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Neo-Nazis mark Remembrance Sunday by declaring Liverpool “Nazi controlled zone”

Neo-Nazis from National Action have marked Remembrance Sunday by declaring Liverpool a “Nazi controlled zone”.

National Action is an antisemitic neo-Nazi organisation which tries to propagate fascist ideology and sees as its role models some of the most hideous figures in history. The group’s purpose is incitement to racial and religious hatred and its activities range from vandalism to violence. This group is not a dying vestige of British neo-Nazism but a new, young movement whose stunts are brazenly criminal.

Earlier this year a group of neo-Nazis from “National Action” paraded in the centre of Newcastle at the foot of Grey’s Monument with a “Hitler was right” banner. Members of the group performed Nazi salutes in the centre of the square. Some local people remonstrated with them but at least one onlooker returned their Nazi salute. When a musician in the square attempted to play saxophone music, one of the neo-Nazis violently attacked him.

The group previously attempted to demonstrate in Liverpool in August and September 2015, causing widespread public disorder and the cancellation of their demonstrations, with the group humiliated in August when they were unable to leave Liverpool Central train station. They then returned unannounced in November 2015 and delivered short speeches outside various public buildings and monuments in Liverpool, including speeches against Jews saying that: “Jews don’t care about me. They don’t care about you. They don’t care about any of us. All they care about is money and power.” Their video of the event contained additional antisemitic graphics and quoted from Adolf Hitler’s antisemitic diatribe, Mein Kampf. There have been no arrests.

In June 2015, “National Action” filmed themselves desecrating a menorah in Birmingham’s Cannon Hill Park by spraying graffiti and hanging a Nazi flag from it. There have been no arrests.

It is high time that the leaders of National Action and its adherents were charged with the crimes that they are committing. We are in touch with the Home Office to discuss this latest incident.

National Action attack busker in Newcastle, January 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9JZyIZKNhQ

National Action corralled in train station in Liverpool, August 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsv082wsyk

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North London residents awake to find vehicles daubed with swastikas and words “F*** off”

Residents of Alkham Road in North London awoke this morning to find that their vehicles, parked near a Jewish girls’ school, had been daubed with swastikas. The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating.

Last year, Shomrim Stamford Hill, the volunteer-run Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, found multiple instances of vehicles being vandalised with swastikas and having their tyres slashed.

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Man trips Jewish pedestrian, then calls him a Jew and says he knows where he lives

A Jewish man has said that a passerby “deliberately tripped” him, called him a “Jew” and a “four by two” (Cockney rhyming slang for a Jew) and told him that he knew where he lived. The incident took place yesterday afternoon at around 15:00 in Stanmore in London. The victim said he was walking down the road when another man tripped him up. He then challenged him and began filming with his smartphone. The man can be heard on video being calmly abusive and threatening before telling the victim to “go f*** yourself”. The victim told the JC: “I was stunned and saddened that there is still this undercurrent of antisemitism in existence today.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism is trying to contact the victim through the JC but would appreciate it if any of our supporters could get in contact if they know either the victim or the man shown in this video. We will also be discussing the case with the Metropolitan Police Service.

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Passenger on Manchester tram tells Jewish man to “f*** off where you come from”

A passenger on a tram in Manchester has been filmed delivering a tirade of abuse at fellow passengers, during which he told a Jewish man: “Why don’t you f*** of where you come from?”

After boarding the busy tram at Market Street, he was captured on film by another passenger before he disembarked at Abraham Moss in Crumpsall. Greater Manchester Police are treating the incident as a hate crime.

Transport for Greater Manchester’s Metrolink Director, Peter Cushing, told The Mirror: “This type of behaviour has no place on Metrolink or anywhere else. We won’t stand for it and neither will our customers. We will work with Greater Manchester Police and share CCTV footage to help try and identify the individual.”

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Six months in prison for racist Stuart Birnie’s antisemitic tirade

Londoner Stuart Birnie has been sentenced to six months in prison, beginning immediately, at a sentencing hearing at Wood Green Crown Court today.

On 17th December 2015, Mr Birnie saw a Jewish pedestrian and crossed the road to confront him, shouting: “Oi you go f*** yourself, I’m going to kill all the Jews.” He then yelled that “Jews produce too many kids” before repeating that he would “kill you and all the Jews.”

Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol deployed immediately and tracked Mr Birnie until police officers arrived to arrest him.

Mr Birnie told probation officers that the “situation in Stamford Hill is epidemic” as though Jews are a plague.

Miss Recorder Spiro said in delivering the sentence that the victim “was targeted purely because he was Jewish” and was left “frightened and heartbroken”.

In a statement, Jacob Weiss from Stamford Hill Shomrim said: “I welcome the immediate custodial prison sentence, it sends out a strong message that such behaviour is wholly unacceptable. Mr Birnie went out of his way to target his victim solely because he was Jewish.”

After a spate of light sentences, this is a very welcome result. The decision to imprison Mr Birnie for his actions sends a strong message that antisemitism carries severe consequences. We commend Stamford Hill Shomrim for their swift response to ensure that this racist was brought to justice.

Regrettably such convictions are rare due to reluctance on the part of the Crown Prosecution Service to take action against antisemites. While 2015 saw the worst level of antisemitic hate crime on record, we only know of 12 cases of antisemitic hate crime that the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted, out of a total of 15,442 hate crimes prosecuted that year.

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Neo-Nazi barrister Ian Millard is disbarred by tribunal for antisemitic tweets

Neo-Nazi barrister Ian Millard was banned from the profession yesterday by the Bar Standards Board over his antisemitic tweets.

A five-person disciplinary tribunal of the Bar Standards Board convened in London yesterday and found Millard to be guilty of professional misconduct due to his extensive use of Twitter as a vehicle to publicise his extreme right-wing views.

A cursory glance at his timeline reveals that most of his racism is directed at Jews. Seven tweets from November 2014 formed the basis of the complaint against him. Five of these were overtly antisemitic, including:

  • “Pro-Zionist, pro-Jew expenses cheat Michael Gove, now diminished shrunk to his true level (2 inches off the ground). Liar.”
  • In reference to former French President, Nicholas Sarkozy: “@HeretoWhiteMan thank you. When one looks at that little Jew, one has to wonder what the French people saw in him, as he gesticulates etc.”
  • In reference to former co-chairman of the Conservative Party: “A million British people forced to use foodbanks and all the Jew Shapps can say is to parrot a list of hackneyed propaganda phrases.”
  • “Strange seeing Dominic Grieve, who reminds me of the days when many/most Conservative MPs were English gentlemen, not Jews or yobs.”
  • The fifth tweet was a picture of a swastika bearing the caption “Juden sind hier unerwunscht” (“Jews not wanted here.”)

Representing himself, Millard admitted authoring the tweets but denied that they were seriously offensive. In a rambling defence, he attempted to justify his actions by insisting that his views were either factually accurate or, in the case of the swastika, no different to material printed by the press. He also claimed that he was the victim of persecution, citing the fact that the Bar Standards Board had been alerted to his activities by Jonathan Goldberg QC, a director of UK Lawyers for Israel, as evidence of “Jewish-Zionist influence”. He also attempted to impugn the integrity of Baroness Deech, a patron of UK Lawyers for Israel, who chaired the Bar Standards Board when the complaint was brought against him.

The tribunal upheld all the charges against Millard, finding him guilty of behaving “in a way which is likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in you or in the profession”. He was immediately disbarred.

Within hours of the verdict, he was back on Twitter, tweeting his support for Baroness Tonge in the wake of her suspension for hosting an antisemitic event at the House of Lords, as well as a video of a rabidly antisemitic speech by Adolf Hitler.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has reported Millard to the police over his incitement to racial and religious hatred.

https://twitter.com/ianrmillard/status/791707088779173888

https://twitter.com/ianrmillard/status/791753498073436165

https://twitter.com/ianrmillard/status/791884330150817792

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Releasing prosecution guidance will not help unless the CPS actually starts prosecuting antisemites

The Crown Prosecution Service has now concluded a consultation on the prosecution of crime on social media, paving the way for its new guidance on the issue to be adopted. Antisemitism on social media is a growing problem, made all the worse by the culture of impunity which allows UK-based antisemites to incite hatred against Jews without fear of the law, but Campaign Against Antisemitism does not expect the Crown Prosecution Service’s new guidance to make much difference.

The problem is not that the old guidance was inadequate, or that the new guidance fails to make improvements: we were happy with the old guidance, we participated in the consultation, and we are happy with the new guidance.

The problem is that out of 15,442 cases of hate crime prosecuted last year, we only know of the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuting twelve cases of antisemitic hate crime. The same year that the Crown Prosecution Service managed to so resoundingly ignore cases of hatred against Jews, crimes against Jews reached the highest level on record. This failure by the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute antisemites sends three messages: it tells the police that effort investigating antisemitism is probably going to be wasted, it tells Jews that they are not going to be protected, and it tells antisemites that they can continue to stoke the flames of antisemitism.

The Crown Prosecution Service is badly broken, and no amount of guidance will fix that unless the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, starts to authorise prosecutions against antisemites. At present, she shows no signs of doing that.

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Shehroz Iqbal convicted for shouting antisemitic death threats from his car at a Jewish motorist

A man has been convicted after making antisemitic death threats in September. Shehroz Iqbal pleaded guilty and was given a suspended sentence today of 16 weeks’ imprisonment and 80 hours’ unpaid work.

The incident took place on 11th September, when Iqbal 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 Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, followed Iqbal’s car until officers from the Metropolitan Police Service arrived to arrest him. Once again, Shomrim’s vigilance and swift action has secured the arrest and conviction of a brazen antisemite.

Iqbal’s conviction is unfortunately one of very few. While 2015 saw the worst level of antisemitic hate crime on record, we only know of 12 cases of antisemitic hate crime that the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted, out of a total of 15,442 hate crimes prosecuted that year.

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Fresh Nazi graffiti in Stamford Hill includes insults in German

More Nazi graffiti has been found in Stamford Hill by volunteers from Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol. Swastikas and the German “Fick euch” (f*** you) was found on a fence near Jewish-owned shops and is believed to be fresh. The graffiti is thought to have appeared between 18:00 and midnight on Thursday night. Shomrim have reported the graffiti to the police so that it can be swiftly investigated and removed.

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Antisemitic abuse day after day: a month in the life of London’s Charedi Jewish community

A month-long study within part of London’s ultra-Orthodox (Charedi) Jewish Community has revealed the shocking racist abuse suffered daily by the most visibly-identifiable Jews in Britain. The results are said by Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE, President of Stamford Hill Shomrim, which carried out the research, to be “the tip of the iceberg”.

Over the course of years of abuse, during which there have been sparse convictions, reporting of antisemitic crime against North East London’s Charedi community has been extremely low, making it very hard to accurately gauge the true extent of antisemitic crime.

For the first time, Shomrim’s study offers a unique insight into the shocking abuse suffered on a daily basis by ultra-Orthodox Jews, including young children, as they go about their lives on the streets of London. Shomrim carried out the study in the month leading up to National Hate Crime Awareness Week, and there was no campaign to increase reporting.

