we now know as Asma, who stepped in. We are certain that without her intervention and distraction, he would have continued his abuse which could have escalated to physical violence. I would like to meet Asma in person to thank her.

“One cannot see on the short video that I politely asked him multiple times to step back and to stop directing abuse to my children. Afterwards, the gentleman filming very kindly switched seats with my son, and the lady who sat down next to me also helped distract our children by talking to them.

“The experience made me more vigilant on the journey home. My children were deeply worried and confused , but we are thankful that this incident only entailed verbal abuse and not worse. It is clear that antisemitism is still rife, it just happens that a small two minute snippet of this long episode was caught on camera.

“Shomrim North West London [a Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol group] have been supporting me and encouraged me to report this to Police, and to them I am very grateful.

“This Tube journey has left me with mixed feelings about society. On the one hand my wife, my children and I were subject to vile abuse in a full Tube carriage, however I am grateful for those who stood up for me.”

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Unbridled antisemitic hatred such as this has no place in our society, and the perpetrator should now feel the full force of the law. 

“CAA commends Asma Shuweikh and the unseen gentleman whose brave interventions serve as a timely reminder that British values of tolerance and respect are still alive and well. We also applaud the Police for making a swift arrest following the vital circulation of the video of the incident by commuter Chris Atkins.

“CAA has provided support to the victim, who has expressed the desire to meet Ms Shuweikh so that he can thank her in person.”

A Spokesperson for Shomrim North West London said: It is incidents like these which bring the issue of antisemitism into sharp focus. Shomrim are committed to supporting victims of racial hate crimes and antisemitic abuse. We urge any victims to come forward and we will support you in reporting these incidents to police, and provide you with the necessary support. We are very thankful to British Transport Police for taking swift action and a strong stance on investigating all forms of hate crime. Shomrim NW London applauds Asma and the gentleman who courteously confronted the abusive man and defended the Jewish family.”

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

A Muslim woman has bravely stood up to a man hurling antisemitic abuse at a Jewish family on a Northern Line Underground train in London on Friday. A suspect is now in police custody.

The incident was captured on video by a commuter, Chris Atkins, and uploaded to Twitter, where it has been viewed over 3.2 million times.

It shows a man, dressed in a hooded tracksuit top and a cap, reading from what may be a bible and gesturing at a Jewish father and his sons, who are wearing Jewish skullcaps called kippot. He tells them, “I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jewish, and are not, but do lie,” adding: “Behold, I will make them come and worship before your feet, and they will know that I have loved thee.”

The Jewish man can be seen calmly putting his arm around one of his sons and comforting him, saying: “just ignore him.”

An upstanding male passenger, whose face cannot be seen in the footage, confronted the abusive man, who responded by saying “I’m no Christian pastor” and threatens to punch him and telling him to: “F**k off.”

The Muslim woman, wearing a hijab, who, it has emerged, is called Asma Shuweikh, then bravely stood up for the Jewish family, telling the abusive man not to use such language in front of children. The man replied: “These people are impostors, they are trying to claim my heritage and then try and tell me that it’s cool and then they start the slave trade.”

The man continued ranting: “It’s not my opinion, it’s G-d’s word”, but Asma took issue with him again and tried to reason with him, distracting him from continuing his abuse of the Jewish family.

The man exited the train at Waterloo Station.

In a statement, Ms Shuweikh said that she was motivated to act by her own experiences of being attacked for her faith.

Mr Atkins said: “It was the children that really got me and everyone else, he was just screaming at these children. It was horrific in every sense.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism applauds Ms Shuweikh and the gentleman who courageously confronted the abusive man and defended the Jewish family, and Mr Atkins for filming the incident.

Following an appeal by British Transport Police, a suspect has been taken into custody. In a statement, British Transport Police said: “A man has been arrested in connection with an antisemitic incident on the London Underground. British Transport Police officers attended an address in Birmingham this evening, Saturday 23rd November. The man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated section 5 public order offence. He remains in custody.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the police on their swift response. The perpetrator must feel the full force of the law.

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

UPDATE: a man has been arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of a racially aggravated offence in connection with this incident.

A man screamed “Jews don’t belong here” at a Jewish couple on a bus and showed them his middle finger, before pulling the man by his hood and the woman by her shitel (a hair covering worn by observant Jewish women).

The incident took place today at 15:10 on the 254 bus in Hackney Central and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol. The couple were forced to leave the top floor of the bus and descend to the lower level.

The assailant was reportedly around 35 years old wearing black-framed sunglasses and dark clothing.

Anyone with further information should contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD4258 21/11/19.

On 8th December, regardless of religion, race or politics, Jews and non-Jews alike will gather in Parliament Square to declare that they stand together against antisemitism in the face of Jew-hatred in politics and mounting anti-Jewish hate crime.

A sixteen-year-old neo-Nazi teenager from Durham has been found guilty of preparation of terrorist acts between October 2017 and March 2019.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, becomes the youngest person ever to be convicted in the UK for planning a terrorist attack.

Reportedly a follower of far-right ideology since the age of thirteen, the boy had hoped to follow in Adolf Hitler’s footsteps and listed numerous targets “worth attacking” with Molotov cocktails, including synagogues. He had also begun drafting a manifesto titled “A Manual for practical and sensible guerrilla warfare against the kike system in the Durham City area, Sieg Heil”. Other items seized from his home included a copy of Mein Kampf and material on explosives and firearms.

During the trial, the prosecution claimed that the defendant had become “an adherent of neo-Nazism – the most extreme of right-wing ideology”, noting that he had written in his diary on the occasion of Hitler’s birthday that the Nazi leader was “a brave man to say the least. Although maybe having written proof that I admire their number one enemy isn’t such a wise idea. I will however say that I one day hope to follow in his footsteps.”

Sentencing is expected to take place in January.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “A terrorist atrocity against Jews on British soil has been narrowly averted by the timely intervention of the police. It highlights the need for vigilance by the authorities in the face of rising far-right antisemitism. This young man must receive a sentence that will act as a deterrent to others who are tempted to follow his example.”

A panel has found a police officer guilty of gross misconduct after he dangled a pepperoni pizza over a colleague’s kosher food. The officer can keep his job but will receive a final written warning.

The notice of the disciplinary hearing stated that: “On 8th March 2019, knowing that another officer is Jewish, PS CJ062 Gary Jacobs deliberately dangled a pizza containing pepperoni over that officer’s food. A piece of pepperoni subsequently fell onto that officer’s food meaning they could not eat it [due to Jewish dietary practices prohibiting the consumption of meat from pigs].”

It is understood that the incident left the victim feeling “embarrassed”, “isolated” and “as if she was being mocked for her faith”.

Sergeant Jacobs, who is based in Crawley in West Sussex, appeared at the hearing at force headquarters in Lewes on Tuesday morning to answer allegations that his conduct amounted to a breach of the force’s Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of equality and diversity.

Amy Clarke, for Sussex Police, said: “On any reading of this incident the conduct was utterly unacceptable and is much more serious than what might appear at first to be suggested by Sergeant Jacobs as a misguided attempt at humour. Sergeant Jacobs also knew she was Jewish and knew she maintained a kosher diet. Any modicum of common sense means you shouldn’t dangle pork over her food.” Ms Clarke added that it was not a “split second stupid decision” as Sergeant Jacobs had already been told about not contaminating the food.

Michael Salter, the chair of the panel, said: “This was an intentional act, it was deliberate, directed towards an individual and from an officer in a position of trust and responsibility,” adding that Sergeant Jacobs’ actions were “crass, insensitive and quite frankly stupid”.

Devon and Cornwall Police have won “highly commended” recognition at the World Class Policing Awards for their response to the arson attack on the historic Exeter Synagogue. This new event recognises outstanding police work from across the world.

The attack occurred on 21st July 2018. Devon Live reported that police attended immediately, reviewed CCTV images, and arrested Tristan Morgan.

As he was put in a police van, he reportedly said: “Please tell me that synagogue is burning to the ground, if not, it’s poor preparation.”

According to police, Mr Morgan is alleged to have poured “an accelerant” into the synagogue, which was built in 1763, making it one of Britain’s oldest synagogues, and then tried to light it.

He was later sentenced to an indefinite hospital order and a ten-year terrorism reporting order.

The citation stated: “In July 2018 Exeter Synagogue was the target of an arson attack that was captured on CCTV. Within minutes a local man was arrested. CID officers, working with counter-terrorism colleagues went ‘above and beyond’, neighbourhood and diversity staff provided exceptional victim care and, brought together by police, local faith and civic partners gave outstanding support to the Jewish community. The suspect, who held extreme white supremacist views was later sentenced to an indefinite hospital order and a ten-year terrorism reporting order.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism applauds Devon and Cornwall Police for their swift and strong response and support given to the local Jewish community. This will serve as an example to police forces throughout the UK.

Image credit: Exeter Synagogue

Sussex Police has announced that it will hold a disciplinary hearing for a Sergeant who taunted a Jewish officer with pepperoni pizza.

Sergeant Gary Jacobs, who is based in Crawley in West Sussex, will appear at a hearing at force headquarters in Lewes on Tuesday morning to answer allegations that his conduct amounted to a breach of the force’s Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of equality and diversity.

The notice of the disciplinary hearing states that: “On 8th March 2019, knowing that another officer is Jewish, PS CJ062 Gary Jacobs deliberately dangled a pizza containing pepperoni over that officer’s food. A piece of pepperoni subsequently fell onto that officer’s food meaning they could not eat it [due to Jewish dietary practices prohibiting the consumption of meat from pigs].”

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends Sussex Police for taking this incident of childish bullying by a police officer seriously. We are following the case with interest.

The hearing begins at 10:00 on Tuesday and is expected to last for two days. Members of the public can register to attend until 14:00 on Monday.

Cars and homes in Essex’s Canvey Island have been daubed with swastikas and slogans such as “Jews out!” The swastikas were drawn the wrong way around.

The graffiti was sprayed on the homes and vehicles between late last night and early this morning.

Today is Remembrance Sunday, when the nation remembers those who lost their lives fighting against the Nazis and other enemies.

Canvey Island has a growing Jewish population as Jews in north London bringing up young families move to areas where property prices are lower. Local residents have mostly been very welcoming towards their Jewish neighbours.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We are investigating after several reports of criminal damage to cars in Ferrymead, Canvey Island overnight. We were called this morning, Sunday 10 November, to reports that vehicles had been sprayed with racist and anti-Semitic graffiti. If you have not yet spoken to us about damage to your vehicle please call [the police on] 101 and quote incident number 307 of today’s date.”

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “The perpetrators of this act of vandalism and intimidation must feel the full force of the law. Anybody with information should immediately step forward to assist the police.”

The historic Middle Street Synagogue in Brighton has reportedly been vandalised with red paint splashed on its famous front doors.

The incident was revealed by journalist and author, Lyn Julius, on Facebook. Ms Julius is scheduled to speak at the synagogue on Sunday.

The synagogue is a popular tourist attraction. The Grade II* listed building has what is regarded as Brighton’s second most important interior after the Royal Pavilion. Opened in 1875 and designed by local architect Thomas Lainson, it is one of the last remaining “cathedral synagogues” from the Golden Age of High Victorian synagogue architecture.

In May this year, Labour Party member and activist, Amanda Bishop, called for fellow activists to “march” on her local synagogue in Brighton.

Ms Bishop wrote in the Brighton and Hove Labour Party Facebook forum that: “We can’t allow this to go on. We need to march about this on the Synagogue in Hove, all of us members in Brighton.” Her call for direct action against the synagogue was in response to the suspension of Alexandrina Braithwaite, from the Brighton and Hove Labour branch, for sharing allegedly antisemitic posts on social media, which Ms Bishop felt was “bulls***”.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This cowardly act of vandalism against a historic synagogue comes just months after a prominent Labour activist called for a march on a synagogue nearby. It is yet further evidence of the extent to which antisemites have come to feel empowered to demonstrate their hatred of Jews. It is vital that the perpetrator is apprehended and feels the full force of the law.” 

Anyone with information should contact Sussex Police by calling 101.

An antisemitic dentist who stalked a Jewish family has been sentenced to nineteen months’ imprisonment.

Dan Zaharia subjected a psychologist and his family to a decade-long campaign of antisemitic abuse, threats of murder, and sexual violence. Judge Michael Leeming said he was satisfied that the malicious communication was racially and religiously motivated.