Describing the month as fairly typical, Shomrim recorded 32 antisemitic incidents at a rate of 8 incidents per week, dwarfing official police statistics of 2-3 crimes per month, but still only representing a fraction of the unreported antisemitic crimes perpetrated against London’s most readily-identifiable Jewish community. The incidents included three assaults, two threats to kill, eight threats of violence, eighteen cases of verbal abuse and one incident of criminal damage.

In one incident, a 28-year-old mother boarded a bus with her two children, aged 6 months and 4 years old, when another woman deliberately blocked her path, telling her: “I’m not going to move for you, you Jewish people are selfish, you Jewish people are bad”. In another, an 11-year-old boy was surrounded by youths and told to remove his skullcap. He was then told that he would be beaten up if he did not comply. In yet another incident, a 55-year-old Jewish women was asked whilst praying on the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) if she covered her hair because Hitler had shaved it off, before the perpetrator made a Nazi salute. On another occasion, three Jewish women were chased, terrified, through the street whilst a gang of teenage girls shouted “the Jewish people are rich, horrible Jewish people, give us your money”. At a synagogue, as a 38-year-old man left Shabbat services, a passerby grabbed his religious hat (shtreimel) and threw it to the ground. The youngest victim was an 8-year-old boy who was assaulted near his home by a male who told him he was a “stupid Jew”.

According to Shomrim’s statistics, the average age of the victims was 29.5, with the youngest victim just 8 years old, and the oldest 57 years old. 26 of the perpetrators were male, 3 were female, and 3 were of unknown gender. 23 of the perpetrators were described as adults, 6 were children, and 3 were of unknown age. 7 of the perpetrators were described (by the victim) as white, 8 were black, 11 were Asian, 2 were Middle Eastern, one was East Asian, and 3 were of unknown ethnicity.

Stamford Hill Shomrim supported all of the victims whilst ensuring that all of the crimes were reported to the Metropolitan Police Service, and assisting with the arrest of a suspect who was subsequently charged with an antisemitic offence. In the past five weeks, Shomrim has been directly involved with securing the convictions of three males in three separate antisemitic crimes.

This is the first time that antisemitic crime against ultra-Orthodox Jews has been so meticulously recorded. Shomrim does not regularly log and record antisemitic incidents in such detail due to lack of funding, meaning that the vast majority of antisemitic incidents against ultra-Orthodox Jews are not recorded, especially when victims do not wish to contact local police directly.

Recent Metropolitan Police Service figures show that on average 10 antisemitic hate crimes per month were recorded in the area covered by this study. In the Home Office’s most recent Hate Crime Action Plan, published in July, it was noted that “Jewish people from the [ultra-Orthodox] Charedi community are less likely than other sections of the Jewish community to report hate crimes to the authorities”.

Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE, President of Stamford Hill Shomrim said: “It has long been said that antisemitism is under-reported in the Charedi Jewish community, which is the most visible segment of the Jewish community, but these figures are nevertheless shocking, even more so since this is only the tip of the iceberg. The Home Office must take urgent action to work directly with Stamford Hill Shomrim concerning the Charedi Jewish community, a community with a distinct ethos, sensitivities and structures, to enhance and improve the reporting of hate crimes.”

This meticulous month-long study by Shomrim shows the shocking extent to which members of the Jewish Charedi community, including very young children, are being singled out and targeted for racist assaults and abuse. Under-reporting of antisemitism in the Charedi community is largely due to the perception that nothing will be done, and that is why the work of Shomrim is so important, working closely with victims and the police to ensure that incidents are investigated and prosecuted.

Shomrim have been deservedly praised by the Metropolitan Police Service as the model for community engagement, yet their work is often frustrated by a failure to prosecute, and by light sentences when perpetrators are convicted. This makes the Jewish community less likely to report antisemitic crimes, and emboldens the perpetrators who often repeat their crimes. Shomrim operates a volunteer-run proactive neighbourhood watch scheme covering some of the largest populations of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who live predominantly in the boroughs of Hackney and Haringey in an area covering two square miles.

We were pleased that our call and Shomrim’s call for the Home Office to engage directly with Shomrim was adopted in the Hate Crime Action Plan, and this must now happen. Shomrim’s unique contribution to the fight against antisemitic crime is more potent and cost-effective than the police working alone, and so there is a strong case for Shomrim’s work to be extended with the help of a Home Office grant.

Last year, our National Antisemitic Crime Audit revealed that antisemitic crime reached a record high with a 26% increase in crime and a 51% leap in antisemitic violence against Jews. There is no more visible target than the Jewish Charedi community and as the intensity of antisemitic crime rises, now is the time for decisive action to strengthen Shomrim and extend their work.

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Group of Jews threatened with axe in Manchester antisemitic incident over Rosh Hashanah

A group of Jews walking in Manchester near a synagogue in Prestwich were reportedly threatened by a man wielding an axe and shouting antisemitic abuse. The incident is said to have taken place on Monday at 13:30 near a synagogue.

According to the Manchester Evening News, a man in a vehicle brandished an axe at the group whilst making antisemitic threats. A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a racially-aggravated public order offence and possession of an offensive weapon. He has been bailed until 31st October.

Sergeant Steve Wightman-Love, of Greater Manchester Police, told the Manchester Evening News: “This incident remains under investigation and officers in the case are continuing to make enquiries. However, I wish to remind everyone that we take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously.”

We will be following the case with interest.

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CAA legal guidance updated to include terrorism offences

In response to requests from our supporters, our guide to the law of antisemitism has been updated to include the offence of carrying, wearing or displaying articles which give rise to reasonable suspicion of support for terrorist organisations, including terrorist organisations which seek to murder Jews such as Hamas. The addition to our guide can be read on our website.

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“Dirty Jews, I’m Hitler, I’ll kill the Jews” London man shouts at Jewish school

Shomrim is supporting the victims of an incident today in which a man approached a Jewish school and shouted “Jews, dirty Jews, I’m Hitler, I’ll kill the Jews” amongst other racist abuse. The incident took place in Stamford Hill at approximately 15:10 today. The perpetrator is described as a black male. No arrests have been made and any witnesses should call the police on 101, quoting reference CAD 5609 06/10/16.

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CAA launches manifesto for fighting antisemitism as poll reveals extent of antisemitism crisis

A poll of 1,857 British Jewish adults by Campaign Against Antisemitism has found that 87% of British Jews believe that the Labour Party is too tolerant of antisemites in its ranks. Most other parties also fared badly, with 35-48% of British Jews believing that they harboured antisemites. It was only the Conservative Party which scored better, with 12% of British Jews criticising the way that the party handles cases of antisemitism.

The polling was conducted as part of CAA’s Antisemitism Barometer study which will be released in full next year.

Respondents were asked: “Do you feel that any political parties are too tolerant of antisemitism among their MPs, members and supporters?” The results were as follows:

Labour Party: 87%
Conservative Party: 12%
Liberal Democrat Party: 35%
UK Independence Party (UKIP): 43%
Green Party: 48%
Scottish National Party (SNP): 39%
None of the above: 2%
Don’t know: 4%

The results constitute a stark warning over the rise of antisemitism in left-wing political parties. The shift is particularly notable because the Labour Party and left-wing parties were once responsible for leading the fight against racism, whereas this polling shows that British Jews now consider them to be the most tolerant of antisemitism.

Whereas each of the parties concerned has strong policies against racism, the figures show that the Jewish community does not believe that those policies are implemented firmly when it comes to antisemitism. This is likely to be due to a series of failures to deal with individual incidents, such as those involving Labour’s Sir Gerald Kaufman, and the Liberal Democrats’ Baroness Tonge.

It is important to note that there is no evidence that parties’ supporters favour a soft approach to antisemitism. The failure to deal robustly with antisemitism is more likely to be a result of a failure to recognise and understand the many guises of modern antisemitism.

The two major right-wing parties fared very differently. UKIP, which has had several high-profile problems with racism, was felt by 43% of British Jews to tolerate antisemitism in its ranks. Of particular note is that UKIP was rated badly by half as many British Jews as Labour, which has strong roots in the anti-racist movement. In contrast, 12% of British Jews — the lowest of any party — found the Conservatives’ treatment of antisemites to be problematic.

In response to the rise of antisemitism in political parties, CAA is launching its manifesto for fighting antisemitism in political parties. It calls on parties to commit to three principles: parties should adopt the ‘international’ definition of antisemitism used by the College of Policing; they should investigate antisemitism swiftly and transparently; and they should treat antisemitism by party members in public office particularly severely.

 

Read the manifesto and ask your MP to sign up!
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London gang tells schoolboy to remove skullcap or face violence

An 11-year-old Jewish boy has escaped shaken but unhurt after a gang of teenagers surrounded him on a London street and forced him to remove his kippah (Jewish skullcap). According to Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, the boy was approached by at least four black teenagers who told him that unless he removed the kippah, they would beat him. The boy refused to comply and instead managed to escape and run home.

The incident occurred on Leaside Road in Hackney. Any witnesses should call the Metropolitan Police Service on 101 or Shomrim on 0300 999 0123.

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Man convicted for shouting antisemitic abuse at volunteers from Shomrim helping burglary victim

A man has been convicted of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress after shouting antisemitic abuse at members of Shomrim, London’s Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol.

The incident took place on 5th November 2015 when volunteers from Shomrim were called to a burglary. Whilst they assisted the Muslim victim, Mark Zahra saw the scene and assumed that Shomrim were reporting the Muslim victim to the police and shouted at Shomrim’s volunteers: “F***ing Jewish scum. Why do you keep calling them [the police], because he’s Muslim?”

Last Thursday, following testimony by Shomrim’s volunteers, Mark Zahra was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court of racially aggravated intentional harassment alarm or distress under section 4A of the Public Order Act (see the relevant part of our guide to the Law of Antisemitism).

The sentence was a 12-month Community Order and a curfew for 4 months.

Cases of antisemitism are rarely prosecuted and Shomrim’s swift action and perseverance is to be applauded. In 2015, the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted 15,442 cases of hate crime, but Campaign Against Antisemitism, Shomrim and CST are aware of only twelve prosecutions for antisemitic hate crime, despite the 26% rise in antisemitic hate crime during 2015, which made it the worst year on record.

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CAA produces guide to help British Jews secure justice against antisemites

In 2014, antisemitic crime in Britain reached a level that was unprecedented in thirty years of record-keeping. When we rallied outside the Royal Courts of Justice, we called for zero-tolerance enforcement of the law against antisemitism, and that is what we were promised. Ever since then, we have worked with the government and the authorities to ensure that antisemitic crime is punished as firmly as the law will permit, but while Britain has tough laws against antisemitic hate crime, and the government wants them to be strongly enforced, we have found the response from police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service in particular to be lacking.

Earlier this year, we published our National Antisemitic Crime Audit. We found that despite the crackdown promised in 2014, in 2015 hate crime against British Jews surged to a new peak, with a 26% growth in crimes against Jews and a 51% leap in violent antisemitic crime. Against the backdrop of major rises in antisemitic crime, the number of antisemitic crimes charged dropped. Last year the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted a record 15,442 cases of hate crime, but we are only aware of a dozen prosecutions for hate crime against Jews.

British Jews are being denied British justice, and the resulting atmosphere of impunity is enabling antisemitism in our country to grow and become increasingly violent. We need you to report antisemitic crime to the police, and when you do, we need to be there to help you to ensure that the authorities do their job. That is why we are launching a guide to the law of antisemitism, and a new service allowing you to ask our experts for help.