Mr Zaharia pleaded guilty on 9th September to one count of malicious communications covering contact from 1st January to 30th November. Two previous charges against Mr Zaharia, which related to religiously aggravated stalking and simple stalking, were erased from the indictment after he agreed to the malicious communication charge.

On Wednesday, at Chester Crown Court, in addition to the sentencing of nineteen months’ imprisonment, Mr Zaharia was also given an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim and his family and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

Image credit: Cheshire police

A swastika was spray-painted on a sign near a Jewish school in Gateshead. The graffiti appeared on the corner of High West Street and Gladstone Terrace on 7th October.

A swastika and the words “Lewis is a Jew” were carved into the glass panel of a bus stop in East Leeds. Anyone with information should contact West Yorkshire Police on 101 referencing log number 243.

On Shabbat, 19th October at the Clapton Common and Oldhill Street junction in Stamford Hill, three males accosted Orthodox Jews walking home from synagogue with antisemitic slurs including “Heil Hitler”.

The incident was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol. If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD7641 22/10/19.

Moments ago, notorious antisemite and Holocaust denier Alison Chabloz has had her application for a judicial review denied by the High Court following her landmark conviction on three charges of sending grossly offensive communications via a public communications network.

Ms Chabloz had sought to overturn her conviction on technicalities relating to the meaning of what constituted sending communications online, but the High Court denied her appeal and upheld the earlier judgment. There was confusion over the way that the case had proceeded to court as Ms Chabloz’s case was brought before judges by her barrister, Adrian Davies, who maintains his record of losing cases for neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers.

Ms Chabloz had sought to overturn her conviction on technicalities relating to the case began as a private prosecution by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which was then continued by the Crown Prosecution Service. The charges related to three self-penned songs in which Ms Chabloz denounced a supposed Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world and attacked the Holocaust as a fraud perpetrated by Jews for financial gain.

The conviction set a new precedent in British law, effectively delivering a landmark precedent verdict on incitement on social media and on whether the law considers Holocaust denial to be “grossly offensive” and therefore illegal when used as a means by which to hound Jews.

Ms Chabloz was sentenced to a twenty-week prison sentence suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid community service, an indefinite order against contacting two leaders of Campaign Against Antisemitism, as well as an order banning her from social media for twelve months. She was also ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge, and costs of £600.

Earlier this year, the conviction and sentence were upheld at Southwark Crown Court, where Judge Christopher Hehir, sitting with lay magistrate Ms M Rego, said of Ms Chabloz, “She is a Holocaust denier…she is manifestly antisemitic and obsessed with the wrongdoing of Jews,” adding that, on the subject of the Holocaust, “she has lost all sense of perspective.”

Meanwhile, following extensive contact between lawyers for Campaign Against Antisemitism, the National Probation Service and the Crown Prosecution Service, on 23rd September District Judge Jonathan Taaffe found Ms Chabloz guilty of breaching the conditions of her suspended sentence after blog posts that she published since June 2018 were found to constitute a breach of the social media ban. Ms Chabloz is appealing this decision.

Ms Chabloz has also been banned from entering France, where Holocaust denial is illegal, for forty years until 2059.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We are delighted with today’s decision, which is the culmination of a private prosecution undertaken by Campaign Against Antisemitism and continued by the Crown Prosecution Service. Today’s decision confirms the court’s landmark judgment that the law considers Holocaust denial to be ‘grossly offensive’ and therefore illegal when used as a means by which to hound Jews. This is a major step forward in the fight against anti-Jewish racism and paves the way for Ms Chabloz to be returned to prison if she loses her appeal for breach of sentence next year.”

A Jewish student at the University of Nottingham was accosted in the bathroom of the Ocean nightclub in Nottingham on Friday evening as an assailant yelled “no offence but f*** Israel and all of you Jew people”.

The female assailant entered the toilet and told Reese Golding, a third-year student, that she was often mistaken for looking Jewish because of her “short [stature], curly hair, and a big nose”. The girl then went into a stall, and on her exit made the comment about “Jew people”.

Ms Reese says: “I have repeatedly encountered antisemitic remarks at university and just in general around Nottingham,” and has made a complaint about the incident to the Students’ Union’s Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer.

The owner of the nightclub reacted to the media report: “Whether physical or verbal, any attack is something we would not put up with. Anything that gets reported to us be it antisemitic, homophobic, racial or anything else, would result in the person or people being removed from the club if they’re pointed out to security or a manager.”

An analysis by Campaign Against Antisemitism of new Home Office statistics shows that Jews are almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.

Police forces across the country record hate crimes against Jews as religious hate crimes, and these records show that in the year 2018/19, a record 1,326 hate crimes were committed against Jews, compared with 672 in the year 2017/18, making Jews the target in eighteen percent of the total number of religious hate crimes.

These figures mean that there is an average of over three hate crimes directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales. Hate crimes against Jews are also still widely believed to be under-reported, and also do not reflect the extent of antisemitic material and abuse on social media.

However, when one accounts for the miniscule size of the Jewish population, it emerges that Jews are statistically almost four times more likely to be the targets of hate crimes than any other religious group, with some 255 hate crimes per 100,000 of the Jewish population in 2017/18 rising to 503 hate crimes in 2018/19.

An Orthodox Jewish man was threatened and harassed by four teenagers on the street in Canvey Island, a town in Essex.

The man was paying his cleaner outside her home before he was chased by the teenagers threatening to beat him up and steal his bicycle, and mocking him for being Jewish.

The cleaner called a friend from nearby who found that the teens had already chased the man some distance and forced them to clear off.

The heroic neighbour recounted that the teenagers “were getting up in his face, shouting at him…mocking him for being Jewish. He tried to get away by riding off but they followed him here…Anybody would have helped in my situation if they had seen it, it’s disgusting anyone would do such a thing. Nobody deserves to be picked on – no matter what religion they believe in. I made sure he was okay after, but he was definitely shaken up. Something needs to be done – these kids are getting away with too much.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism praises the neighbour for standing up to the thuggish antisemitism and echoes his demand for justice and deterrence.

A twenty-year-old Jewish woman was viciously punched in the stomach in an unprovoked attack by another woman.

The incident took place at the junction of Amhurst Park and Bethune Road in Stamford Hill at 15:15 on 17th October, and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD4909 17/10/19

A member of the Scottish Parliament has related how quickly conversation with his ward mates in hospital turned to the Holocaust – and Holocaust denial.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, the MSP for Edinburgh Western, has written about his stay in a hospital in West Lothian for hand surgery over the summer, recounting that the man next to him in the ward “muttered something about Germany and gas chambers”. 

Mr Cole-Hamilton said that he did not hear the man properly and was about to take issue with the comment when the patient in the bed opposite chimed in: “No mate, there never were any gas ovens, it was all a hoax, I can give you a link to a YouTube video which explains it all.”

“Despite being pretty high on painkillers,” Mr Cole-Hamilton writes, “I challenged him, explaining his statement wasn’t just wrong but it was offensive. He responded by saying that he was as much entitled to his opinion as I was, to which I replied that my ‘opinion’ was empirically verifiable as historical fact.

“The whole exchange left me pretty shaken and the atmosphere on the ward was strained for the duration of my stay.”

Mr Cole-Hamilton writes that he had of course heard of Holocaust denial, “but I have never encountered it in the dismal flesh before. It prompted me to think more about it and last week’s horrific Yom Kippur shootings in a synagogue in Halle, Germany hammered home to me the brutal and murderous end that unchecked antisemitism can lead to.”

A man was arrested for threatening Jewish adults and children outside a synagogue, yelling “dirty Jews, it’s all your fault, you are rubbish” and waving his fists at them in a violent manner.

The incident took place at a synagogue in Stamford Hill on 13th October, the eve of the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles), and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

The man was reportedly a repeat offender. The offender was arrested by police and the case has been designated a hate crime with CAD3589 13/10/19.

Also in Stamford Hill, a Jewish man was the subject of a hit-and-run on Tatton Crescent. The suspect was driving a grey Smart car with registration number LS10 PNL.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD8648 09/10/19.

A Jewish girl on a route 253 bus was accosted by a man shouting “you Jews, you have it all good”. The man attempted to punch her but just missed her face due to the motion of the bus.

The man continued to insult Jewish people and reportedly nothing was done to stop him on the bus.

The incident occurred as the bus came to Lea Bridge roundabout near Stamford Hill at around 15:00 on 2nd October, and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

The man was described as a skinny and tall male in his twenties with short hair, wearing sunglasses and a hooded green sweatshirt.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD7063 12/1019

A jury at Manchester Crown Court has heard that a neo-Nazi teenager from Durham hoped to follow in Adolf Hitler’s footsteps and listed numerous targets “worth attacking” with Molotov cocktails, including synagogues.

The sixteen-year-old had reportedly also begun drafting a manifesto titled “A Manual for practical and sensible guerrilla warfare against the kike system in the Durham City area, Sieg Heil”. Other items seized from his home included a copy of Mein Kampf and material on explosives and firearms.

The prosecution claimed that the defendant had become “an adherent of neo-Nazism – the most extreme of right-wing ideology”, noting that he had written in his diary on the occasion of Hitler’s birthday that the Nazi leader was “a brave man to say the least. Although maybe having written proof that I admire their number one enemy isn’t such a wise idea. I will however say that I one day hope to follow in his footsteps.”

The trial is anticipated to last two weeks.

Police in Chatham, Kent, have launched an investigation after headstones were smashed at a Jewish cemetery in the run-up to Yom Kippur. Numerous headstones were knocked to the ground and smashed between Saturday and Monday night.

Police are reviewing security camera footage. Anybody with information should contact the police on 101.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This cowardly act of vandalism must not go unpunished. We are grateful to Kent Police for their swift response.”

Two people have been murdered today in Halle, Germany during Yom Kippur. A gunman attacked a synagogue, trying to blast his way in using explosives, but failed and then murdered a female passerby in the street. He then attacked a kebab shop, murdering a man there too, laughing as he did so. Video of the attack was broadcast live on social media. The attacker said that he was a Holocaust denier and claimed that feminism was reducing birth rates in the West necessitating mass immigration, which he said was all caused by “the Jew”.

Last week, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt suggested that Government grants for security at British synagogues was a waste of money. Campaign Against Antisemitism is making a disciplinary complaint to the Conservative Party.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Once again, Jews around the world end a holy day only to discover that yet again, while we in Britain prayed, there has been an attempt to slaughter Jews for their Judaism, this time in Halle, Germany by a terrorist of the extreme right who has murdered two innocents. All over the world, far-right, far-left and Islamist fanatics are stoking the flames of Jew-hatred with too little being done to stop them. In Britain Jews are already accustomed to worshipping in fortified synagogues surrounded by blast walls and security guards. Those who enable or fail to act against this resurgent hatred are complicit in the rising toll from antisemitic terrorist attacks around the world. We mourn with the Jewish community and people of Halle. Today as Yom Kippur ends, we are brutally reminded why all decent human beings must all stand #TogetherAgainstAntisemitism, not just in word but in deed.”

Those wishing to show solidarity with the Jewish community at this time may wish to visit TogetherAgainstAntisemitism.com to add a badge to their social media profiles.

A Jewish man walking in the vicinity of Middlesex University was followed by a suspect screaming “Jews should f*** off” and “they let the Jews in in 1533 [sic]: they never should have been let in.” He also repeatedly threatened: “I am going to f***ing get you!”.

Shomrim North West London, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, reported that the suspect also tried to hit the man and was seen pulling an elderly lady’s shopping trolley with one hand as he swung the other with a closed fist.

The incident took place at 12:20 today on The Burroughs in Hendon, North London, and the suspect was described as 5’10 in height with tanned skin, black hair, a full black beard and no spectacles, wearing a zipped-up dark blue bomber jacket with dark blue trousers.

If you have any information, please contact the police on 101 or Shomrim North West London on 0300 999 1234, quoting reference number: CAD3147 07/10/2019.

Police and Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, are investigating verbal and physical assault against multiple Jews in the Stamford Hill area.

The incidents, which took place around Ilan Square during the Jewish Sabbath on 5th October, involved several youths, reportedly aged between 10-15 years old, on bicycles, harassing passersby on the pathway near the swings, shouting “let’s get a hold of them; Jews control everything” and “I have a gun”, while physically assaulting the Jewish passersby with their bicycles.

One witness added that the youths yelled: “Stop! Where are you from? Where are you from?” in an effort to cause an altercation.

Responding to the incident, the Mayor of Hackney tweeted: “Glad this is being investigated, disgusted to hear this has happened.”

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD5294/5317 06/10/19.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Holocaust denial is not a form of speech protected under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Rulings by the ECHR do not bind English judges, but they do take them into account when interpreting statutes and their consistency with the Convention under the Human Rights Act 1998. The ECHR is not an institution of the European Union and is unaffected by Brexit.

The case involved a member of the Land Parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Germany, Udo Pastoers, speaking in that Parliament in a ceremony on Holocaust Memorial Day in 2010. In his speech he said: “With the exception of the groups whose cooperation you have bought, hardly anyone is truly, emotionally taking part in your theatrical display of concern. And why is that? Because people can sense that the so-called Holocaust is being used for political and commercial purposes…Since the end of the Second World War, Germans have been exposed to an endless barrage of criticism and propagandistic lies — cultivated in a dishonest manner primarily by representatives of the so-called democratic parties, ladies and gentlemen. Also, the event that you organised here in the castle yesterday was nothing more than you imposing your Auschwitz projections onto the German people in a manner that is both cunning and brutal. You are hoping, ladies and gentlemen, for the triumph of lies over truth.”

The Parliament revoked his parliamentary immunity and he was prosecuted, as Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany.

He appealed his case through several courts in Germany and eventually the case came before the ECHR on the grounds that the prosecution breached his freedom of expression.

Article 10 of the Convention states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society…for the protection of the reputation or rights of others…”

The ECHR stated that Mr Pastoers had “intentionally stated untruths in order to defame the Jews and the persecution that they had suffered during the Second World War” and that it considered that his “impugned statements affected the dignity of the Jews to the point that they justified a criminal-law response.”

The ECHR found that “there is no appearance of a violation of Article 10 of the Convention” in the conviction of Mr Pastoers and that the appeal was “manifestly ill-founded”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism secured a similar blow for historical truth in landmark legal action against Alison Chabloz over her songs mocking Holocaust survivors and claiming that the Holocaust was a Jewish fraud, resulting in Holocaust denial being deemed by the English courts for the first time to be “grossly offensive” and therefore illegal when used as a means by which to hound Jews.

Jacek Tchorzewski, an 18-year-old neo-Nazi Polish national staying in Buckinghamshire, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Mr Tchorzewski was arrested at Luton Airport in February on suspicion of terrorism offences as he tried to board a flight to Poland, with police recovering an “enormous amount” of digital documents, including manuals on making explosives and weapons. In one voice recording, Mr Tchorzewski said it was his “dream” to “plan some terrorism” and carry out an attack, and he wrote in a notebook found while he was remanded: “Let’s fill our hearts with terror and London’s streets with blood.”

Other documents included extreme right-wing material which praised Hitler, neo-Nazism and Satanism and also featured antisemitic sentiments and even called for genocide. He was also said to be connected to convicted terrorist Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski, who was jailed in June.

Mr Tchorzewski pleaded guilty on 21st June at the Old Bailey to ten counts of possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He was sentenced on 20th September at the Old Bailey.

Campaign Against Antisemitism wishes to thank the police and security services for their vigilance.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to take action against a man who displayed a large Nazi swastika flag on the side of a property near the A474 flyover in Neath, Wales.

South Wales Police arrested the 55-year-old man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after a passerby took a picture of the flag and posted it on social media. However, the CPS reportedly decided that no further action should be taken against the man.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “During the last four years, CAA has had to resort successfully to private legal action due to the Crown Prosecution Service’s repeated failure to defend British Jews.

“It is appalling that the CPS has once again refused to send the message that public expressions of hatred towards the Jewish community will not be tolerated”

In West Sussex, the graffiti message “F*** Jews” was discovered scrawled on a bus shelter in Handcross, before it was painted over by contractors. Local councillor Norman Webster insisted that “there must be zero-tolerance of antisemitism in our community.”

In Stamford Hill on 9th September, two Jewish women were confronted by a male wearing dark clothing who spat at them. The incident took place near Leweston Place. Anyone with further information should contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, on 020 7118 7756, citing CAD 6035.

In Gateshead in Tyne and Wear on 12th September, as twenty Jews left a wedding, a male on a bicycle shouted racist remarks and expletives referencing Jews on Bewick Road.

In Stamford Hill on 25th September three teenagers approached a Jewish man on Fairholt Road and threw off his hat and skullcap, laughed and made off. Anyone with further information should contact the police on 101, or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 020 7118 7756, citing CAD 1181.

In Lewes in East Sussex on 26th September graffiti was painted on a fence reading: “F*** the Jews, Soros’ whores, traitors”, a reference to the wealthy Jewish financier and political activist, George Soros.

These are just a sample of the antisemitic incidents that have taken place in the UK over the past month and that have not received extensive coverage. In some Jewish communities, threats and attacks such as these have become routine. Together, along with the myriad other incidents that are publicised and those that are not reported at all, as well as the innumerable instances of antisemitism online, they give an indication of what Jews in the UK today have to face.

A judge has refused to jail Shehroz Iqbal, who was convicted of posting antisemitic posters and has two known past antisemitism convictions.

Mr Iqbal pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 20th September to displaying written material that is “threatening, abusive or insulting, intending thereby to stir up racial hatred”, contrary to section 19 of the Public Order Act, after sticking antisemitic posters on a Chabad-Lubavitch centre in East London.

Mr Iqbal, dressed in camouflage and wearing a hood, appended the posters to the building and an underpass on 17th March 2017. A member of the public witnessed the crime but police arrived too late. The police explained that they forensically examined the posters and Mr Iqbal was arrested the following March.

He was given a twelve-month sentence, suspended for two years, along with 30 days’ rehabilitation and 60 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £100 for breaching a previous sentence.

However, Campaign Against Antisemitism notes that Mr Iqbal already received a suspended sentence in 2016 for making antisemitic death threats and again in 2018 when he pleaded guilty to sending a false message over a public electronic communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety, under section 127(2)(a) of the Communications Act 2003 after sending a threatening message to Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We commend the police for their diligence and dedication in pursuing this case, but this sentence is far too lenient considering that this is Mr Iqbal’s third known antisemitic offence and his breach of a previous sentence. Deterrence is a vital weapon in the fight against antisemitic hate crime. We have asked the Attorney General’s Office to review this unsuitable sentence. The courts must do far more to deter antisemitic hate crime.”

The new President of the European Parliament, the EU’s deliberative body, has expressed concern over the “worrying rise of antisemitism in Europe”, and pledged to fight it.

David Sassoli made the comments in a meeting in Brussels with the Conference of European Rabbis, a group of 700 European religious figures.

Following the meeting, Mr Sassoli tweeted that “our Parliament is committed to fight the worrying rise of antisemitism in Europe.”

In July, an EU report showed that nearly half of young Jewish Europeans have considered emigration out of fear of antisemitism, and 80 percent of people surveyed considered antisemitism to be a problem in their countries. Almost half had experienced at least one antisemitic incident in the preceding year.

Moments ago, notorious antisemite and Holocaust denier Alison Chabloz was jailed for eight weeks, of which she will serve at least four. She was also ordered to pay court costs of £175 within 10 weeks.

District Judge Jonathan Taaffe found Ms Chabloz guilty of breaching the conditions of her suspended sentence after blog posts that she published since June 2018 were found to constitute a breach of a social media ban. Ms Chabloz was handcuffed in court to begin her sentence as her parents, who were in attendance, looked on. The trial in Chesterfield today follows contact between Campaign Against Antisemitism’s lawyers and the National Probation Service.

Last year, Ms Chabloz was convicted on three charges of sending grossly offensive communications via a public communications network. That case began as a private prosecution by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which was then taken over and continued by the Crown Prosecution Service. The charges related to three self-penned songs in which she denounced a supposed Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world and attacked the Holocaust as a fraud perpetrated by Jews for financial gain.

The conviction set a new precedent in British law, effectively delivering a landmark precedent verdict on incitement on social media and on whether the law considers Holocaust denial to be “grossly offensive” and therefore illegal when used as a means by which to hound Jews.

Ms Chabloz was sentenced to a twenty-week prison sentence suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid community service, an indefinite order against contacting two leaders of Campaign Against Antisemitism, as well as an order banning her from social media for twelve months. She was also ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge, and costs of £600. Earlier this year, the conviction and sentence were upheld at Southwark Crown Court, where Judge Christopher Hehir, sitting with lay magistrate Ms M Rego, said of Ms Chabloz, “She is a Holocaust denier…she is manifestly antisemitic and obsessed with the wrongdoing of Jews,” adding that, on the subject of the Holocaust, “she has lost all sense of perspective.”

Ms Chabloz has also been banned from entering France, where Holocaust denial is illegal, for forty years until 2059.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We are delighted that justice has taken its proper course. Today’s trial follows contact between Campaign Against Antisemitism’s lawyers and the National Probation Service, and we are grateful for their cooperation. We hope that this sentence will send a message that antisemitism is unacceptable and that the courts will not hesitate to use the powers at their disposal to bring offenders to justice.”

A neo-Nazi who possessed a bomb-making manual, in addition to instructions on how to make firearms, has been jailed for four years on terror offences.

Jacek Tchorzewski was stopped by police at Luton Airport where violent documents were found on his mobile phone alongside images of extreme right-wing material and symbols.

He was connected with the neo-Nazi organisation, Sonnenkrieg Division, and described himself in a document as one of “the most radical Nazis.”  

He had several books relating to neo-Nazism and the occult which included, according to Prosecutor Naomi Parsons, a Satanist text demonstrating a “marked fixation with blood, the sexualisation of violence, a paedophilic projection of adult sexuality onto children, and with achieving National Socialist political goals through political violence and acts of terrorism.”

Mr Tchorzewski was an associate of Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski, a fellow neo-Nazi who encouraged an attack on Prince Harry and was jailed in June.

Mr Tchorzewski pled guilty to ten counts of possession of a document or record containing information of use to a terrorist, contrary to section 58 (1) (b) of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Last Friday, at the Old Bailey, Mr Tchorzewski was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. 

Image credit: Bedfordshire police

A sixteen-year-old pupil at a top school who allegedly drew a Hitler moustache above his lip and performed a Nazi salute outside a synagogue near Glasgow has been charged by police.

There is reportedly a video of the incident, which began circulating on social media on 13th September, and within days the boy has been identified and charged,

The boy allegedly made the antisemitic gesture outside Giffnock Shul, the largest synagogue in Scotland, which also hosts numerous communal organisations.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “A sixteen-year-old boy has been charged and is the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal and the Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration in connection with the incident.”

It is a sad reflection of the state of education that a schoolboy could find amusement in mimicking Adolf Hitler, but the local police should be applauded for reacting so swiftly, signalling that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

In an unprovoked incident, a man driving a grey van yelled “Heil Hitler” and targeted a Jewish man with a Nazi salute on his way to synagogue on Sunday.

The incident took place at 9.55 on Bethune Road in Stamford Hill, and was reported to police by Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

Anybody with information should call the police on 101, quoting reference CAD1288/16/09/2019 Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

A far-right “freedom picnic” held for Poles in Bury, Manchester on 15th September featured Stanisław Michalkiewicz, who once said that Poles are “being outmanoeuvred by Judeans who are trying to force our government to pay extortion money disguised as compensation [for the Holocaust]”.

Mr Michalkiewicz is a host on Radio Maryja, a Polish station described by a major American anti-hate organisation as having “a long history of broadcasting antisemitism to its followers.” He is also reportedly in legal trouble in Poland after allegedly calling a thirteen-year-old sexual abuse survivor a “whore”.

Another speaker, Sławomir Mentzen, was apparently behind the Party’s slogan, “We don’t want Jews, gays, abortion, taxes and the EU”, while Sebastian Ross, who also spoke, has reportedly suggested that Jews are using “guilt” to exploit antisemitism and generate funds for monitoring it.

The freedom picnic was apparently organised by the far-right Polish Konfederacja party, which has followers in the UK.

A woman with a history of mental health problems and targeting Jewish homes threw bricks at the windows of two houses occupied by Jewish families yesterday morning.