Eminent Queen’s Counsel working pro bono for Campaign Against Antisemitism have produced a guide explaining the law of antisemitism and how to ensure that antisemites are prosecuted. The guide covers everything from reporting a crime through to specific criminal offences and points of law, and explains what the authorities must do. We are also launching a new service which allows you to ask us questions about the law or incidents you have witnessed. If necessary, we can even help you to deal with the authorities. As ever, our work is done by volunteers and our services are provided at no cost.

Read our guide to the law of antisemitism or ask us a question at antisemitism.org/law.

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Survey finds Scottish Jews increasingly isolated and fearful due to antisemitism

A study funded by the Scottish Government has found that the Scottish Jewish community is feeling increasingly isolated and fearful. SCoJeC, a charity which advocates for Scottish Jews, was commissioned to undertake the research which included a survey and focus groups.

Researchers discovered that it was becoming relatively common for Scotland’s 5,887 Jews to keep their Judaism secret, and that many of the 400 Israelis living in Scotland hide their nationality and do not speak Hebrew in public. Noting that a growing number of Scottish Jews could name nothing positive about being a Jew in Scotland, the study reported that some Scottish Jews were considering leaving Scotland due to rising antisemitism.

One Jew summed up the change in two quotes given two years apart, saying in 2014 that Scotland was a “darn good place to be a Jew”, but reporting this year that “I feel alienated, and no longer Scottish first then Jewish, I feel Jewish only.”

Numerous respondents told SCoJeC that they had stopped attending synagogue services due to fear of antisemitism, were the victims of antisemitic jokes or social media posts and felt victimised for being Jewish.

Much of the prejudice directed at Scottish Jews was due to the bigotry of Scots opposed to Israel, who expressed their views by bullying, intimidating and abusing Jews. Respondents said that they were singled out for their cultural and religious ties to the Jewish state, and that Zionism, the movement for Jewish self-determination, had become socially unacceptable. The Scottish Government came in for criticism in the report for its “disproportionate obsession” with Israel and respondents said that Police Scotland was losing the confidence of Scottish Jews by failing to tackle blatant antisemitism amongst the ranks of Scottish anti-Israel activists.

The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, Angela Constance, responded by saying: “I will give full consideration to [this study] and look forward to working with the Jewish community to ensure that Scotland continues to be one of the best places in the world for people from all backgrounds to live, work and raise their families.”

Nothing in the report gave any indication that the situation for Scottish Jews was likely to improve.

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Police appeal for witnesses after Jewish man assaulted on London bus

A Jewish man has been assaulted on a bus by a woman shouting antisemitic abuse. Just after 10:00 this morning, a woman boarded the 253 bus in Amhurst Park in Stamford Hill, north London, and began shouting antisemitic abuse at a Jewish man who was already on the bus. She then proceeded to pour a bottle of juice over him and two Muslim ladies on the bus intervened to stop the attack. Shomrim, the volunteer Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, are assisting and supporting the victim. Police are now appealing for witnesses to step forward. Campaign Against Antisemitism is speaking to TfL regarding CCTV and ticketing evidence.

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Director of Public Prosecutions is cracking down on all hate crime, but not hate crime directed at Jews

Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions claims that the Crown Prosecution Service takes hate crime seriously. So why is hate crime against Jews being routinely dismissed by the Crown Prosecution Service? Watch our new video and ask the Attorney General by e-mailing [email protected].

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Shomrim secures arrests as antisemitic abuse of Jewish Londoners continues

Two men were arrested in separate incidents last Sunday, as Jewish Londoners continue to be subjected to antisemitic abuse.

In one incident, a 25-year-old man was detained by Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, after he grabbed an elderly religious Jew’s hat, then tried to grab other Jews’ hats and punched them.

In a second incident the same day, Shomrim stopped a 23-year-old man for suddenly shouting antisemitic abuse at a Jewish boy.

In both cases, the Metropolitan Police Service arrived and made arrests, thanking Shomrim for their “teamwork”. Shomrim is the template for community policing, patrolling the streets and working closely with local police to thwart a wide range of crimes, from antisemitic assault through to common burglary and finding missing persons.

Police are looking for a third man in connection with yet another incident, which took place on Wednesday last week. As a man in a silver van approached a Jewish pedestrian, he opened the window to shout “F***ing Jewish c***” as he drove past. Witnesses are being sought for the incident which occurred at approximately 20:00 on Craven Walk in Hackney.

 

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Disturbingly lenient £20 fine for placing lit fireworks in Jewish pedestrians’ pockets

A 14-year-old boy who placed lit fireworks in the pockets of Jewish pedestrians has escaped with paying £20 in compensation and a referral order. The boy was arrested on 31st January in Hackney after volunteers from Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, chased and detained the boy, then called the police who arrested him.

The Hackney Youth Offender Panel issued a contract for a total period of a year and ordered the youth to pay £20 in compensation in a stunningly lenient verdict which will do nothing to deter such attacks.

Campaign Against Antisemitism will be raising this judgement with the Ministry of Justice as an example of disturbingly light sentences for antisemitic crime.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service said: “A 14-year-old male who was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault has been dealt with by the Hackney Youth Offender Panel. Police had been called at around 08:00 on Sunday, 31st January to Dunsmure Road N16 to reports of a youth assaulting members of the Jewish community. He was referred to the Hackney Youth Offender Panel for the above offence. A contract was issued having effect for an extended compliance period of two months and a total contract period 12 months. Also compensation of £20.00 is to be paid.”

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North London playground targeted with swastikas for four days in a row

Every day for four days this week, a playground in Stamford Hill, which has a large Jewish population, has been targeted with swastikas, leaving local parents with serious concerns. Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, found the posters in and around the playground on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. The Metropolitan Police Service is investigating and has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

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Man convicted for antisemitic harassment and threats after Shomrim swoop

Wilberth Henry has been convicted of antisemitic harassment and threats after shouting “I’ll f***ing beat you up, you f***ing Jewish c***”. Henry failed to attend court, but was convicted in his absence on evidence given by a member of Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

Henry was reportedly spotted during a joint patrol by police and Shomrim. As a police officer approached him, he fled on foot, ran into a house and locked the door behind him. The police officer stayed at the front door whilst the Shomrim member ran to secure the back of the house. Henry then climbed out of a first floor window intending to escape, but stopped when he realised he had nowhere to go. After long negotiations, he eventually entered back through the window and was arrested.

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London police seek skinhead who told Jews to leave or be bombed

Police in London are searching for a man who reportedly approached a Jewish family with a metal bar and stick in his hand, and told them “Jews, move away, move away your children, a bomb is coming.” Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood patrol group, said that the man was described as a white male with a shaved head, wearing a dark grey short sleeve t-shirt and blue trousers. The incident took place on Queen Elizabeth’s Walk in north London, and the suspect was last seen walking on Lordship Park in N16.

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Jewish cemetery in Manchester vandalised overnight

Fourteen headstones were smashed at the Blackley Jewish cemetery in Charlestown, north-east Manchester, on Wednesday night. Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry from Greater Manchester Police issued a statement describing the vandalism as “a sickening act of antisemitism which we are taking very seriously.” He said that the attack appeared to be “deliberate and targeted” with “clear racial motivation”. The vandals appear to have climbed over the perimeter wall and broken gravestones at random around the cemetery. Chaudry promised to “do everything we can to find out who is responsible and bring the full force of the law down on them” and appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

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Shomrim deployed as men tour Stamford Hill in car, shouting antisemitic abuse

Shomrim, the volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, rushed to deploy volunteers after a Vauxhall Vectra was seen touring Stamford Hill for a prolonged period on Monday evening, whilst its occupants shouted antisemitic abuse at Jewish passersby. The area has one of the largest Jewish populations in the country. Unfortunately police officers did not arrive in time to catch the perpetrators in the act, but thanks to detailed descriptions provided by Shomrim, it is hoped that the vehicle and its occupants will be successfully traced.

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Police data says antisemitic crime rose 25.7% and violence surged 50.8% in 2015

In 2014, antisemitic crime broke all previous records. Many linked the surge in Jew-hatred across Britain to fighting between Israel and Hamas, and expected antisemitic crime levels to fall to a background level. That is not what happened.

Our team has analysed data provided from all of the police forces in the United Kingdom.

We now know that in 2015:

  • Police forces recorded a 25.7% increase in hate crime against Jews, making it the worst year on record for antisemitic crime. The level of antisemitic crime was consistently high throughout the year.
  • Violent antisemitic crime jumped by 50.8%. In 2014 violent acts accounted for 16.9% of all antisemitic crime, but by 2015 violent acts accounted for 20.3% of antisemitic crime.
  • Despite the growth in antisemitic crime, police forces charged 7.2% fewer cases in 2015 than in 2014, meaning that only 13.6% of cases resulted in charges being brought.
  • There was no change in the non-criminal antisemitic acts reported to the police, meaning that in 2015 a higher proportion of the antisemitic acts reported to the police were criminal.

When the current wave of antisemitism began in 2014, politicians and police chiefs were quick to promise tough action. The day after Campaign Against

Antisemitism rallied outside the Royal Courts of Justice, the Prime Minister echoed our call for zero tolerance law enforcement against antisemites.

The promised crackdown has not materialised. In far too many cases, rank and file police officers and prosecutors often do not recognise some of the forms of antisemitism, or fail to take it seriously. Officers and prosecutors are not being given sufficient training or oversight.

The results speak for themselves. Antisemitic crime is climbing fast, violence against Jews is soaring, and the police response is gradually getting worse. If Britain is to escape the fate of other European countries, where antisemitism and extremism are rife and Jews are leaving in their thousands, we must train our frontline police officers and prosecutors, and properly oversee them.

We recommend:

  • Specific training and guidance on antisemitic hate crime for officers and prosecutors, produced in close consultation with us, in addition to the generic hate crime training that leaves officers and prosecutors ill-equipped to deal with the intricacies of antisemitism.
  • A review of all forces by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the appointment of a senior officer in each force with responsibility for overseeing the response to antisemitic hate crime.
  • Recording and regular publication by the Crown Prosecution Service of cases involving antisemitism and their outcomes.

This data should alarm those responsible for enforcing the law: they are failing British Jews badly. Britain has the political will to fight antisemitism and strong laws with which to do it, but in too many cases, those responsible for tackling the rapidly growing racist targeting of British Jews are failing to enforce the law.

If the situation continues to deteriorate, the Jewish community will be faced with the kind of rampant antisemitism seen in other European countries, which has left Jews feeling fearful and abandoned, many of them convinced that they have no choice but to emigrate.

The time to act was 2014. The authorities can still make up for lost time, but the window is closing. Britain’s fight against antisemitism and extremism cannot be allowed to fail.

Full details are contained in our National Antisemitic Crime Audit.

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Shomrim rush to scene in London as man shouts death threats at Jewish boys

In the early hours of this morning, three young Orthodox Jewish boys were walking along Manor Road in the Stamford Hill area of London when a man started shouting allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar! F***ing Jews! Kill the Jews!”

The boys called Shomrim which responded immediately, the suspect was still in the area, threatening pedestrians and shouting antisemitic abuse. Shomrim liaised with the Police and assisted the victims until the police arrived, at which point the man was arrested.