The incident, which occurred on Cadoxton Avenue in Stamford Hill, caused significant damage to the houses.

The woman, who has reportedly just been released from hospital, has a history of targeting Jewish homes, having previously fixed red bands to the gates of houses with a Mezuzah, a decorative case containing a Jewish prayer which is traditionally fixed to the doorpost of a Jewish home, in order to mark where Jews live.

Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, quickly arrived to restrain her and she was sectioned by police and moved to a place of safety. Officers attending the scene declined to record the incident as a hate crime.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends Stamford Hill Shomrim on its swift response. We recognise the need to treat people with mental health problems sensitively, but we are concerned that too little has been done to prevent this individual from repeatedly targeting Jewish people. We are endeavouring to find out more about plans to prevent her from vandalising Jews’ homes again in the future.

A group of a dozen “preachers” reportedly targeted Jews leaving synagogue on during the Jewish Sabbath last weekend, haranguing them with a string of antisemitic epithets. As the community ended its prayers and families walked back home they were told that “Jews control the world”, “Jews control money”, “Jews will destroy the world” and “Jews have long noses”.

A video posted online by the group, which appears to be an offshoot of the black supremacist hate organisation calling itself the Israelite Church of G-d in Jesus Christ, shows the group of men claiming that Jews are the “children of fools” and of “base men” whose circumcisions involve “sucking off little boys”. The preachers predicted that they would load the Jews, whom they described as descendants of the biblical figure Amalek, onto ships with “no destination” where they would be forced to “eat your own faeces”.

Berating Jews as the “money muscle” behind wars, the preachers said that they awaited the time when they could “grab these damn Amalekite [Jewish] babies and smash their heads into stone”, explaining that they would “smash their heads, brains all over the place.”

When a black woman passing by remonstrated with them as they claimed that the past kings of England were in fact all black, the preachers berated her for wearing trousers, declaring that they would only want her to dress that way prior to sex. They then turned their ire on anybody who was not heterosexual, describing them as “garbage”.

The comments were made outside Sainsbury’s in Stamford Hill on Saturday 7th September between 13:00 and 16:00 to hundreds of Jews and other passersby, amplified through a loudspeaker reportedly heard up to half a mile away.

Non-Jewish passersby called the police, but when two officers arrived the preachers stopped making antisemitic remarks. The officers declined to make arrests as only two officers were available. When the officers left, the antisemitic denunciations began again.

Following an outcry from Stamford Hill Shomrim, a neighbourhood watch patrol run by Jewish volunteers, the Mayor of the Borough of Hackney has offered assurances that investigations are underway.

If you witnessed this incident, please contact the police on 101, citing reference number CAD3094 of 8th September 2019, and contact Campaign Against Antisemitism by e-mailing investigations@antisemitism.org or by calling 0330 822 0321 and choosing option 2.

A neo-Nazi who displayed racist stickers on lampposts, signs and noticeboards in 2017 and 2018 has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Nathan Worrell, aged 46, was found guilty at Grimsby Crown Court of eight offences under the Public Order Act 1986, including possessing, publishing or distributing material to stir up racial hatred and stirring up racial hatred, after police discovered neo-Nazi memorabilia at his home, including flags and fridge magnets, as well as a wardrobe of boxer shorts and other clothing adorned with swastikas. A number of the stickers he posted up around Grimsby voiced support for Combat 18, a violent antisemitic neo-Nazi organisation. Mr Worrell’s fingerprints were found on two neo-Nazi stickers, sticker designs were found on his computer, and his internet search history included “white supremacy fliers to download”.

Jenny Hopkins, Head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, charged that he “is a committed neo-Nazi” and that “From the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed, he surrounds himself with images of Hitler, the SS and the Third Reich.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin, the Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, concluded that he “has not learnt or changed his behaviour” and that he was “inciting hatred, potentially threatening public safety and security as well as the stability of the local community”.

Mr Worrell was previously imprisoned in 2008 for racially aggravated harassment and possessing terrorist material after persistently threatening an interracial couple and collecting bomb manuals and chemicals.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends the authorities for acting to protect the public from Mr Worrell and the court for its firm sentence.

A man named only as Mr Lorinczi has walked free after his conviction for throwing glass bottles at two Jewish people and shouting antisemitic abuse.

On the evening of Friday 30th August at about 23:00, he threw the glass bottles at two Jewish individuals and shouted comments about Hitler. The incident took place outside the petrol station on Craven Park Road in Stamford Hill. Police officers happened to be passing by and arrested the attacker.

Mr Lorinczi pleaded guilty to racially/religiously aggravated common assault and on 4th September but was allowed to walk free after his sentence of six months in prison was suspended for eighteen months. He was also given a three-month alcohol treatment requirement and 30 days’ rehabilitation activity requirements, and was ordered to pay £100 for criminal damage and £200 compensation to the victims.

Campaign Against Antisemitism applauds the police and magistrates for their swift action, however we regret that this violent act, which could have caused serious injury, did not result in an immediate custodial sentence.

Southend residents have expressed concern over the appearance of a sticker supporting Combat 18, a violent antisemitic neo-Nazi organisation.

The sticker depicts the Nazi eagle atop a swastika and was displayed on a railing by the seafront.

Combat 18 was founded in the UK in 1992 and has links to groups in Canada and the United States. The number 18 in its name refers to Adolf Hitler’s initials, which are the first and eighth letters of the alphabet.

Five children aged five to eleven, recognisably Jewish from their clothing, were told by other children and teenagers that “Jewish children are not allowed on the slides” or other playground equipment before being punched and kicked and chased out of the park.

The attack took place on 26th August in the Lordship Road park in Stamford Hill, by the reservoirs and Berkeley Homes development.

The family of the victims reported the incident to Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 3929 04/09/19.

David Aherne from Tottenham has been jailed for shouting “one, two, three, Heil Hitler” and “go have a sausage sandwich” at a Jewish family on 10th July.

While on the 149 bus in the vicinity of Stamford Hill, Mr Aherne shouted the antisemitic comments at a Jewish couple and their three children. When the victims tried to prevent Mr Aherne from alighting until the police arrived, he threatened to pull down his trousers in front of the family. Police officers arrested Mr Aherne along with a female suspect, who was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim to have shouted “Heil Hitler” and threatened to kill the family.

Mr Aherne appeared at at Wood Green Crown Court on 13th August 2019 where he pleaded guilty to causing racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress and causing religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress under section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986. He has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, reacted to the sentence: “At a time of rising antisemitism, Jews who are recognisable from their clothing, are being increasingly targeted by antisemites. With this verdict and sentence, the courts have sent an important message: Jew-hatred has no place in Britain’s free and open society.”

Passengers on a Metrolink tram in Manchester were forced on Thursday to defend a young orthodox charedi Jewish couple from a man who repeatedly harassed them about “Gaza”.

As the tram passed through the city centre on the Bury line at approximately 22:30 on Thursday evening, a young black man began accosting the Jewish couple, demanding that they answer questions about Gaza. The man approached the couple but they then moved away from him and other passengers moved to stand between them.

As the man claimed: “He doesn’t care about the situation, I know for a fact” another passenger retorted: “Tell me have you been smoking something? You’re full of it.” Another interjected: “He’s been drinking. I’d close that mouth, mate.”

The man continued to shout “Does he know about Gaza?” across the carriage, forcing other passengers to stand up to him, physically barring his way and at points restraining him as he tried to approach the couple. One man said: “I’m not having this in my city” and another challenged him: “What right have you to ask a question of anybody?” The man kept calling out to the Jewish couple, telling the husband: “Rabbi, come here, mate.” When asked whether he was from Manchester, the man said he was from “Palestine”.

Another Jewish passenger asked the man why he was not asking her about Gaza, enquiring whether it was because she was not recognisably Jewish from her attire. The man was momentarily speechless as other Mancunians unanimously said: “Exactly!”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has reported the matter to the police. We would like to encourage anybody who witnessed the incident or knows the identity of anyone who was involved to call the police on 101 and contact investigations@antisemitism.org, or call us on 0330 822 0321, choosing option 2.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends those who defended the Jewish couple against antisemitism. Jewish people should not be subjected to taunting and harassment in public, and Manchester can be proud that this particular antisemite was given short shrift.

An intoxicated man who told a police officer, “I bet you are a Jew,” has admitted racially aggravated harassment.

Rahan Rahman, 27, made the comment when he was being held in Bridewall police station on 3rd July.

Mr Rahan, of Nottingham, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment and was fined £200 by Nottingham Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs as well as a £32 surcharge.

He is also voluntarily undertaking support groups for alcoholism.

Notorious antisemite and Holocaust denier Alison Chabloz will stand trial next month in Chesterfield, where it will be determined whether blog posts published by her since June 2018 constitute a breach of the social media ban that was imposed as a part of her sentence. The trial follows contact between Campaign Against Antisemitism’s lawyers and the National Probation Service.

Separately, Ms Chabloz discovered that she has been banned from entering France for forty years, until 2059, when she would be 95 years old. Posting on the social media platform Gab, known for its popularity with right-wing extremists, Ms Chabloz revealed that a recent attempt to visit France resulted in her being interviewed by both French police and the Counter-Terrorism Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Last year, Ms Chabloz was convicted on three charges of sending grossly offensive communications via a public communications network. The case began as a private prosecution by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which was then taken over and continued by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The charges related to three self-penned songs in which she denounced a supposed Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world and attacked the Holocaust as a fraud perpetrated by Jews for financial gain.

The conviction set a new precedent in British law, effectively delivering a landmark precedent verdict on incitement on social media and on whether the law considers Holocaust denial to be “grossly offensive” and therefore illegal when used as a means by which to hound Jews.

District Judge John Zani found Ms Chabloz guilty and sentenced her to a 20-week prison sentence suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid community service, an indefinite order against contacting two leaders of Campaign Against Antisemitism, as well as an order banning her from social media for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge, and costs of £600. Earlier this year, the conviction and sentence were upheld at Southwark Crown Court, where Judge Christopher Hehir, sitting with lay magistrate Ms M Rego, said of Ms Chabloz, “She is a Holocaust denier…she is manifestly antisemitic and obsessed with the wrongdoing of Jews,” adding that, on the subject of the Holocaust, “she has lost all sense of perspective.”

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We look forward, as ever, to the law taking its proper course.”

Police are investigating after a man reportedly shoved a pram and called a Jewish family “dirty Jews” outside a Pret a Manger coffee shop in St Albans in Hertfordshire on Sunday afternoon. He then repeated the “dirty Jews” comment.

Some of this shocking antisemitic abuse was captured on video by Michael, who was one of the victims along with his in-laws and their baby.

According to The Independent, which posted the video, the man who was dressed in an orange t-shirt and trousers, walked past the coffee shop in St Peter’s Street in St Albans and “shoved the pram rather aggressively with the infant in it.” When the family asked why, he said that it was because they were “dirty Jews.”

Michael, who does not wish to give his surname, said that: “At that point I took out my phone and started filming and asked him to repeat it, which he did.” He also kicked an advertising board towards them as he stormed off.

Michael explained that they were “clearly identifiable” as Jews because he, his brother-in law and father-in-law wear Jewish skullcaps called kippot.

A spokeswoman from Hertfordshire Police confirmed: “Officers are investigating and any witnesses, or anyone with information, should contact Hertfordshire Constabulary on the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/70651/19.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism is following developments very closely.

A far-right antisemite who tried to burn down the United Kingdom’s third oldest synagogue has been found guilty of terror crimes.

Triston Morgan carried out the arson attack on Exeter Synagogue on 21st July 2018.

When arrested, Morgan was found to be in possession of antisemitic, white supremacist, and neo-Nazi propaganda, including material promoting Holocaust denial, “ethnic cleansing” and “Jewish global power,” which included the “White Resistance Manual.” In addition to this, he possessed 24 knives, including a hunting knife, a sword and the axe he used in the synagogue attack.  

According to a US prosecutor in California, the White Resistance Manual is “basically a guerrilla warfare manual instructing people on different types of weapons, on creating weapons, on police investigations, basically how to conduct covert urban operations.”

The manual itself states: “No longer will we allow the Jews to live like parasites upon the body of our race. No longer will we tolerate any Jewish influence in our political system, our legal system or our mass-media.” 

Mr Morgan pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life. He also pleaded guilty to encouraging terrorism by publishing a song entitled “White Man” to the streaming website Soundcloud, as well as to collecting information for terrorist purposes by using a copy of the White Resistance Manual.

Last week at the Old Bailey, Judge Anthony Leonard QC sentenced Mr Morgan to an indeterminate hospital order and a ten-year terrorist notification order.

The comedian Rachel Creeger has reported to Campaign Against Antisemitism that on a recent evening out in London she was harassed by a group of four men chanting antisemitic slogans at her and her husband, who was wearing a skullcap.

The men chanted “Yid army” as Ms. Creeger and her husband were in the lift to the platform. They then all happened to alight at the same station to change trains, and as they all approached the escalator the men began quietly chanting “Jew, Jew, Jew”. At one point they also whistled the Seven Nation Army tune, likely as a reference to the popular chant “Oh Jeremy Corbyn”.

Ms. Creeger disclosed that “these sort of things happen now and then. I don’t always share them, at least on this occasion our kids weren’t with us.”

Stephen Silverman, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Director of Investigations and Enforcement, said: “It is unacceptable that this sort of everyday antisemitism has become normalised in the UK. It also appears to illustrate just how significant a contribution Jeremy Corbyn has made to the rise and mainstreaming of antisemitism — so much so that his very name has become synonymous with Jew-baiting.”

On 28th May, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In recent months, eleven MPs have resigned from the Labour Party over antisemitism, along with a large number of MEPs, councillors and members.

Over 55,000 people have now signed our petition denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”

Police are investigating an alleged antisemitic incident after a 66-year-old Jewish pensioner was spat at and called “You f***ing P*** Jew.”

According to the Asian Image, the shocking incident occurred in Rossendale near Manchester on 15th June.

Jane Parker-Lisberg, who lives with her husband, Malcolm, in Rossendale, was reportedly visiting a house to pay for a pet when a man who was said to be known to the occupier of the house started shouting abuse at her.

Described the incident to the Asian Image, Ms Parker-Lisberg explained: “He turns around and says give me £50! He then shoved me so hard I hit the wall. He then spits in my face and went on to say, “You f***ing P*** Jew.”

She continued: “As he went out on to the street outside I heard him say ‘The P***s [slur word for people of Pakistani descent] and the Jews have stolen this country.’ There were parents with children on Spring Street and they must have heard this. Then he said he was going to burn my house down.”

Ms Parker-Lisberg said she called the police and an ambulance was dispatched.

She told the Asian Image: “I had a heart attack five years ago and then another one in April. Since then I have had three further heart attacks.” She added: “The incident has completely shocked me and I am scared for my wellbeing.”

Police confirmed that they were called at around 16:15 on 15th June following reports of an assault at an address in Spring Street, Rossendale.

A police statement said: “A woman in her 60s reported she had a verbal altercation with a man before falling over and injuring her back. The victim reported she was then racially and religiously abused. An investigation is underway and enquiries on-going.”

Anybody with information should contact the police on 101 or investigations@antisemitism.org.

A man has been found guilty of racially aggravated crimes after he told his colleagues that “Hitler should have finished the job” and etched a swastika into a piece of metal at work.

On a Friday in February 2019, Shane Pegg, a former employee of a London-based steel company, made antisemitic comments towards a colleague. When the company’s owner witnessed the abuse on the CCTV, he intervened and escorted Mr Pegg off of the premises and locked the building’s gates.

Mr Pegg reached through the gates, slapped his colleague, and fled the scene on his scooter. He returned to verbally abuse both his colleague and the company owner, shouting antisemitic hate speech which was directed at both of them. This included the phrases “Hitler should have finished the job” and “f*****g Jews.”

On the following Monday, it was discovered at the defendant’s work area that a swastika had been etched into a metal bar and the word “c**t” was found on some plastic sheeting. CCTV captured Mr Pegg carrying out these actions.

Mr Pegg was charged with racially aggravated criminal damage and criminal damage, as well as racially aggravated abusive behaviour. He pleaded guilty to the charge of racially aggravated criminal damage, but not guilty to the charge of racially aggravated abusive behaviour. However, he was found guilty on both counts.  

At Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, Mr Pegg was sentenced to 140 hours of unpaid work and twenty days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation and an £85 surcharge.

Image credit: Google

Two neo-Nazi teenagers who encouraged attacks against Jews were found guilty of terrorism on Wednesday.  

Michal Szewczuk, 19, and Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski, 18, were members of the Sonnenkrieg Division, a neo-Nazi group. Both Mr Szewczuk and Mr Dunn-Koczorowski posted propaganda that encouraged terrorist attacks and suggested targets that included Jews and non-whites.

They ran personal accounts on the Gab social media site, as well as sharing control of the Sonnenkrieg’s own page. They also glorified the Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Breivik, suggested that Prince Harry should be shot for being a “race traitor,” and said that white women who date with non-white men should be hanged.  

Mr Szewczuk pleaded guilty to one count under Section 1 (encouraging terrorism) and five counts under Section 58 (possession of material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism) of the Terrorism Act 2006. He was sentenced to four years and three months’ imprisonment.

Mr Dunn-Koczorowski pleaded guilty to two counts under Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006 and was sentenced to an eighteen-month detention and training order.

The trial was held at the Old Bailey and was presided under Judge Rebecca Poulet QC.

Image credit: Counter Terrorism Policing North East

Witnesses are being sought over antisemitic remarks that were made during the “Al Quds Day” parade in central London on Sunday afternoon.

A member of the public has provided Campaign Against Antisemitism with a recording of a group standing and watching the parade. As anti-terrorist activists waving Israeli flags walked by, a man whose face cannot be seen, can be heard saying: “I’m feeling very dirty with all that [sic] Jewish flags, feel like I need a shower”, referring to some of the gas chambers at concentration camps which were disguised as shower rooms and used to massacre Jews in large groups.

Separately, another member of the public, Councillor Stephen Canning, told Campaign Against Antisemitism that they had heard men saying: “Jews everywhere, I need a shower” and “Lads, let’s do a sieg heil.” “Sieg heil” was a common chant at political rallies in Nazi Germany, meaning “hail victory”. He also provided a photograph of the group that he bravely took and tweeted at the time.

The comments were made on Sunday at around 17:30 outside the Red Lion pub at 48 Parliament Street in Westminster. Anybody with information about the group described should contact Campaign Against Antisemitism at investigations@antisemitism.org.

As soon as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) launched its statutory investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party on Tuesday, supporters of the Party proved how urgent the investigation was by declaring that there is no antisemitism within Labour, and additionally that the Commission was controlled by Jews or Zionists or even the Israeli government.

Threats have been made by a “Corbyn supporter”, who we can name as David Lindsay, against the Commission’s staff and Campaign Against Antisemitism’s legal team. We have reported the matter to the police and expect him to feel the full force of the law.

Adam Wagner is one of the barristers representing Campaign Against Antisemitism as the complainant in the Commission’s investigation. Mr Wagner has been the subject of calls for violence by Mr Lindsay, who seems to be a prolific writer of abusive letters and social media posts. So far, Mr Lindsay has written a blog post and he has tweeted links to the blog post as well as explicit calls for violence against Mr Wagner.

Mr Lindsay tweeted: “Does @jeremycorbyn really have those Irish, Middle Eastern and other connections [referring to his connections to the IRA, Hamas and Hizballah]? If so, then the members and the senior staff of @EHRC need to be visited at home. The Boys might usefully begin with @AdamWagner1. #EHRC #Antisemitism #LabourAntisemitism” followed by a link to the blog post. Another tweet said: “Here comes @EHRC on the orders of the Israeli Embassy, by which it is controlled. Against @jeremycorbyn, with whom one of its members, @AdamWagner1, is completely obsessed. #Antisemitism #LabourAntisemitism” also followed by a link to the blog post.

Other activists have stopped short of making threats, but have been taking to Twitter to suggest that the Commission is made up of Jews who would be biased. One tweet read: “EHRC is Chaired by David Isaac he is jewish, most EHRC are. Sky News just reported EHRC said they can’t report on Islamophobia because of funding issues. So how can they find funding to investigate labour antisemitism.” Another said: “To be honest, I am more concerned about the roles of Isaac and Hilsenrath (Chairman and CEO of EHRC), both establishment Jews I believe, in taking the decision to investigate, and during the investigation itself. Standard corporate governance would suggest they should step aside.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has reported the matter to the police. Twitter has so far refused to remove the tweets.

This response from supporters of Jeremy Corbyn amply demonstrates why the Commission’s investigation is so urgent.

https://twitter.com/davidaslindsay/status/1133395803194777600
https://twitter.com/RowlandsOliver/status/1133453165913878528

A swastika has been carved on a lift in the Norman Shaw North Building of the Parliamentary Estate in London.

The disturbing discovery was made by Oliver Denton Lieberman, the Office Manager for Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, Tulip Siddiq. Mr Lieberman tweeted: “Unbelievable but true — someone has scratched a swastika into the door of our lift in Parliament. Nazi graffiti in the Mother of Parliaments. A sickening act.” He added that he has reported the vandalism to the police.

A spokesperson for the House of Commons told the Jewish News: “We are aware of some highly offensive graffiti in a lift on the Estate and it will be removed as a matter of urgency.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism condemns this appalling act in the heart of British democracy and thanks the House of Commons staff for their swift response.

Jack Renshaw, the former spokesman for National Action, a neo-Nazi terrorist group with a deep rooted antisemitic ideology, has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 20 years, over his plot to kill his MP, Rosie Cooper.

Mr Renshaw denied being a member of National Action and a jury was unable to reach a verdict on that charge in April last year.

National Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in December 2016 following a long campaign by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others. Under section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000, membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation is a criminal offence.

Mr Renshaw was sentenced at the Old Bailey for preparing acts of terrorism against Ms Cooper and for threatening to kill a police officer who had been investigating him. He pleaded guilty to both offences last year.

As he was led away in court, he reportedly made what appeared to be a Nazi salute. The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, is grossly offensive to Jews and is a well-known fascist gesture.

In sentencing Mr Renshaw, Justice McGowan said that: “Your perverted view of history and current politics has caused you to believe it right to demonise groups simply because they are different from you. This is a case in which only a sentence of life imprisonment can meet the appalling seriousness of your offending.”

In 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to prosecute Mr Renshaw after lawyers for Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to declare our intention to launch a private prosecution. Mr Renshaw was charged with two offences of incitement to racial hatred in relation to speeches made in 2016, as well as his tweets.

In a video of one of Renshaw’s speeches, he is heard to say: “Now, the refugee problem is part of a bigger problem. It’s a symptom of a disease. That disease is international Jewry. In World War Two, we took the wrong side. We should have been fighting the communists. Instead, we took the side of the communists, and fought the National Socialists who were there to remove Jewry from Europe once and for all. That’s what the Final Solution was. Instead, we let these parasites live among us, and they still do. They get into our councils, they get into our institutions, they get into our parliament, they run our banks, they run all of the companies we see around us. But we let these people, we let these people destroy us, and they are still destroying us now. And we’re pointing fingers at the symptoms and not the disease. Let’s cure the disease and then cure all of the symptoms by default…You can call me Nazi, you can call me fascist, that is what I am.”

Echoing his normal rhetoric, a Twitter account allegedly operated by Mr Renshaw was used to attack Jews, with one tweet declaring: “Jews are financial and cultural parasites, destroying Europe. Let’s actually start the ovens this time. #Holohoax #WithJewsWeLose #NSForever”. Another tweet claimed that the Holocaust was a hoax: “2.4 million Jews were living in Nazi territories, 3.8 million of those Jews applied for reparations and 6 million died? #BasicMath #Holohoax”.

Witness are being sought over two antisemitic attacks by the same perpetrator on Saturday 4th May as Jews returned home from synagogue in St John’s Wood, in London.

The first attack took place at approximately 12:10 directly outside St John’s Wood Synagogue on Grove End Road. Two men, one of them elderly and walking very slowly with a stick, were accosted by a man walking in the opposite direction. As he approached them, he turned and said “You f***ing Jews”, following up with a torrent of antisemitic abuse. The Jewish men were concerned that their abuser might become violent, so they walked away, at which point the younger Jewish man was kicked hard from behind. He called for security from the synagogue who spoke to the abuser, who they think they might have seen before in the area, whilst the Jewish men walked away.