Chaim Hochhauser, Supervisor at Stamford Hill Shomrim, said “Antisemitism and all types of hate crime are unacceptable. I urge victims and witnesses to report such incidents immediately. Such incidents should never be accepted as the norm, no matter how regularly these incidents sadly happen.”

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Four arrested after London Jewish family’s car egged by attackers shouting antisemitic abuse

Shomrim has reported that a car carrying a Jewish couple and their baby has been attacked with eggs, whilst the perpetrators shouted “F***ing Jews” and “Kill the Jews” amongst other antisemitic abuse. The incident took place at 02:00 this morning in London’s Blackwall Tunnel. There was no prior contact or incident between the two cars.

Officers from Tower Hamlets Police stopped a vehicle and arrested its four male occupants shortly after the incident, and investigations are ongoing. Shomrim are assisting the victims.

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British Transport Police seek man in connection with antisemitic abuse on a train

British Transport Police are seeking a man they think might have information about an incident of antisemitic abuse.

On Sunday, 31st January, a group of men believed to be Chelsea fans singled out an Orthodox Jewish man on a train and started to chant antisemitic abuse at him. The men boarded a Euston-bound train at 19:50 at Milton Keynes, following a match between Chelsea and the Milton Keynes Dons.

Detective Constable David Peek, from British Transport Police, said: “The carriage was crowded and they began using foul language. One of them singled out an Orthodox Jewish man and all of the men began chanting antisemitic abuse at him. The victim moved carriage as a result of this disgraceful behaviour. Nobody should have to put up with abuse just because of their race or religion, and we take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously. I think the man in the image I am issuing today will have information about the incident. Please tell us who he is?”

Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016, quoting reference 210 of 21/03/2016. Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

British Transport Police generally has a strong record dealing with incidents of antisemitic racism and we hope that the public will provide the information that they need. At the beginning of the month, two West Ham fans were convicted for antisemitic chanting on a train after being identified by the public following an appeal for witnesses by British Transport Police, with which we were pleased to be able to assist.

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Derbyshire antisemitic drunk convicted, ordered to do 150 hours’ community service and pay £145

A drunk man has been convicted and ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid work and told to pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge after he hurled antisemitic insults in the street of Derby after last year’s Paris terrorist attacks.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court heard how David Gregory, 46, of Gerard Street, Derby, had been angered by the terrorist attacks in Paris and went out drinking the following day. He was walking down Etwall Road in Derby at about 16:30 on 14th November 2015 when he saw a man jogging towards him. Gregory launched a string of obscene, racist insults at the man, who ran away and called police.

Lynne Bickley, prosecuting, said: “He thought the things he was saying weren’t nice things to hear and the last salute he had in his hand was in the shape of a fist. Police saw him standing on the pavement swaying, believed to be drunk. He said the female police officers looked young enough to be his daughters.”

Mrs Bickley said he then made numerous antisemitic comments and other remarks about people with dark skin.

After Gregory’s arrest for racially aggravated aggressive behaviour, he continued to make offensive remarks in the back of the police car, officers said.

Jaz Soodi, in mitigation, said Gregory had apologised for his outbursts and was embarrassed by his actions, which he could not remember. “He basically told the police what he told me – he couldn’t believe he had done it,” Mr Soodi said. “He was angry about what had happened in Paris. His partner had phoned police and said he was annoyed by it.”

Suicide bombers and gunmen killed 130 people during the attacks in the French capital on 13th November 2015.

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Community service, £900 costs and suspended prison sentence for antisemitic abuse

Rashal Miah, an Uber driver from Tottenham in North London, has been found guilty of racially and religiously aggravated harassment, and sentenced to a six month suspended prison sentence. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 days of ‘anger management’ training, as well as covering the prosecution costs of £900.

In September 2014 Miah abused the Jewish driver of a school bus full of children who asked him to reverse his car which was travelling the wrong way down a one-way street. Miah left his black Mercedes and threatened the Jewish man who was identifiable as Jewish from his clothing. Miah had pleaded “not guilty” to shouting: “Shut the f*** up, you f***ing Jew. I will slit your throat.” He went on to refer to the school van driver as “Yehudi” (Jew) and said: “I’m going to kill all the Jews.”

Uber has said that it has banned Miah, and we have asked Transport for London to comment.

Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, provided support to the victim through the lengthy court process.

We commend Shomrim, the Metropolitan Police Service and the Crown Prosecution Service for their firm response to this incident.

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Twitter troll fined only £450 for sustained racist abuse against Jews and Muslims

A Twitter troll in Scotland has been fined only £450 for tweeting racist abuse against Jews, Muslims, black people and homosexuals, including: “I hate Jews, homos, blacks (slaves) and am all against Islam. I say kick the f****** out”.

Robert Rankin, 52, was convicted of sending abusive or threatening communications at Paisley Sheriff Court, but in spite of a previous conviction for racially abusing a neighbour, he received a comparatively small fine. However, Sheriff Simon Fraser warned: “This is pretty unpleasant stuff and if you repeat this, you are going to find yourself going to prison.”

We regret that such sustained and vitriolic abuse from a man with an existing criminal record has been so lightly punished. Zero tolerance only works if the courts play their part.

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Jewish man and girlfriend called “F***ing Jews” and murderers on London Underground

A 23-year-old Jewish man and his girlfriend have reportedly been subjected to antisemitic abuse from a fellow passenger on the London Underground. The victims were allegedly called “F***ing Jews” by the aggressor, who was described as Muslim, and told that they and their “people” were killing “my people”. Other passengers in the carriage apparently studiously ignored the incident, which is now being investigated by the police.

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Police must act against antisemitic speaker in London’s Hyde Park

We have heard reports of antisemitic ranting at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park on a number of occasions, but none matched the brazen ferocity of the speaker captured in a video circulating online.

Claiming to be against all religion, on the two occasions caught on video, the speaker issued a non-stop tirade against Jews, shouting at any identifiably-Jewish person who passed.

To one orthodox Jewish man he said: “You’re a very f***ing dirty Jew. Don’t take it personally, take it to hell,” continuing to passersby, “His cock has been brutalised by a rabbi paedophile who cut his foreskin off. That’s how f***ed up the Jews are.”

He told another orthodox Jewish male who was passing: “Look at the Nazi Jew and see him for what he is…Your time is coming as it did in my father’s country, Deutschland…Why do you think our ancestors kicked you out of Deutschland? You learn nothing, you smug, fat Jew. Smug, fat, bearded Jew! Scum!”

The speaker referred to Jews as “Twelve tribes of head-banging schizophrenics praying to a wailing wall.” He also repeatedly claimed that Jews were Nazis as well as being their victims, for example: “They started Nazi Germany, and they got it back, Adolf Hitler style.”

As Joseph Cohen recorded him, the speaker shouted: “The day the Jew becomes a human being will be the day the Jew becomes free of the s*** of Judaism! Simple. Record it and tell your f***ing rabbi to stop molesting boys.”

No police action appears to have been taken and we are helping one victim to make a criminal complaint.

Most disturbing was that the video showed not a single member of the public remonstrating with the speaker. On the contrary, one man approached him and shook him by the hand, and a woman was recorded defending the speaker, saying: “What the Jews are doing to Gaza, to the Arabs, I think it’s a nightmare…This does not mean I don’t have friends that are Jews.”

Contrary to common perception, Speakers’ Corner is covered by no special laws and incitement to racial and religious hatred by a bigot standing on a ladder at Speakers’ Corner is just as illegal as it would be  anywhere else.

Speakers’ Corner is famous for freedom of speech, but that threatening and illegal hate speech is not permitted anywhere in our country. While we are for freedom of speech we do not believe that anyone has the absolute right to abuse freedom of speech to threaten and intimidate minorities. The law agrees with us.

We are keen to identify the speaker in the video. If you can help, please contact [email protected].

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Graffiti in London says “Holocaust is a lie” and attempts to blame bankers

A Jewish man from London sent in the following report to our Everyday Antisemitism service:

I was walking home the usual way through from grotty Acton to peaceful Turnham Green and its station, when I saw graffiti on a wall of the alleyway — the main walking route between the two areas. It reads: “Goyim, the Holocaust is a lie. Google bankers the fact”.

Goyim means non-Jew or gentile in Yiddish, but it has been usurped by neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers as a means of demonstrating Jewish ‘otherness’, and is frequently used to suggest that Jews have a derogatory view of non-Jews.

The reference to bankers appears to be a badly written attempt to exhort passersby to search for “Bankers: the facts” on the internet. Jews are often accused by antisemites and neo-Nazis of exercising supposed financial dominance to hide ‘evidence’ of a Jewish conspiracy, such as a conspiracy to exaggerate or invent the Holocaust.

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14-year-old detained by Shomrim and arrested by police for attacking Jews with fireworks

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in Hackney after a group of youths attempted to place lit fireworks in the pockets of Jewish pedestrians. Volunteers from Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, arrived almost immediately and witnessed the boy chasing one victim and hurling a lit firework towards him. The Shomrim volunteer chased and detained the boy, then called the police who arrested him.

The Metropolitan Police Service said: “A 14-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault and possession of a firework in the street. He was taken to a north London police station and subsequently released on police bail to a date in early March. No one was injured during the incident.”

We commend Shomrim and the Metropolitan Police Service for their swift and effective response to this incident.

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Man and child on London bus call Jewish passengers “F***ing Jews…Disgusting Jews” whilst making throat-slitting gesture

A group of young Jewish people have told Jewish News that they were confronted by a man with a child, on a bus travelling through Golders Green, London. A female victim told the paper: “We were at the back on the top deck not showing any signs of disruptive behaviour. When we arrived at our stop, we walked down the stairs when I heard a man mutter ‘These f***ing Jews’. I asked him why he thought what he was saying was necessary. He looked directly at me with no response but told his son that we are ‘disgusting Jews’. At this point the rest of the group I was traveling with got off the bus but three of us remained.”

The witness added that the man and the boy later “placed their fingers across their throats while smiling at us” as she and her companions walked away from the bus.

A Police spokesperson told Jewish News: “Detectives in Barnet are investigating an allegation of antisemitic abuse. The incident is said to have taken place on a route 102 bus near Golders Green station. At about 22.30, a man who was with a young child, subjected three victims, in their early 20s to anti-Semitic abuse. The investigation is ongoing and officers are working with Transport for London to obtain any CCTV that is available. The suspect is described as a man of Middle Eastern appearance, approximately 5 foot 8 with slight stubble. Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101, or to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

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Police open investigation into swastikas found in residential London neighbourhood

The Metropolitan Police Service has opened an investigation after two swastikas were daubed on a wall in Kentish Town, London. Police went to the scene before the swastikas were cleaned off. A police spokesperson told Jewish News: “Attending officers found offensive graffiti drawn onto a wall of the building and informed the local authority who removed it. No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing.”

Conservative councillor for Housing and Community Safety, Oliver Cooper, reported the graffiti to the police. He said: “This appalling incident is only the latest in a sad escalation of hate crimes and hate speech: whether it’s graffiti swastikas, or hatred on social media. It’s important that everyone tackles this head-on. I will be asking Camden Council what’s being done to reverse this rising tide of hate locally, and make sure we keep the community safe.”

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Journalist forces antisemite to disembark from train for claiming “ISIS was created by the Jews”

British journalist James Bloodworth has posted on Facebook that he forced a man to disembark from a train after he made antisemitic comments.