Approximately five minutes later, the same man perpetrated a second attack, this time on Hall Road against a Jewish father walking home with his two young sons. The man chased after the family, shouting: “You’re scum! You’re all scum! Your people are scum! Disgusting people. F*** you! F*** your sons!” The father, concerned for his children grabbed their hands and crossed the road, but the man followed them, shouting: “Take that revolting thing off your head!” The father instructed his children to run home ahead of him as fast as they could.

The assailant then became distracted by the driver of a white saloon car that was waiting at the traffic lights on Hall Road, giving the father time to catch up with his children and run home with them.

The perpetrator of both attacks has been described to Campaign Against Antisemitism as a lean black man aged around 30 and 191 centimetres (6 feet and 3 inches) tall. At the time of the attacks, he was attired in a track suit with a red and grey top, and a black baseball cap emblazoned with the logo of the Los Angeles Raiders in white outline.

These attacks were committed in broad daylight against people walking with very young children and an elderly man. The perpetrator was violent and persistently abusive, in each case continuing his abuse while his victims tried to get away from him. It is important that he is brought to justice.

Anybody with information about the man described should call the police by dialling 101 and citing crime number 6531054/19, or e-mail Campaign Against Antisemitism at investigations@antisemitism.org. It would be especially helpful to hear from anyone who thinks that they may have seen this man before, was walking or driving in the area, or may have a CCTV system that may have recorded the roads between Grove End Road and Hall Road that afternoon.

A ten-metre high swastika has been daubed on the factory of H. Forman & Sons, established by Aaron ‘Harry’ Forman, who fled pogroms, and his son, a Holocaust survivor. Lance Forman, the third generation in the business, is the current proprietor.

The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating. The crime is believed to have been committed at around 23:30 last night. Witnesses should call the police on 101, or contact investigations@antisemitism.org and we will pass any information on. Officers are currently reviewing CCTV surveillance images.

Mr Forman tweeted: “Just returned from a business trip in the US to a call from my factory, that someone had done this!! A totally sick act. My father is a Holocaust survivor who fled the Nazis and came to the UK after the war. My great grandad and founder of Formans fled Antisemitic pogroms too.” He told the JC: “My dad fled the Nazis in Poland and is a Holocaust survivor who spent the war years as a child in a Siberian prison camp. He has worked with HET [the Holocaust Educational Trust] to teach children about the horrors of antisemitism. So the fact that we have been targeted in this antisemitic way is quite horrific and sick. The police have images of the culprits on CCTV and I sincerely hope they are tracked down.”

Mr Forman is currently a candidate for the Brexit Party and there has been some speculation that this antisemitic hate crime might have a political dimension.

Campaign Against Antisemitism condemns this appalling act of Jew-hatred committed at a time of increasing danger for Jews in Britain. We call on anybody who may have information about the incident or the perpetrators to do the right thing and contact the police.

A group of men allegedly approached an orthodox Jewish man on a London train and threatened to use a knife and scissors to cut off his sidelocks.

Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch, are looking into the incident. They said that the incident took place on a train in the London Underground near Oxford Circus Station in central London on Sunday.

If you have any more information, please contact Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123 or British Transport Police on 0800405040 and quote reference 253.

We are following this case with interest.

A man who allegedly forced his way into a synagogue in Stamford Hill in north London screaming that “I want to kill all disbelievers” is once again being sought by police after failing to appear in court.

Following the incident last month, Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch, were on the scene within 45 seconds. The suspect was subsequently arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service and charged with an offence of racially aggravated harassment, alarm and distress offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act.

However, the defendant failed to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates yesterday. The court issued a warrant for his arrest and he is now wanted by police.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commend Stamford Hill Shomrim and the Metropolitan Police Service for their extremely fast response to this extremely disturbing incident. We are following the case with interest.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

A man has been found guilty of racially abusing Jewish security personnel outside of a synagogue in Hendon, North West London.  

The incident, which occurred in March 2018, began when Alkarim Versi approached CST security officers to ask them questions about the synagogue. Mr Versi then began making abusive gestures and threats, which included telling them that “he had been in the army and had no issue killing again.”

On Monday, Mr Versi was tried at Harrow Crown Court for racially aggravated intentional harassment where, after his plea of “not guilty,” he was nevertheless found guilty and sentenced to a three-month prison sentence, suspended for fifteen months. He has also been ordered to undertake rehabilitation activity and pay a £115 victim surcharge.

UPDATE: In December 2020, Mr Versi issued an apology to the CST for his actions.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland is investigating shocking antisemitic comments made in a pub, including that “Hitler didn’t kill enough f***ing Jews.”

Israeli author and journalist, Tuvia Tenenbom, filmed several men inside a pub in Derry’s Bogside, a predominantly nationalist area, as part of a documentary on Brexit. The clip has been widely circulated online.

After entering the pub and seeing Palestinian flags on display, Mr Tenenbom asked drinkers at the bar why they support Palestine. Some of the blatantly antisemitic responses were: “Because we hate the f***ing Jews” and “The Israelis are child-murdering scum.” A man in an orange high-visibility jacket then declared: “The only thing that Hitler didn’t do wrong. He didn’t kill enough f***ing Jews…Jews are the scourge of the Earth.” The comment was met with laughter from other patrons.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that it is investigating the incident. Chief Inspector Gerard McLaughlin said: “Police have received a complaint in relation to a video on a social media site. Enquiries are ongoing into this incident.”

Condemnation from political leaders in Northern Ireland has been swift. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster called it: “A disgusting comment. The small Jewish community in Northern Ireland will always have my support and that of all right thinking people.”

A Sinn Féin spokesperson said that: “There is no place for racism, sectarianism, antisemitism or discrimination of any kind in our society.”

Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said that he did not think it was reflective of “mainstream thinking in Londonderry or anywhere else in Northern Ireland.”

Alliance leader Naomi Long said that there was “no place” for antisemitism in society, and said she hoped action would be taken.”

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood said that: “These comments are totally unacceptable; both the language and sentiment is not reflective of the people of Derry. I know the views expressed in the video will be widely and rightly rejected by the people of Derry.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomes the investigation by the police and is following the case with interest.

Charity worker Thomas Godwin has told BBC News that the failure of Devon and Cornwall Police to deal adequately with a sustained campaign of antisemitic abuse against him has left him feeling scared and vulnerable in his own home.

Mr Godwin, a resident of Tavistock in Devon, first contacted Campaign Against Antisemitism for help five months ago, after losing confidence in the ability of his local police force to keep him safe from antisemites who were repeatedly intimidating and threatening him. After he reported them to the police, a letter was sent anonymously to his place of work. It read, “We warning you Jew scum [sic] Stop talking to the pigs or else”, using the slang term for the police. The police did not collect this evidence of an antisemitic threat for two weeks, despite being aware that Mr Godwin was already being victimised for being Jewish.

In an emotional televised interview with BBC South West, Mr Godwin detailed the multiple failures of the investigation into this crime. Devon and Cornwall Police told him that a prosecution might not be in the public interest and attempted to pressure him into agreeing to mediation, which would have required him to sit down with people who have made it clear that they hate him for being Jewish. Mr Godwin also told the BBC that the police have not confronted the people he believes to be behind this antisemitic hate crime, choosing instead to make him feel as though he is the problem by telling him to take down the CCTV cameras he installed at his home for his security and advising him to move to another address.

Antisemitism has now reached a level unheard of since the end of the Second World War. Outside the UK, threats against Jewish people have translated into physical attacks and even murder. In this case, it appears that the police have completely failed to grasp the seriousness of the crime, and have sought to make the problem go away rather than ensure that the perpetrators feel the full force of the law. A senior officer with an understanding of antisemitic hate crime should now be appointed to carry out a thorough review of the way in which this investigation has been conducted.

In a statement issued to the BBC, Devon and Cornwall police said that “Local officers are also aware of and investigating a number of reports of harassment and anti-social behaviour; so far there has been insufficient evidence to progress these to the point of charge. All parties involved have been spoken to and offered mediation as a possible resolution.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to provide support to Mr Godwin who has filed a professional standards complaint against the police officers involved.

A man who screamed “Hitler should kill you” and other insults at children has been given a fine.

Jemeail Isaac from New Cross was fined £140 by Stratford Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.

The incident was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

An elderly Jewish man with a walking stick was allegedly attacked in Highbury Corner in Islington, London at around 14:15 yesterday. The defenceless man, said to be in his 70s, was reportedly left with “blood pouring from his mouth” in a completely unprovoked attack.

An eyewitness, Brittany Russell, told the Islington Gazette that it was “definitely a hate crime.” She said that: “The old man told us that he was standing there to catch his breath when the man came up to him and was asking if he was Jewish. Following that the man started to hit him and that’s when I was walking past with my mum.”

Speaking to the paper, another witness, Marian Kennedy, said that: “He was punching him violently and right in the face with a closed fist. The older gentleman was utterly defenceless. He was being hit really hard and my instinct was jump between them but there was so much rage and violence. There was nothing I could do. The older man was not retaliating at all. He was just standing there as the guy repeatedly swung.” She added that: “Blood was pouring from the old man’s mouth and his body must have taken a lot of blows. The attacker ran off very fast. He was manic.”

The witness said that the alleged attacker claimed that the elderly Jewish man had hit him with the stick but she doubted his claim, saying: “The old man wasn’t aggressive. He was just taking the blows. He kept going: ‘Please stop’.”

An appeal has been launched to find the alleged perpetrator who is described as being in his 30s, with a strong build and shaved head. He was seen wearing a checked shirt and overcoat running away from the scene shortly after the attack.

Anybody with information should immediately contact the Metropolitan Police Service by calling 101.

A Metropolitan Police Service spokesman confirmed that the incident is being treated as “a racially aggravated public order offence”

Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli tweeted: “So very sorry for the victim, his family and the wider Jewish community for this awful and targeted attack. Hate crime is vile, unacceptable and makes minority communities feel vulnerable. The Metropolitan Police Service in Camden and Islington will do our utmost to find out who did this.”

The local MP, Jeremy Corbyn, tweeted his concern that the incident had shaken the Jewish community: “Today in Islington an elderly man was violently assaulted because he was Jewish. This racist attack has shaken our community. I’ve spoken with local councillors and we will be supporting the police. I urge anyone who saw anything to contact the police.”

A spokesman for Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, said that: “An elderly Jew suffered a wholly unprovoked physical attack by a far right thug on Tuesday at Highbury Corner in London. This is happening much too often all over London. We are deeply concerned by the lack of police active response to such incidents. We are also deeply disappointed at the lack of appropriate sentencing on the rare occasions when such incidents actually reach court. The government has a duty to protect its Jewish citizens and all minorities from such hateful behaviour.”

Moments ago, Judge Christopher Hehir, sitting with a lay magistrate, Ms M Rego, upheld the conviction of Holocaust denier Alison Chabloz over her Holocaust denial on social media.

The decision sets a new precedent in British law.

The case effectively delivered a landmark precedent verdict on incitement on social media and on whether the law considers Holocaust denial to be “grossly offensive” and therefore illegal when used as a means by which to hound Jews.

Ms Chabloz was appealing a decision last year by Westminster Magistrates’ Court convicting her on three charges of sending grossly offensive communications via a public communications network. The case began as a private prosecution by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which was then taken over and continued by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Ms Chabloz, from Glossop in Derbyshire, had pleaded “not guilty” to charges relating to three self-penned songs in which she denounced a supposed Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world and denies the Holocaust.

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This is the first conviction in the UK over Holocaust denial on social media. The Crown Court is a court of record, meaning that its judgement upholding the previous Magistrates’ Court decision sets a new precedent in British law.

“Many brave British patriots died in the cause of defeating the Nazis. Alison Chabloz is no patriot and her actions defending the Nazis and claiming that the Holocaust was a fraud seek to defile their sacrifice. This sentence sends a strong message that in Britain, Holocaust denial and antisemitic conspiracy theories will not be tolerated.

“Alison Chabloz is a remorseless and repulsive antisemite who has spent years obsessively inciting others to hate Jews, principally by claiming that the Holocaust was a hoax perpetrated by Jews to defraud the world. Other antisemites who believe that they can abuse the Jewish community online with impunity should take note.”

Reading the court’s judgement, Judge Hehir said that the court did not have to entertain “absurdity or fiction” in cases of Holocaust denial and that “We take judicial notice of the fact that the Holocaust occurred.” Turning to Ms Chabloz, he said: “She is a Holocaust denier…she is manifestly antisemitic and obsessed with the wrongdoing of Jews,” adding that on the subject of the Holocaust “she has lost all sense of perspective.” Addressing the songs themselves, Justice Hehir said of the first song: “It is by no means an exaggeration to call this song disgusting”, before describing her other songs in similar terms. He added that “she positively intended to be grossly offensive to Jews” before confirmed that her original sentence was upheld. We will soon post a copy of the full judgement.

Last year at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, District Judge John Zani found Ms Chabloz guilty and sentenced her to a 20-week prison sentence suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid community service, an indefinite order against contacting two leaders of Campaign Against Antisemitism, as well an an order banning her from social media for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge, and costs of £600. The suspension of her sentence was on the basis that District Judge Zani said that he did not wish to satisfy her desire to become a “martyr”.

Ms Chabloz had published on YouTube a series of songs mocking Holocaust survivors and inciting hatred against Jews, including:

  • “Did the Holocaust ever happen? Was it just a bunch of lies? Seems that some intend to pull the wool over our eyes. Eternal wandering liars haven’t got a clue, and when it comes to usury, victim’s always me and you.”
  • “Now Auschwitz, holy temple, is a theme park just for fools, the gassing zone a proven hoax, indoctrination rules.”
  • “Tell us another, come on, my brother, reap it, the cover, for tribal gain. Safe in our tower, now is the hour, money and power, we have no shame.”
  • “History repeats itself, no limit to our wealth, thanks to your debts we’re bleeding you dry. We control your media, control all your books and TV, with the daily lies we’re feeding, suffering victimisation. Sheeple have no realisation, you shall pay, all the way, until the break of day.”

The songs were partly set to traditional Jewish folk music such as Hevenu Shalom Aleichem and Hava Nagila. She mocked prominent Jewish figures persecuted by the Nazis, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel and Anne and Otto Frank.

Appealing her conviction, Ms Chabloz showed no contrition. Under cross-examination, she said that there are liars in all ethnicities but: “Jews are more likely to tell lies. In the Talmud, it’s even encouraged. In the verses. Lying is following religious duty.”

When asked if she thinks Jews are responsible for their own persecution, she explained that a “certain amount of evidence occurred throughout history” to support that view. Judge Hehir noted that her claim was identical to that of notorious antisemite Gilad Atzmon, who caved in after just two hours in court in a defamation case brought over his claims that Campaign Against Antisemitism fabricates cases of antisemitism.

She also claimed that Jews have disproportionate power and influence, saying that “Jews are over-represented in banking, finance, the media. There’s information that’s out there. 8% in the Houses of Parliament.” She added that: “They control Twitter” too.

Asked about her views on the Holocaust, Ms Chabloz described herself as a “revisionist”, stating that the number of Jews murdered in the Holocaust was 600,000: “Revisionists think 10% of those [Jews] reported in the mainstream media” were murdered by the Nazis.

She disputed that there were death camps, saying that “Jews were deported, sent to camps but they were prisoner camps.” On the subject of gas chambers, she said that: “There’s no evidence of gas chambers. Gas chambers were used for disinfection purposes, as life-saving devices.” She also claimed that Holocaust survivors lie, telling the court: “There’s great incentive for survivors to elaborate their story.”

In a comment that drew gasps in court, Ms Chabloz said that Jewish concentration camp inmates forced to play in an orchestra at Auschwitz were luckier than her. She said: “Musicians in the orchestra were luckier than me” because she said it was “heartbreaking” that venues no longer booked her to perform on account of her views and songs. When challenged by Judge Hehir, she said that she might not have chosen her words as well as she could have.

She claimed that her songs were an act of love towards Jews, saying: “My songs are a product of love. To free Jews from the shackles of atrocity propaganda.” She added that: “I wish they will liberate us from this false narrative.”

At one point she even claimed that she had invented the melody of Hava Nagila on her own and had no idea that it was also a piece of Jewish folk music. Asked how she came up with the tune all on her own, she claimed: “The tune was a gift from G-d.” 

Ms Chabloz was represented by barrister Adrian Davies, who has a track record of unsuccessfully defending antisemites and Holocaust deniers including David Irving and Jeremy Bedford-Turner. At one point Mr Davies injected his own views into proceedings whilst cross-examining Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chairman, Gideon Falter. While debating Mr Falter, Mr Davies suggested that the Nazis did not deliberately murder Anne Frank, declaring “She died of typhus, there is no dispute. They didn’t deliberately murder her. They might be responsible for her death by mistreatment.” Judge Hehir stopped the debate, telling Mr Davies: “I’m not sure that’s your strongest point Mr Davies.”

The tens of supporters who even performed Nazi salutes when the judge was not looking at Westminster Magistrates’ Court were apparently dispirited and stayed away from Southwark Crown Court, numbering only around half a dozen.

The case began as a private prosecution brought by Campaign Against Antisemitism after the authorities failed to act. Once we had begun the private prosecution and won a judicial review against a decision not to prosecute a separate case, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to take over our private prosecution of Ms Chabloz. Due to strict deadlines for bringing prosecutions, had Campaign Against Antisemitism not brought our private prosecution, the CPS would have missed its chance to take action against Ms Chabloz. Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chairman, Gideon Falter, and Director of Investigations and Enforcement, Stephen Silverman, were the only prosecution witnesses to be called.

This case comes amidst a crisis of confidence in the Jewish community. Each year, the CPS prosecutes in the region of 15,000 hate crimes, but there has yet to be a year in which there have been more than two dozen known prosecutions of antisemitic hate crimes. With antisemitic crime rates surging, the failure to prosecute has led to a crisis of confidence in Britain’s Jewish community, with Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer research showing that just 35% of British Jews believing that an antisemitic crime against them would be acted on by the authorities, even if there was enough evidence, and only 26% of British Jews saying that the CPS does enough against antisemitic crime.

Whilst Campaign Against Antisemitism brought its private prosecution of Ms Chabloz because the authorities had failed to act and due to a consistent failure by the CPS to adequately tackle antisemitic crime, we could not be more satisfied with the professional excellence of the expert prosecuting team from the CPS, led by barrister James Mulholland QC at Crown Court and Karen Robinson at Magistrates’ Court, with the outstanding support of Hazel Allen and Tim Mackenzie throughout. Before it was taken over by the CPS, our private prosecution was led pro bono by Jonathan Goldberg QC, with junior barristers Senghin Kong and Jeffrey Israel, supported by solicitor Stephen Gilchrist.

Police and Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, are seeking a man alleged to have entered a Jewish-owned clothing shop for ladies in Stamford Hill, north London, last Wednesday, shouting: “It’s a shame, Hitler should have killed all the Jews” and other antisemitic remarks.

The young man allegedly came to the shop and asked for money to clean the exterior of the shop’s windows. He then asked to clean the inside surface of the windows too, but was asked not to do so. He responded with a series of antisemitic comments, including “F*** Jews”, “It’s a shame, Hitler should have killed all the Jews”, “Why are you still here? You shouldn’t still be here”, and the “Palestinians need to bomb you all”.

Shoppers and staff witnessed the incident in shock. A Jewish customer who was in the changing rooms at the time and heard the antisemitic barrage was too afraid to come out.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD1594 07/02/19.

A disgraced British bishop, Richard Williamson, has failed in his attempt to persuade the European Court of Human Rights that Holocaust denial should be protected by the right to freedom of expression. He brought the case after being convicted in Germany over comments he made on Swedish television.

The court, which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights and is not related to the European Union or affected by Brexit, ruled that Mr Williamson “had sought to use his right to freedom of expression with the aim of promoting ideas contrary to the text and the spirit of the [European Convention on Human Rights].”

Mr Williamson had been convicted over a Swedish television interview in which he said that there were no gas chambers under the Nazi regime. He was fined €6,500, which was reduced to €1,800 on appeal. Though Mr Williamson gave the interview on Swedish television and was not in Germany at the time, the court convicted him on the basis that he knew that viewers in Germany may watch the programme.

The court rejected Mr Williamson’s case as “manifestly ill-founded” and reaffirmed its previous decisions that limiting the right to freedom of expression was “necessary in a democratic society” in order to protect other freedoms.

Holocaust denial is not outlawed in the UK, but in a landmark decision last year following a private prosecution by Campaign Against Antisemitism that was then continued by the Crown Prosecution Service, it was ruled that Holocaust denial could be considered “grossly offensive” under section 127 of the Communications Act. The case related to Alison Chabloz, who was convicted over her music videos mocking Holocaust survivors and claiming that the Holocaust was a hoax perpetrated by a Jewish conspiracy to defraud non-Jews.

Generally, antisemitic Holocaust deniers attempt to hide behind their right to freedom of expression when pursued by Campaign Against Antisemitism, but this ruling reaffirms the fact that human rights law recognises the need to limit freedom of expression in order to protect other freedoms.

Jewish holy ritual items were stolen from a car and dumped in a pond in Stamford Hill, north London on Wednesday. Volunteers from Stamford Hill Shomrim, a Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol discovered the act of theft and vandalism.

Stamford Hill Shomrim recovered the prayer shawl and phylactery from the water. Phylacteries, or tefillin in Hebrew are a pair of black leather boxes containing Hebrew parchment scrolls inscribed with one of Judaism’s most important prayers.

Anybody with information should call Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

A teenager who desecrated headstones and drew antisemitic symbols on a politician’s office has been jailed for two years.

James Malcolm, 18, pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and maliciously damaging headstones, causing £27,000 of damage to 27 headstones where a swastika scrawled on a piece of glass was found nearby.

In addition, he scribbled offensive slogans, including “Adolf Hitler” and “White Power” and drew antisemitic and neo-Nazi symbols, including a Star of David being hung on gallows, on Rona Mackay MSP’s office.

He also yelled “Heil Hitler” at a sixteen-year-old in a park and vandalised two national parks and a police cell with his own blood.

Mr Malcolm was jailed for two years and four months at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Image credit: Google

Members from the neo-Nazi group, National Action, who named their son “Adolf” have been jailed.

Adam Thomas, 22, was found guilty of being a member of National Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation at the culmination of a long campaign by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.

Mr Thomas stood trial with his partner, Claudia Patatas, and Daniel Bogunovic, who were also convicted of the same charge alongside him at Birmingham Crown Court. The couple gave their son the middle name “Adolf” and owned a large collection of Nazi and far-right memorabilia.

On 18th December, Mr Thomas was sentenced for six years and six months, Patatas for five years and Bogunovic for six years and four months. Three other men had also pleaded guilty to membership of the group.

Image credit: West Midlands Police

Campaign Against Antisemitism has won the first stage of its judicial review proceedings against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), after it moved to block us from privately prosecuting Nazim Ali, the leader of the annual “Al Quds Day” pro-Hizballah parade through central London in 2017.

In her decision granting Campaign Against Antisemitism permission to subject the CPS decision to judicial review, the Honourable Ms Justice Lang DBE stated that our application for judicial review raised “important issues”.

The “Al Quds Day” parade led by Mr Ali notoriously draws crowds of demonstrators who march through London in support of the terrorist organisation, which seeks the annihilation of all Jews, and carries out bombings worldwide, including two in London.

Our private prosecution centred on Mr Ali’s alleged statements over a portable public address system at last year’s parade, including:

  • “Some of the biggest corporations who are supporting the Conservative Party are Zionists. They are responsible for the murder of the people in Grenfell, in those towers in Grenfell. The Zionist supporters of the Tory Party. Free, Free, Palestine…It is the Zionists who give money to the Tory Party to kill people in high-rise blocks. Free, Free, Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
  • “Careful of those Rabbis who belong to the Board of Deputies, who have got blood on their hands, who agree with the killing of British soldiers. Do not allow them in your centres.”

Our Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit attended the parade and captured extensive video evidence, which was passed to the Metropolitan Police Service; however, the CPS declined to prosecute Mr Ali last year, leaving us with no option but to launch our private prosecution, led by Jonathan Goldberg QC.

Moreover, having refused to uphold the law by prosecuting Mr Ali, in June, the CPS blocked us from doing so privately. Just days before Mr Ali was due to stand trial, the CPS used its statutory power to take over our private prosecution and then discontinue it.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s judicial review challenges that decision on the basis that it was irrational and unreasonable. We are represented by Sam Grodzinski QC, with David Sonn acting as solicitor.