Bloodworth said that he had an altercation with the man after he refused to remove his bags from Bloodworth’s seat at the start of the journey. After he had eventually agreed to remove the bags, Bloodworth took his seat and settled down to read is book, ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.

His fellow passenger asked what Bloodworth was reading, to which he replied that it is a book about ISIS. The man replied: “You mean the Israeli intelligence services.” Bloodworth said he ignored the comment until the man pressed: “You do know that ISIS was created by the Jews? Who is the book by?” When Bloodworth told him that the book was by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, the man allegedly responded “Weiss is a Jewish name.” Bloodworth says he then asked the man to stop talking to him, but the man insisted, claiming that “No Jews died in the Holocaust. It’s a hoax. The gas chambers and all that. You’re just uninformed.” Bloodworth said he kept repeating the point and when he used the word “Sheeple,” Bloodworth lost his temper, telling the man that he would forcibly eject him at the next stop.

According to Bloodworth’s account, he allowed the man to gather his belongings before marching him to the door, saying: “You’re getting off this f***ing train” to a small round of applause from fellow passengers.

Bloodworth ended his Facebook post saying: “I’m a nice guy who’s kind to animals, children and my grandmother. But don’t slander the Jews in the quiet coach.”

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Thug who threatened to “kill all the Jews” convicted by Crown Court

Rashal Miah was convicted today by a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court despite pleading “not guilty” to telling a Jewish man: “Shut the f*** up, you f***ing Jew. I will slit your throat.”

The incident took place on 29th September 2014 in Stamford Hill in London. An orthodox Jewish man who was recognisably Jewish from his clothes was driving a school van full of children through traffic. Miah was driving a black Mercedes towards the school van on the wrong side of the road, which caused traffic to build up and block the road.

The driver of the school van asked Miah to reverse his car to let traffic pass, at which point Miah exited his car, “aggressively” approached the van and said: “Shut the f*** up, you f***ing Jew. I will slit your throat.” He went on to refer to the school van driver as “Yehudi” (Jew) and said: “I’m going to kill all the Jews.”

Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol provided support to the victim through the lengthy court process.

We commend the victim, Shomrim and the Metropolitan Police Service for working together to ensure that this antisemitic individual was brought to justice. We await news of the sentence with interest.

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Arrested! Three suspects in custody after Jewish shoppers allegedly pelted with gas canisters by neo-Nazis

Yesterday evening, the Metropolitan Police Service arrested three men, aged 18, 22 and 24, each on suspicion of a religiously aggravated public order offence.

The arrests follow an incident on Wednesday evening in which three Jewish shoppers were allegedly subjected to antisemitic abuse in Tottenham Hale by three white men in a pickup truck.

The three men reportedly shouted “Hitler is on the way to you, Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler” and threw small gas refill canisters towards the victims, two men and a woman. None of the victims were injured, but they were badly shaken by the experience.

Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, was called by the victims and liaised with the police.

Cowardly attacks on Jews are becoming too frequent. Following reports of three men throwing small gas canisters at Jews and shouting neo-Nazi abuse, we are pleased that the police have acted quickly and made three arrests, thanks in part to the help of the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, Shomrim, which has assisted the police and supported the victims.

Our call for zero tolerance of antisemitism under the law is being heard. We look forward to all police forces acting this effectively and quickly when antisemitic crimes are reported to them, and hope that such protection will happen without the need for insistent appeals for action by the Jewish community. Jewish British citizens have the right to be protected.

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London petrol station cashier reportedly tells Jewish customer “I hate you guys”

Campaign Against Antisemitism received a report that on 9th December 2015, a Jewish man was subjected to antisemitic abuse at a petrol station in Stamford Hill, London, when he went to pay for his petrol. According to the report, as he finished paying for his petrol, the cashier said, “I hate you guys,” to which the victim responded, “What do you mean?” The cashier then allegedly answered: “I hate you and all you Jewish people.”

We have discussed the matter with the Metropolitan Police Service, which has confirmed that they attended the incident and treated it as a racially or religiously aggravated incident intended to cause harassment, alarm or distress, which is an offence under the Public Order Act. However, the victim declined to give police a statement and no evidence was found to substantiate the allegation, so the police were left with no option other than to have a discussion with the alleged offender and close the case.

Shomrim, the volunteer Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, was introduced to the victim and helped him to make a statement to the police, but due to the absence of a corroborating second witness statement, police action was still not possible.

The police can only act when allegations are supported by evidence, including evidence from victims themselves wherever possible. Anybody who experiences antisemitism in person should first call the police, and then if it is safe to do so, they should try to capture video evidence using a smartphone and take the contact details of anyone else who witnessed the incident.

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Recognising the Muslim Brotherhood’s terrorist connections whilst failing to ban it shows that the red lines on extremism are blurred beyond all useful purpose

In April last year, the Government commissioned a review of the Muslim Brotherhood. Whilst the full review is classified, the major findings were published last Thursday.

The review found that the Muslim Brotherhood:

  • Is linked to Hamas, which is the “Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Muslim Brotherhood treat them as such”;
  • Conducted terrorist attacks against “both British and Jewish interests”;
    Is the origin of ideology which “has inspired many terrorist organisations, including…Al Qaida and its offshoots”;
  • Leaders “routinely use virulent, antisemitic language”;
  • “Played an important role in establishing and then running the Muslim Council of Britain” with which the Government severed ties “after an office holder signed a public document which appeared to condone violence against any country supporting an arms blockade against Gaza”;
  • Requires its members to keep their membership “a secret”;
  • Has built “a complex network of charities…linked to Hamas”;
  • “Held out the prospect and ambition of an Islamic state in this country as elsewhere”;
  • “Applauded suicide bombing by Hamas”; and
  • “Selectively used violence and sometimes terror in pursuit of their institutional goals.”

The review is a portrait of an insidious, clandestine, centralised network which has used front organisations, especially charities, to encourage and finance extremism, antisemitism and terrorism.

The conclusion of the review is that “aspects of Muslim Brotherhood ideology and tactics, in this country and overseas, are contrary to our values and have been contrary to our national interests and our national security,” however the Prime Minister has astonishingly decided not to ban the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK.

In recent months the Prime Minister has clearly stated that the Government’s Counter Extremism Strategy must involve not only fighting those who commit extremist acts, but also those who support and encourage extremism. In July the Prime Minister explained: “When you look in detail at the backgrounds of those convicted of terrorist offences, it is clear that many of them were first influenced by what some would call non-violent extremists.”

It is clear from the review that while “the Muslim Brotherhood has not been linked to terrorist-related activity in and against the UK”, it promotes extremism. In his response to the review, the Prime Minister said that “membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism…Parts of the Muslim Brotherhood have a highly ambiguous relationship with violent extremism.”

In October the Government published its Counter-Extremism Strategy, promising to counter extremist ideology, build partnerships with all those opposed to extremism, disrupt extremists, and build more cohesive communities. At the time, we warned that “success will be measured by action.” We welcome the Prime Minister’s promise to consider action under the Counter-Extremism Strategy.

The Muslim Brotherhood in the UK should be banned under the Terrorism Act.

The review of the Muslim Brotherhood details its longstanding record of antisemitism, intolerance and support for terrorism, not least by Hamas which is part of the Muslim Brotherhood. Recognising this but failing to ban the Brotherhood shows that the Government’s red lines on extremism are blurred beyond all useful purpose.

The full review can be downloaded. You can also download our full response including the most relevant excerpts from the review.

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Bonehill-Paine sentenced to three years and four months for “anti-Jewification” incitement

Joshua Bonehill-Paine, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison for his antisemitic incitement. In a sentencing hearing this morning at Southwark Crown Court, His Honour Judge Leonard QC sentenced Bonehill-Paine to three years and four months in prison, taking into account his past offences and track record of incitement, however under sentencing rules Bonehill-Paine might be released on licence after serving half of his sentence if he is deemed to have behaved well in prison. The six months he has so far spent in custody awaiting trial will also be deducted from his overall sentence.

Remarking on the case, Judge Leonard called materials produced by Bonehill-Paine “about the most inflammatory documents I will ever see,” adding, “With time I hope you can mature and see the harm you are doing.”

The race hate internet troll, was unanimously convicted by a jury yesterday of incitement to racial hatred for calling for “anti-Jewification” demonstrations in neighbourhoods with large Jewish populations this summer.

Bonehill-Paine has been in police custody since June, when he was arrested in a dawn raid. At a hearing in July, he pleaded “absolutely not guilty” and he has now been convicted at a trial which made for an uncomfortable spectacle for our volunteers.

The trial centred on advertisements Bonehill-Paine produced for the “anti-Jewification” demonstrations and though calm, articulate and confident, Bonehill-Paine’s testimony was simply not credible.

In one exchange with prosecutor Mark Weekes, Weekes said: “You describe yourself as a facist,” to which Bonehill-Paine replied: “I am a freedom fighter. If that means I’m a facist, then yes.” Weekes sought to clarify: “You accept the description of yourself as a facist, yes?” Bonehill-Paine replied: “No.”

At one point, Bonehill-Paine claimed that he was not an antisemite when asked about a ‘joke’ on his website in which he asked “How do you fit six million Jews in a car? In the ashtray.”

The trigger for Bonehill-Paine’s arrest and prosecution was his production of two advertisements for the “anti-Jewification” demonstration in Golders Green in July. One advertisement featured Adolf Hitler rendered as a smiley face captioned “#SummerOfHate”, with text claiming that the demonstration would be “an absolute gas”. The other advertisement featured an antisemitic caricature of a Jew being sprayed with weedkiller behind the entrance to Auschwitz, with a caption declaring: “We’ve become complacent and allowed for weeds to grow in the cracks of London. It’s time to clear them up with Round-Up and Liberate Golders Green for future generations of White People.”

Giving evidence, about the advertisements, Bonehill-Paine was asked by Weekes about the comment in the ads that the demonstrations would be “an absolute gas”. Bonehill-Paine claimed that the comment was a joke “for a younger generation”. Weekes asked why it was funny, to which Bonehill-Paine remarked simply: “I have a dark sense of humour.” He went on to claim that every single antisemitic element of the ads was an example of “dark humour” aimed at “younger generations”, including the imagery suggesting that Jews were weeds which should be eliminated with weedkiller.

Weekes was impressively dogged, painstakingly taking Bonehill-Paine through the evidence. When he came to the smiley face rendered as Adolf Hitler, Weekes said: “You used a smiley face with a Hitler face.” Bonehill-Paine gave his stock response: “I think it’s absolutely funny.” Weekes retorted: “You think people in Golders Green would think this is funny?” When Bonehill-Paine replied “Yes I do”, Weekes sharply enquired: “Even with the ‘Summer of Hate’ written underneath?” Bonehill-Paine weakly responded: “That was the theme.”

At one point Weekes asked incredulously about the demonstration: “This is supposed to benefit Golders Green?” Bonehill-Paine replied that he “wanted to cooperate with the community.”

Bonehill-Paine’s defence was utterly shredded as private correspondence recovered from his computer by police data forensics officers came to light.

In one e-mail, Bonehill-Paine had written: “Perhaps a civil war is looming or a world war. If we don’t take action we can say goodbye to independence. Pointing the finger at the Jew has proven to be suicide for many aspiring nationalists but I must take a stand as I see Jews taking dominion over white folk.”

In a Skype conversation, Bonehill-Paine wrote: “Apparently Israel has condemned the marches. We are shaking them to the very core…The Jews are absolutely outraged.”

Whilst Bonehill-Paine has no significant far right following, it was his online activity that started the “anti-Jewification” demonstrations and prompted Campaign Against Antisemitism and others to repeatedly bring his activity to the attention of the police.

Although Bonehill-Paine did not successfully organise any demonstrations due to police bail conditions banning him from London, another neo-Nazi, Eddie Stampton, picked up the idea and organised demonstrations, but dropped “anti-Jewification”, instead claiming to be demonstrating against the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol which works with the police. This change of theme may have caused Bonehill-Paine and Stampton to fall out. In an argument in the comments section of the Daily Stormer neo-Nazi website, a user purporting to be Stampton angrily wrote to Bonehill-Paine: “An [sic] demo in Stamford Hill billed as ‘anti-Jewification’ will be banned by the Home Office as ‘likely to stir up racial hatred’. That is why we have done the next best thing. Use your brain.”

Bonehill-Paine attempted to blame Stampton for incriminating comments made in a video in which Bonehill-Paine says: “Jews are a foreign enemy.” Bonehill-Paine claimed Stampton had sent him text to read out and even though Bonehill-Paine said he “didn’t agree with it” he claimed “it was a favour for a friend and I never agreed to have it published.” The idea was openly mocked by Weekes during his summing up, asking: “Why would he read a text that he disagrees with for 31 minutes?…It is clearly racial hatred.”

The defence was left arguing that Bonehill-Paine was an aspiring comedian and even quoted jokes by Jimmy Carr, claiming that Bonehill-Paine’s comments were “for publicity, attention, self-advertisement”. The defence also tried to argue that the legal threshold for incitement had not been met because Bonehill-Paine had issued no “call for blood”.

As Bonehill-Paine awaited the verdict, his demeanour changed and he started to fidget nervously, grasping a wooden crucifix that he had been wearing around his neck earlier. Finally the jury emerged from its deliberations and delivered its unanimous verdict: guilty.

During today’s sentencing hearing Bonehill-Paine seemed cold and detached.

Commenting on the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Barnes, who led the investigation, said: “As this case demonstrates, there is no place for people inciting racial hatred under the guise of protest and those that do this will be investigated and brought before the courts to answer for this crime.”

The anti-Jewification demonstrations were firmly put to a stop after a demonstration planned for 4th July was forcefully opposed by Campaign Against Antisemitism. We prepared to bring thousands of counter-demonstrators out to oppose the neo-Nazis in Golders Green whilst simultaneously negotiating with the police. It was our counter-demonstration and firm negotiating position which the Metropolitan Police Service said prompted the use of powers under the Public Order Act to exclude the neo-Nazis from Golders Green, instead kettling them in Westminster and limiting their demonstration to an hour spent surrounded by police. No further demonstrations have taken place.

We are pleased that Bonehill-Paine has been convicted of this serious crime and is no longer at liberty to incite racial hatred. We are also very pleased that the severity of his sentence reflects the severity of his actions and sends a strong message to others like him.

We would like to thank our volunteer team which worked tirelessly to successfully oppose the antisemitic demonstrations, and the volunteers who have attended court proceedings so that Bonehill-Paine’s pathetic reality can be brought to light.

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Guilty! Joshua Bonehill-Paine, instigator of “anti-Jewification” demonstrations guilty of incitement to racial hatred

Joshua Bonehill-Paine, the race hate internet troll, has been convicted of incitement to racial hatred by Southwark Crown Court for calling for “anti-Jewification” demonstrations in neighbourhoods with large Jewish populations this summer.

Bonehill-Paine has been in police custody since June, when he was arrested in a dawn raid. At a hearing in July, he pleaded “absolutely not guilty” and he has now been convicted at a trial which made for an uncomfortable spectacle for our volunteers.

The trial centred on advertisements Bonehill-Paine produced for the “anti-Jewification” demonstrations and though calm, articulate and confident, Bonehill-Paine’s testimony was simply not credible.

In one exchange with prosecutor Mark Weekes, Weekes said: “You describe yourself as a facist,” to which Bonehill-Paine replied: “I am a freedom fighter. If that means I’m a facist, then yes.” Weekes sought to clarify: “You accept the description of yourself as a facist, yes?” Bonehill-Paine replied: “No.”

At one point, Bonehill-Paine claimed that he was not an antisemite when asked about a ‘joke’ on his website in which he asked “How do you fit six million Jews in a car? In the ashtray.”

The trigger for Bonehill-Paine’s arrest and prosecution was his production of two advertisements for the “anti-Jewification” demonstration in Golders Green in July. One advertisement featured Adolf Hitler rendered as a smiley face captioned “#SummerOfHate”, with text claiming that the demonstration would be “an absolute gas”. The other advertisement featured an antisemitic caricature of a Jew being sprayed with weedkiller behind the entrance to Auschwitz, with a caption declaring: “We’ve become complacent and allowed for weeds to grow in the cracks of London. It’s time to clear them up with Round-Up and Liberate Golders Green for future generations of White People.”

Giving evidence, about the advertisements, Bonehill-Paine was asked by Weekes about the comment in the ads that the demonstrations would be “an absolute gas”. Bonehill-Paine claimed that the comment was a joke “for a younger generation”. Weekes asked why it was funny, to which Bonehill-Paine remarked simply: “I have a dark sense of humour.” He went on to claim that every single antisemitic element of the ads was an example of “dark humour” aimed at “younger generations”, including the imagery suggesting that Jews were weeds which should be eliminated with weedkiller.

Weekes was impressively dogged, painstakingly taking Bonehill-Paine through the evidence. When he came to the smiley face rendered as Adolf Hitler, Weekes said: “You used a smiley face with a Hitler face.” Bonehill-Paine gave his stock response: “I think it’s absolutely funny.” Weekes retorted: “You think people in Golders Green would think this is funny?” When Bonehill-Paine replied “Yes I do”, Weekes sharply enquired: “Even with the ‘Summer of Hate’ written underneath?” Bonehill-Paine weakly responded: “That was the theme.”

At one point Weekes asked incredulously about the demonstration: “This is supposed to benefit Golders Green?” Bonehill-Paine replied that he “wanted to cooperate with the community.”

Bonehill-Paine’s defence was utterly shredded as private correspondence recovered from his computer by police data forensics officers came to light.

In one e-mail, Bonehill-Paine had written: “Perhaps a civil war is looming or a world war. If we don’t take action we can say goodbye to independence. Pointing the finger at the Jew has proven to be suicide for many aspiring nationalists but I must take a stand as I see Jews taking dominion over white folk.”

In a Skype conversation, Bonehill-Paine wrote: “Apparently Israel has condemned the marches. We are shaking them to the very core…The Jews are absolutely outraged.”

Whilst Bonehill-Paine has no significant far right following, it was his online activity that started the “anti-Jewification” demonstrations and prompted Campaign Against Antisemitism and others to repeatedly bring his activity to the attention of the police.

Although Bonehill-Paine did not successfully organise any demonstrations due to police bail conditions banning him from London, another neo-Nazi, Eddie Stampton, picked up the idea and organised demonstrations, but dropped “anti-Jewification”, instead claiming to be demonstrating against the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol which works with the police. This change of theme may have caused Bonehill-Paine and Stampton to fall out. In an argument in the comments section of the Daily Stormer neo-Nazi website, a user purporting to be Stampton angrily wrote to Bonehill-Paine: “An [sic] demo in Stamford Hill billed as ‘anti-Jewification’ will be banned by the Home Office as ‘likely to stir up racial hatred’. That is why we have done the next best thing. Use your brain.”

Bonehill-Paine attempted to blame Stampton for incriminating comments made in a video in which Bonehill-Paine says: “Jews are a foreign enemy.” Bonehill-Paine claimed Stampton had sent him text to read out and even though Bonehill-Paine said he “didn’t agree with it” he claimed “it was a favour for a friend and I never agreed to have it published.” The idea was openly mocked by Weekes during his summing up, asking: “Why would he read a text that he disagrees with for 31 minutes?…It is clearly racial hatred.”

The defence was left arguing that Bonehill-Paine was an aspiring comedian and even quoted jokes by Jimmy Carr, claiming that Bonehill-Paine’s comments were “for publicity, attention, self-advertisement”. The defence also tried to argue that the legal threshold for incitement had not been met because Bonehill-Paine had issued no “call for blood”.

As Bonehill-Paine awaited the verdict, his demeanour changed and he started to fidget nervously, grasping a wooden crucifix that he had been wearing around his neck earlier. Finally the jury emerged from its deliberations and delivered its unanimous verdict: guilty.

His Honour Judge Leonard QC ordered that Bonehill-Paine will remain in custody and return to Southwark Crown Court tomorrow for sentencing.

Commenting on the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Barnes, who led the investigation, said: “As this case demonstrates, there is no place for people inciting racial hatred under the guise of protest and those that do this will be investigated and brought before the courts to answer for this crime.”

The anti-Jewification demonstrations were firmly put to a stop after a demonstration planned for 4th July was forcefully opposed by Campaign Against Antisemitism. We prepared to bring thousands of counter-demonstrators out to oppose the neo-Nazis in Golders Green whilst simultaneously negotiating with the police. It was our counter-demonstration and firm negotiating position which the Metropolitan Police Service said prompted the use of powers under the Public Order Act to exclude the neo-Nazis from Golders Green, instead kettling them in Westminster and limiting their demonstration to an hour spent surrounded by police. No further demonstrations have taken place.

We are pleased that Bonehill-Paine has been convicted of this serious crime and is no longer at liberty to incite racial hatred.

We would like to thank our volunteer team which worked tirelessly to successfully oppose the antisemitic demonstrations, and the volunteers who have attended court proceedings so that Bonehill-Paine’s pathetic reality can be brought to light.

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Police investigating academic who allegedly said “Jews have become the Nazis” after CAA complaint

Cambridgeshire Constabulary is investigating after Campaign Against Antisemitism filed a complaint against a retired University of Cambridge academic who allegedly told an Israeli schoolgirl that she will not answer her question about horses until “there is peace and justice for Palestinians”. Asked about her motivation, she reportedly said that the “Jews have become the Nazis”. The case caused uproar on social media and in the national press, but no police investigation was opened until Campaign Against Antisemitism took action.

Dr Marsha Levine, an expert on the domestication and history of horses, was reportedly approached by 13-year-old Shachar Rabinovitch by e-mail. Shachar was undertaking a school project and sent Levine an e-mail in her best, most polite English. Levine allegedly responded coldly that “You might be a child, but if you are old enough to write to me, you are old enough to learn about Israeli history and how it has impacted on the lives of Palestinian people. Maybe your family has the same views as I do, but I doubt it.”

Interviewed by the JC after the alleged e-mail exchange was posted on Facebook, Levine reportedly said: “Jews have turned themselves into monsters. I want this girl not to worry about horses…I don’t see any obligation to further her ego or make her feel better about herself. I don’t think it’s about her – I think it’s about her parents. I gave her useful information which might help her for the rest of her life. I have to stand up for what I believe in…The Jews have become the Nazis. Jews are behaving just like the people who treated them. It’s not all Israelis or all Jews.”