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This is a case that the CPS should have prosecuted itself. Our emphatic legal advice is that their decision to prevent us from doing so was irrational, and we are encouraged that the court has agreed that our case should proceed to the second stage of this two-stage judicial review process. We hope to succeed and resume our private prosecution of Nazim Ali.”

Last week, we revealed that for over two years, the CPS has repeatedly refused to prosecute cases we reported to police involving neo-Nazis like the Pittsburgh terrorist. In one letter, the CPS told us that its decision to protect an extremist’s right to antisemitic hate speech was “a hallmark of a civilised society”.

It is important that the CPS finally begins prosecuting cases of its own accord, not simply because we force its hand through litigation.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has revealed today that the Crown Prosecution Service has refused to prosecute neo-Nazis like the Pittsburgh terrorist for two years, calling prosecutors’ inaction “a hallmark of a civilised society”.

The neo-Nazis use Gab, the same social network as the Pittsburgh terrorist Robert Bowers, to openly boast that they intend to implement Hitler’s final solution, even if it requires “small steps” at first, to exterminate Jews.

The neo-Nazis boasted: “We have work to do, finish the job. The job that Hitler started. This time we must show no mercy.” Another posted: “I tell everyone I meet I’m a Nazi and want to kills the Jews off completely…”. They repeatedly declared that they were intent on slaughtering Jews.

Some cases were even brought to the personal attention of Alison Saunders, the outgoing Director of Public Prosecutions, by trustees of Campaign Against Antisemitism more than two years ago, but she refused to prosecute.

The cases originate with reports by Campaign Against Antisemitism to multiple police forces which conducted detailed investigations and practically wrote the case for the Crown Prosecution Service, but the closest that any came to being prosecuted was when one individual was summoned to court only for a prosecutor to arrive and concede the case before the defendant had even entered a plea.

Senior detectives repeatedly pushed for prosecutions after reviewing our evidence, only to be rebuffed by prosecutors, even after Campaign Against Antisemitism humiliated the Crown Prosecution Service with a successful judicial review of its decision not to prosecute a neo-Nazi leader which resulted in the Crown Prosecution Service having to admit it had failed to understand the law prosecute him and being forced to conduct a prosecution, resulting in a unanimous jury conviction and an immediate one-year prison sentence for the neo-Nazi in question, Jeremy Bedford-Turner, who the Crown Prosecution Service had insisted for years was innocent of any crime.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has, for years, failed to prosecute neo-Nazis in Britain whose chilling social media tirades are no different to those of the antisemitic terrorist behind the Pittsburgh massacre. Instead, our charity has had to repeatedly resort to using our own lawyers to secure justice. The Crown Prosecution Service is in dereliction of its duty to protect Jewish citizens. History shows that when people persistently incite hatred against Jews and say that they wish to slaughter us, we should believe them. Britain fought with all its might to keep the Nazis at bay. The Crown Prosecution Service must not allow them to thrive on our shores.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism is currently taking the Crown Prosecution Service to judicial review over its refusal to prosecute the leader of the annual pro-Hizballah “Al Quds Day” over his remarks to marchers, and its subsequent decision to use statutory powers to block us from privately prosecuting him ourselves.

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Today the peace of the Jewish Sabbath was shattered when a terrorist targeted Jewish innocents at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. As the Sabbath ends, families have been broken and lives have been taken. All over the world, far-right, far-left and Islamist extremists are stoking the flames of Jew-hatred, with too little done to stop them. Antisemitism is an age-old disease which begins with hatred and violence towards Jews and ends with the unraveling of society. We mourn with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh. May the memories of those who fell today be a blessing. Today we are reminded so brutally and heartbreakingly why we must stand together against antisemitism.”

Posters carrying the message “Israel is a racist endeavour” have been put up on bus stops around central London, including one opposite Parliament.

This poster explicitly mocks and breaches the International Definition of Antisemitism which states that “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is antisemitic.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “These adverts are absolutely not authorised by TfL or our advertising partner JCDecaux. It is fly posting and therefore an act of vandalism which we take extremely seriously. We have instructed our contractors to remove any of these posters found on our network immediately.”

The group London Palestine Action has been tweeting photos of the posters during the day with messages including: “Created by ethnic cleansing; maintained by ethnic exclusion. Israel is a #racistendeavour”.

This vandalism follows on the heels of the Labour Party’s adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism yesterday, with an added caveat that is based on the fallacy that the definition prevents free speech. Labour MPs, including Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Honorary Patron, Margaret Hodge, responded to news of the amendment with disappointment, stating that this “unnecessary qualification” is an attempt to undermine the definition’s validity.

The posters are a yet another glaring example of how antisemites have been emboldened by Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to address antisemitism in the Labour Party, and by his ongoing and vocal support for extremists and terrorists who have called for the destruction of the Jewish state.

We commend TfL and JCDecaux for their swift action. We expect that action will now be taken against those responsible for this antisemitic vandalism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched judicial review proceedings against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), after it moved to block us from privately prosecuting Nazim Ali, the leader of the annual “Al Quds Day” pro-Hizballah parade through central London in 2017.

The parade notoriously draws crowds of demonstrators who march through London in support of the terrorist organisation, which seeks the annihilation of all Jews, and carries out bombings worldwide, including two in London.

Our private prosecution centred on Mr Ali’s alleged statements over a portable public address system at last year’s parade, including:

  • “Some of the biggest corporations who are supporting the Conservative Party are Zionists. They are responsible for the murder of the people in Grenfell, in those towers in Grenfell. The Zionist supporters of the Tory Party. Free, Free, Palestine…It is the Zionists who give money to the Tory Party to kill people in high-rise blocks. Free, Free, Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
  • “Careful of those Rabbis who belong to the Board of Deputies, who have got blood on their hands, who agree with the killing of British soldiers. Do not allow them in your centres.”

Our Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit attended the parade and captured extensive video evidence, which was passed to the Metropolitan Police Service; however, the CPS declined to prosecute Mr Ali last year, leaving us with no option but to launch our private prosecution, led by Jonathan Goldberg QC.

Moreover, having refused to uphold the law by prosecuting Mr Ali, in June, the CPS blocked us from doing so privately. Just days before Mr Ali was due to stand trial, the CPS used its statutory power to take over our private prosecution and then discontinue it.

Campaign Against Antisemitism is now challenging that decision on the basis that it was irrational and unreasonable. We are represented by Sam Grodzinski QC, with David Sonn acting as solicitor.

This is a case that the CPS should have prosecuted itself. Our emphatic legal advice is that their decision to prevent us from doing so was irrational. We hope to succeed and resume the prosecution.

A man who stole from a kosher bakery and yelled “Heil Hitler” at Jewish people has been fined and given a suspended jail sentence.

Alberto Busalacchi repeatedly shouted “Heil Hitler” at local Jews and shoplifted at a kosher bakery in Stamford Hill in January.

Mr Busalacchi pleaded guilty to racially or religiously aggravated harassment and theft at Stratford Magistrates Court and was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for twelve months, and ordered to pay £400 victim compensation.

Chaim Hochhauser, supervisor at Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, said: “Alberto Busalacchi shouted antisemitic abuse at unsuspecting Jewish victims, before shoplifting from a kosher bakery. The custodial sentence sends out a strong message that hate crime is unacceptable and that it will not be tolerated. Busalacchi caused immense distress to his victims after shouting Heil Hitler repeatedly at members of the Jewish community.”

He added: “I would like to thank the Metropolitan Police Service and the Crown Prosecution Service for investigating this incident and for successfully prosecuting [Mr] Busalacchi.”

A man who spray-painted swastikas on Welsh landmarks has been jailed for six years.

Austin Ross of Newport set fire to his old secondary school and a Masonic hall (which had a Star of David on the front), causing tens of thousands of pounds of damage, and spray-painted swastikas on a church, school, the University of South Wales campus and other local landmarks around his hometown. His Facebook account also contained links to a Hitler Youth account.

He is also believed to be a follower of System Resistance Network, the successor to National Action, which the government proscribed as a terrorist organisation in 2016 following a long campaign by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.

Mr Ross pleaded guilty to fifteen counts, including arson, racially aggravated harassment and racially aggravated damage, and was jailed for six years by Cardiff Crown Court.

Image credit: Gwent Police

Peter Morgan, a far-right activist, was convicted in Scotland of preparing acts of terrorism after being found with a bomb-making kit in his flat, along with antisemitic, anti-Muslim and neo-Nazi materials.

The literature included Al Qaeda and IRA materials and a racist and antisemitic novel that inspired numerous historic terrorist attacks.

No target for the bombing was identified. Mr Morgan claimed that the bomb was going to be used to film a video of him blowing up a turkey for YouTube.

Lord Boyd of Duncansby, the presiding judge, stated that “over a period of five years”, Mr Morgan “amassed a collection of neo-Nazi, anti-Muslim, antisemitic and racist material.”

The High Court in Edinburgh jailed Morgan for twelve years and a further three years under licence.

Image credit: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

Jonathan Jennings from Carmarthenshire has been jailed after he posted a number of messages on the Gab social networking website in which he threatened the Jewish community as well as Muslims and public figures.

He had threatened Jews that if they did not behave themselves, they would share the same fate as Muslims. Another message stated that Hitler was born “100 years too soon.”

In August 2018, Jennings was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court to sixteen months in prison after having pleaded guilty to six counts of publishing or distributing written material intended to stir up religious hatred, contrary to section 29c of the Public Order Act 1986 and four counts of sending communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety, contrary to section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

Image credit: South Wales Police

Convicted antisemite Shehroz Iqbal has avoided prison despite being convicted a second time of making antisemitic threats.

Mr Iqbal was first convicted in October 2016 after making antisemitic death threats in September 2015 when he shouted “I’m going to kill you, I’m going to kill all of you Jews — you killed my brothers” at a Jewish motorist. Volunteers from Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, followed Iqbal’s car until officers from the Metropolitan Police Service arrived to arrest him.

Mr Iqbal then decided to contact Stamford Hill Shomrim on 6th November 2017, sending an e-mail with the subject “Please remove my picture from your website”. In the e-mail he made further death threats, writing: “Please remove my picture from my [sic] website or I will personally come and see you…please do it as soon as possible. I am a mad man.  I don’t like my picture coming up on a Google shirt [sic]. I am very angry.” A few hours later he followed up with a second e-mail, writing: “Hahaha ah so many people have taking [sic] the piss out of your Zionist murdering community. I have no remorse for what I done [sic] hahaha. I see many other people have committed offences like me. Allah O Akbar! Keep my picture up for I am smiling at the officer haha. My day will come where [sic] I will come and see you in your office regarding my picture. Your Zionist murdering community.”

Stamford Hill Shomrim made a complaint to the Metropolitan Police Service.

On 10th July, Mr Iqbal pleaded guilty to sending a false message over a public electronic communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety, under section 127(2)(a) of the Communications Act 2003.

Thames Magistrates’ Court allowed him to escape prison, instead sentencing him to 11 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to participate in an accredited thinking skills and rehabilitation programme for 19 days. He was also ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid community service, to pay compensation of £100, a surcharge to fund victim services of £115 and prosecution costs of £85.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends Stamford Hill Shomrim for its zero tolerance approach to antisemitism, however we are dismayed that Mr Iqbal has received such a lenient sentence on his second conviction. He had clearly stated in his e-mail that he was remorseless. This is a sentence that will embolden antisemites, not deter them.

A 51-year-old man has appeared in court charged with an arson attack on Exeter’s historic synagogue.

Tristan Morgan reportedly did not enter a plea when he appeared at Exeter Magistrates’ Court to answer charges of arson with intent to endanger life. Due to the serious nature of the charge, he has been ordered to appear before Exeter Crown Court on 23rd August.

According to police, Mr Morgan is alleged to have poured “an accelerant” into the synagogue, which was built in 1763, making it one of Britain’s oldest synagogues, and then tried to light it.

Mr Morgan is not believed to be charged with trying to set any other buildings alight, but his motive is said to be “unknown”.

The attack occurred at approximately 20:00 on 21st July. According to Devon Live, police attended immediately, reviewed CCTV images, and arrested Mr Morgan.

Campaign Against Antisemitism is taking a close interest in developments.

Image credit: Exeter Synagogue