Speaking to the Telegraph, Shamir Rabinovitch, Shachar’s father, said he was “shocked” by the reply. He said: “You have to ask yourself: what is there to gain from not talking to a 13-year-old girl? How does that solve anything? She asked a very polite question about horses, something she is interested in. Why do you reply with such anger? It really crossed the boundary. I think it’s ok to have different opinions about Israel…But it’s not OK to involve children in this stuff.”

We will now leave the case in the hands of the police and follow its progress with interest.

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Popular London nightclub ordered to close after antisemitic brawl, but assailants escape further action

Boujis, a popular nightclub in Kensington has been ordered to close for two weeks following a brawl which erupted into the street after customers were subjected to antisemitic abuse.

Video footage showed between fifteen and twenty people engaged in a fight during which one person was thrown across the bonnet of a taxi with such force that it was dented, whilst an assailant shouted “f***ing Jews”. The club has reportedly told journalists that the fight began after a customer made an antisemitic remark towards a group of Jewish people and was asked to leave.

When the club reopens, it will be required to exclude anybody younger than 21 and must close by 2am every night. Six men and a woman, all aged between 18 and 21, were arrested and issued with fixed penalty notices.

Media accounts of the incident seem to indicate that racially-aggravated offences occurred, making the use of fixed penalty notices by the police inexplicably lenient.

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Antisemitic “Hitler was right” posters at Birmingham university under investigation by police forensics team

Police in Birmingham are treating as a hate crime the discovery of “a number of antisemitic posters” including one of Adolf Hitler captioned “Hitler was right” at the University of Birmingham.

The posters were discovered by Students’ Guild Education Officer Izzy Lenga who tweeted: “For those who don’t think antisemitism is a serious issue, these were plastered over campus on Tues”.

We immediately contacted the police who have confirmed that they have now removed a number of antisemitic posters found on campus at the University of Birmingham. This is a worrying and disturbing thing to see at a British university at a time when the number of recorded antisemitic incidents is rising, and when Jewish people are actively being targeted and killed in Europe and beyond. We have heard from a Jewish student organisation that they’ve had students express their discomfort and alarm at seeing a poster of Hitler suggesting support for Nazism. The reaction of the police and university must be serious and tough in order to reassure Jews and non-Jews alike that this will not be tolerated. The perpetrators of his hate crime must be found and brought to justice with zero tolerance.

West Midlands Police told Campaign Against Antisemitism that the posters have now been removed and will be forensically examined to try and identify who was responsible. Officers will also be trawling CCTV and speaking to students and staff from the university as part of their investigation.

Sergeant David Cotter from West Midlands Police told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “We take reports of hate crime extremely seriously and are working closely with the university to make it a safe place for everyone who works and studies there. This kind of behaviour is offensive and completely unacceptable and our investigation to identify those responsible is already progressing.”

Deborah Walker, Head of Communications at the University of Birmingham told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “We unreservedly condemn racist graffiti on campus. We have reported the matter to West Midlands Police and are working with them to identify those involved. Our University is a community of 150 nations and we are proud to be situated in a vibrant multi-cultural city. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. We are therefore actively working with a range of groups to bring people together and ensure that our university is a place where diversity is celebrated and everyone plays their part in creating a vibrant and welcoming community.”

If anyone has any information about who is responsible for the posters they should call Sergeant Cotter from Birmingham South Police on 101.

https://twitter.com/izzyjengalenga/status/659670049897230336

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Man convicted and fined for performing Nazi salute at Jewish people on London’s Oxford Street

Issa Khazaal was today found guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court of executing a Nazi salute directed at a group of Jewish people outside Selfridges on Oxford Street, London. The incident took place in September 2014 at a demonstration.

City of London Magistrates’ Court imposed financial penalties totalling £1,587, comprising a £660 fine (including £220 due to the racially-aggravated nature of the crime), £150 in compensation and £777 costs to the CPS.

This conviction sends the message that antisemitism will not be tolerated in the UK. Jewish people feel threatened and intimidated by such acts, and it is vital that all of society stands up against this sort of hatred. Over six million Jews were murdered in the Nazi holocaust, and it is telling that Khazaal, chose to taunt Jewish people with a Nazi salute during an anti-Israel demonstration; too often antisemites feel they can dress-up their hatred of Jews as debate relating to Israel. This must not be allowed to happen, and today’s verdict shows that antisemitism can and will be pursued with the full force of the law.

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Four incidents in a day as north London Jews are subjected to antisemitic abuse and criminal damage

The incidents began when a group described as “young Asian men” in a car shouted antisemitic abuse at the driver of a school bus whilst children were on board. Shortly afterwards, a black male shouted “We need to kill all the Jews” at a Jewish man leaving a synagogue in a London neighbourhood with a large Jewish population. He then broke the man’s car window. Later, two women were subjected to antisemitic abuse and threats in the street, possibly by the same man, who may also be linked to additional incidents in the area. In the late evening, an Eastern European man shouted “You f***ing Jewish c***s” at Jewish passersby and was followed by volunteers from Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol until police arrested him. Shomrim responded to the three incidents earlier in the day as well and police are now understood to be investigating.

Due to the work of Shomrim, in close coordination with the local police, the area of north London affected has a relatively good rate of detection for antisemitic hate crime. If you witnessed any of these incidents, please contact the Metropolitan Police Service on 101 or Shomrim North East at [email protected].

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Manchester boys’ attackers sentenced

Two 17-year-olds have been convicted of an attack on four Jewish boys in Manchester on 5th September. Joseph Kelly and Zach Birch pleaded guilty after being arrested by Greater Manchester Police which launched an extensive forensic operation in the wake of the incident.

Moshe Fuerst, aged 17, was the most seriously injured. He was knocked unconscious with a blow to the head and continued to be assaulted as he lay helpless on the ground. He suffered a fractured skull and had to be placed in a medically-induced coma.

The boys, from Prestwich and Whitefield, pleaded guilty to multiple offences. One pleaded guilty to one count of section 18 assault, one count of section 47 assault and two counts of section 39 assault and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The other pleaded guilty to one count of section 47 assault and two counts of section 39 assault and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

The incident began at 23:25 on Saturday 5th September as the four Jewish boys waited for a tram at Bowker Vale Metrolink stop in Manchester. They were engaged in conversation by a group of three youths on the opposite platform which turned aggressive. The three youths crossed to the other platform in order to confront the four Jewish boys.

The group of Jewish boys said that they did not want to fight but were subjected to a sustained assault which began with punches and kicks to the head and upper body of one of the victims. As the other Jewish boys stepped in to try and stop the attack, they too came under attack. They were able to flee into a nearby road but were chased by their assailants who punched Moshe Fuerst in the face, knocking him unconscious. They then kicked him as he lay prone on the pavement, before the attackers ran away. Moshe was left fighting for his life in hospital. He has since returned home, where he is recovering from his injuries.

We understand that the police logged the incident as a hate crime but it was not prosecuted as such, and the judge made clear that the conviction was not affected by allegations that the attack was motivated by antisemitism. Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry of North Manchester division said: “This was a vicious and unprovoked attack which has left a young man with a serious head injury and with on-going psychological issues…At the start of this investigation Greater Manchester Police recorded this as a hate crime and investigated it as such. Greater Manchester Police take any such allegation extremely seriously. However, after our experienced detectives and senior figures within the Crown Prosecution Service examined the evidence closely, it was decided that this assault did not meet the threshold to be treated as a racially aggravated crime.”

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Scottish Jews bearing the brunt of hate crime as Police Scotland cracks down on online antisemitism

Despite the fact that there are only 5,887 Jewish people in Scotland, comprising a mere 0.1% of the population, they bear the brunt of 4% of racist crimes.

As in the rest of the UK, a growing proportion of racist crime takes place online, so we welcome Police Scotland’s use of its new cybercrime hub announced in May, to track down and arrest the operators of antisemitic social media accounts based in Scotland.

Other UK police forces could learn a great deal from this approach.

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Manchester attack: two plead guilty to violent assault on four Jewish boys which left one with a brain injury

Moshe Fuerst suffered a fractured skull and a brain injury in a violent attack in Manchester on Saturday 5th September. He and three friends (two teenagers and a 20-year-old) were wounded when they were assaulted by thugs whilst waiting at the Bowker Vale tram stop.

Forensics experts from Greater Manchester Police scoured the scene of the crime, followed by dawn arrests.

We can now confirm that two teenagers from Bury, both aged 17, pleaded guilty to assault charges at Manchester Youth Court yesterday.

One defendant pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of assault by beating, whilst the other pleaded guilty to wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by beating. According to Manchester Evening News, each defendant spoke only to confirm his name, address, date of birth and plea.

The court heard that the attackers shouted insults at the Jewish boys while they pursued them before the attack. Moshe was trapped in a corner and knocked out with a punch to the head. His assailant continued to kick him in the head and body while he lay defenceless on the floor. The defendants reportedly told the police that they were drunk at the time of the attack.

No further action will be taken against a third boy, also 17, who was arrested in connection with the attack and then released.

We commend Greater Manchester Police for its firm and swift response to this vile attack. We will be following the case with interest. The defendants will next be in court on 20th October.

Following intensive treatment, which included a medically-induced coma, Moshe has now been released from hospital. We wish Moshe a shana tova (happy Jewish new year) and a refuah shlema (complete recovery).

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Moshe Fuerst, Jewish teenager attacked in Manchester, out of hospital, as police arrest third suspect

Moshe Fuerst suffered a fractured skull and a brain injury in a violent attack in Manchester on Saturday. He and three friends (two teenagers and a 20-year-old) were wounded when they were assaulted by three thugs whilst waiting at the Bowker Vale tram stop.

Following intensive treatment, which included a medically-induced coma, Moshe has now been released from hospital. We wish Moshe a shana tova (happy Jewish new year) and a refuah shlema (complete recovery).

Police swooped this morning on addresses in Whitefield and Derbyshire, arresting two 17-year-olds on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

This afternoon, Greater Manchester Police arrested a third suspect.

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Police hunting thugs who brutally attacked Jewish boys in Manchester make dawn arrests, issue urgent appeal for witnesses

Police swooped this morning on addresses in Whitefield and Derbyshire, arresting two 17-year-olds on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

Moshe Fuerst suffered a fractured skull and a brain injury in a violent attack in Manchester on Saturday. He and three friends (two teenagers and a 20-year-old) were wounded when they were assaulted whilst waiting at the Bowker Vale tram stop.

Following this morning’s dawn arrests, Greater Manchester Police issued a call for witnesses to come forward. It is hoped that passersby may have witnessed the verbal abuse on the platform at Bowker Vale or on Middleton Road which is where the boys fled to and where the violent assault took place. Police hope that drivers on the busy road may have seen the incident.

Detective Inspector Liam Boden said: “We have had a team of officers working closely with our partners to recover and examine evidence since the offence took place, which has revealed a sustained and unprovoked attack on the victims who were waiting for a tram on the opposite platform. Detectives investigating this case will be interviewing two suspects later today, but we are still appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

“There are two distinct scenes, as we believe the victims were chased from the platform to Middleton Road and that is where the most serious assault took place.

“We would therefore like to ask anyone who may have been travelling along Middleton Road at around 11.25pm on Saturday, or anyone who believes they may have witnessed the attack, to come forward.

“Similarly, we believe the offenders then alighted the Metrolink towards Bury at around 11.35pm, travelling between Bowker Vale and Radcliffe. We know there were people on this tram and that they would have noticed these offenders travelling between carriages, as it would have been obvious that at least one of them had been involved in an assault.

“I know this crime has caused upset and anxiety in the Jewish community, particularly as this has happened just prior to the start of the Jewish High Holy Days, and I want to offer reassurance that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will do everything we can to stop it.”

Moshe Fuerst’s father Michael said: “Moshe is just your average kid who went out with his friends to enjoy a movie at the cinema. These fellows had no reason or justification for what they did. He also wants to thank everyone one for their positive words and prayers that he should get better. And he also wants to thank the GMP who are working hard to bring the attackers to justice.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Photograph shows shocking injuries sustained by Jewish teenager beaten unconscious by antisemitic thugs

Moshe Fuerst, the 17-year-old Jewish boy knocked unconscious and beaten whilst lying helpless on the ground awoke from a coma yesterday. Fuerst suffered a fractured skull and a brain injury on Saturday in a violent antisemitic attack in Manchester. He and three friends (two teenagers and a 20-year-old) were wounded when they were assaulted whilst waiting at the Bowker Vale tram stop.

A photograph released by his father, Rabbi Michael Fuerst, shows the extent of his potentially life-changing injuries.

Greater Manchester Police forensics teams have scoured the site of the attack for clues and the force is now hunting three suspects whose descriptions have not been released.

Moshe-Fuerst-Newspaper

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Antisemitism in London surges by 93% in 12 months as UK Business Secretary issues stark warning

Figures released by the Metropolitan Police Service showed that antisemitic incidents in London surged by 93% over the past 12 months. The figures are also broken down by borough.

Meanwhile Greater Manchester Police continues to hunt three suspects after four Jewish boys were brutally attacked at a tram station by three men. A 17-year-old boy was knocked unconscious in the attack and remains in hospital with suspected bleeding to the brain. He came out of a coma this morning. The three other boys with him, aged 18, 18 and 20, were also injured.

The new figures came as Business Secretary Sajid Javid MP delivered a speech entitled: “It can happen again: the danger of rising antisemitism”. Javid used the speech to issue a stark warning over social indifference and complacency as levels of antisemitism continue to climb year after year, saying:

“But we also need to tackle the root of the problem, the often violent extremism that is on the rise around the world. And I’m not just talking about the butchers of ISIL or Al Qaeda, thousands of miles away in foreign lands. There’s plenty of intolerance much closer to home, intolerance that is disproportionately directed at the Jewish community. Some is explicit. The hate preachers, the extremist mosques, the far-Right groups.
Some is more oblique. A search on Google produces more than half a million hits for ‘Holocaust Hoax’. Thousands more pages will tell you that a greedy Otto Frank forged his daughter’s diary in a cunning scheme to make money. Then there are the ‘dinner party anti-Semites’. Respectable, middle-class people who would recoil in horror if you accused them of racism, but are quite happy to repeat modern takes on age-old myths and slanders about Jews. Who can’t condemn the murder of Jewish children in France without a caveat criticising the Israeli government. Who demand that a Jewish American artist sign a declaration of support for Palestine if he wants to perform at a festival in Spain.

I can’t remember the last time I spoke to a Jewish friend or colleague who hasn’t, at some point, found themselves sitting awkwardly at a dinner party while a fellow guest railed against the international ‘Kosher Conspiracy’.

Together, these attitudes create a climate in which anti-Semitism is seen as ‘less bad’ than other forms of discrimination. And in that climate, the most violent extremism can take root and it can thrive. It happened, therefore it can happen again.”

Separately, figures released by football anti-racism campaign Kick It Out revealed that most of the racist incidents they recorded were antisemitic in nature. According to the figures, antisemitic incidents in football rose 14% over the past year.

Reyaad Khan, Abdul Miah, Gurukanth Desai
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UK air strike kills British-born Jihadist possibly ‘radicalised’ by antisemites

David Cameron today announced that Reyaad Khan, a British-born jihadist, was killed by an RAF strike in Syria, as he was planning an attack on the UK.

According to the Daily Telegraph,

“Khan grew up in the same street as Abdul Miah, one of the ringleaders of a foiled terror plot that intended to unleash a Mumbai style attack on London. Miah, 27, his brother Gurukanth Desai, 32, and fellow accomplice, Omar Latif, 30, were among nine terrorists arrested in December 2010 as they prepared to carry out a string of deadly attacks.

During the police operation Desai, a father of three who once owned a Cardiff takeaway, and Miah were bugged claiming that fewer than 100,000 Jews died in the Holocaust and talking about how Hitler ‘had been on the same side as the Muslims’ because he understood that ‘the Jews were dangerous’.
…
Khan’s uncle confirmed that his nephew knew the terror cell when he was growing up. He said: ‘Reyaad knew the men from the neighbourhood. One of them lived very close by, just a few doors away on the same street.’”

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Four Jewish boys badly beaten in antisemitic attack in Manchester, teenager knocked unconscious

Four Jewish boys aged 17, 18, 18 and 20 have reportedly been badly beaten in an antisemitic attack at a tram stop in Manchester. The four Jewish boys were approached by three thugs who started verbally and physically assaulting them on Saturday night at around 23:30. The worst affected was the youngest boy, who was knocked unconscious and has been hospitalised with suspected bleeding to his brain.

Greater Manchester Police are treating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime and seeking suspects for grievous bodily harm with intent. Forensics teams remained at the site until Monday morning.

Anyone with information should contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

UPDATE 08/09/15 11:30: Moshe Fuerst is still unwell following suspected bleeding to the brain. He awoke from an induced coma this morning. His family have asked that well-wishers pray for the speedy recovery of “Moshe Ben Sharon” by reciting Psalm 121.

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Man arrested for antisemitic abuse and assaulting an officer, another arrested for antisemitic abuse for the third time

Last night at 1am a Shomrim patrol in Lordship Park spotted a man acting suspiciously and looking into homes. Shomrim, which has an impressive record in reducing burglary, alerted the local police. When a police officer arrived the man hurled antisemitic abuse at a Jewish man nearby. When more police officers arrived, the man grabbed at their taser gun and was arrested for racially-aggravated harassment and assaulting a police officer.

In a separate incident at 1am the previous day, a man was arrested for antisemitic abuse. The man had been spotted by Shomrim who already knew him: he has a previous conviction for antisemitic abuse and this latest incident was a breach of his bail conditions for yet another antisemitic incident. In each case, the man had been reported to the police by Shomrim, whose volunteers also testified against him in court.

Meanwhile in Scotland, the Daily Record has reported that Nicholas Goodwin of Troon was convicted of racially aggravated harassment and sentenced to six months in prison for sending a Jewish woman a photograph of a Nazi flag. Goodwin sent the photo of himself and a friend with the flag emblazoned with a swastika.

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Hertfordshire Constabulary seek man following antisemitic incident outside pub

Police are looking for a man in connection with an antisemitic incident outside the Alfred Arms on Shenley Road in Borehamwood on Friday 12th June at 11:15pm.

Two families (four adults and five children) were passing the pub when a man began rubbing his fingers together in a money gesture and made derogatory comments about “filthy rich Jews”. As each member of the families passed, he made exaggerated sneezing gestures and said “Ah Jew”.

Hertfordshire Constabulary would like to identify and speak with the man pictured as he may have information which could prove useful to the investigation. If you know the man pictured please contact PC Golding Egbuniwe by calling 101 and quoting crime reference number J1/15/2125.

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Teenager ordered to pay £185 for sending antisemitic tweet to Lord Sugar

A 17-year-old from Preston, Lancashire has been ordered by Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court to pay £100 in compensations, £85 in costs and complete an eight-month referral to a youth offender panel.

The antisemitic tweet called Lord Sugar an “Old Jewish c***”. Lord Sugar thanked Essex Police for “tracking him down”.

In the first six months of this year, 20% of the antisemitic incidents reported in the UK were online. It is time for the social networks to proactively seek out Jew hatred on their platforms.

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Man arrested after antisemitic attack outside Stamford Hill synagogue

Last night at 22:45 a Jewish man leaving synagogue was violently shoved by a man who shouted racist abuse at him. A Shomrim patrol followed the attacker to Amhurst Park while the police were called. The attacker was arrested for racially-aggravated common assault.

Once again, Shomrim has shown an antisemite that his actions have consequences. Shomrim groups are immensely successful at reducing crime including antisemitic crime. Shomrim patrols are manned by volunteers and work closely with the police. Nobody should ever accept racism as a part of normal life and Shomrim are a case study in how vigilance and a policy of zero tolerance can have a powerful effect.

Shomrim Stamford Hill coordinator Barry Bard said: “This behaviour is totally unacceptable. Unfortunately antisemitic incidents are happening too often. Shomrim have recently facilitated many arrests, charges and successful prosecutions in relation to antisemitic hate crime incidents, I would like to thank the Police and the Courts for taking these incidents seriously and bringing offenders to justice.”

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Violent antisemitic assaults double as antisemitic incidents increase by 53% in first half of 2015

Reported violent antisemitic assaults, including attacks using “extreme violence”, have doubled in the first six months of 2015.

The rise in antisemitic violence is part of a 53% increase in overall antisemitic incidents across the UK. The 53% rise is against the first six months of 2014, which in turn saw a 38% increase against the first six months of 2013. 2014 was the worst year on record for antisemitic incidents, although these latest CST figures suggest that 2015 could be worse still.

In London, the latest Metropolitan Police figures showed a 134% rise in antisemitic crime in the last 12 months (almost 200% in Barnet, which has the most concentrated Jewish population in the UK).

72% of antisemitic incidents go unreported, according to a study by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.

It was not possible to ascertain the ideology of the perpetrators in all cases, but more than 1 in 4 incidents (26%) referenced neo-Nazism. 7% referenced Israel, 3% referenced Islamism and another 3% referenced more than one motivation. In his speech against extremism last week, the Prime Minister identified extremism as a gateway to antisemitism.

Almost a fifth of the antisemitic incidents reported now take place online and Campaign Against Antisemitism has called on social networks to take proactive steps against antisemitic abuse. Our talks with Twitter broke down however when Twitter’s Director of Public Policy for Europe wrote in an e-mail: “Your emphasis on proactive monitoring and reporting is not compatible with our basic structure and policies as a platform. I therefore think it is not possible to take this any further.”

Social networks say it is too difficult to proactively target antisemitic abuse online, but manage to proactively target advertising audiences, proactively removing child pornography and proactively blocking copyright content. We reject those excuses and in his speech, the Prime Minister said: “Well I’m sorry – I just don’t buy that.”

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Campaign Against Antisemitism Joins Panel to Oversee Implementation of New Measures Against Hate Crime in London

On Tuesday, 19th May 2015, Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) Chairman Gideon Falter attended the first meeting of the London Hate Crime Panel convened by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The Panel is chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh, and will oversee the delivery of London’s Hate Crime Reduction Strategy. The Panel includes senior representatives of the Metropolitan Police Service, Crown Prosecution Service, Ministry of Justice and National Probation Service.

Last summer MOPAC reported that July was London’s worst ever month for hate crime, and that 95% of that hate crime was directed at the capital’s Jewish community. CAA met the Deputy Mayor soon after our rally outside the Royal Courts of Justice last August, at which we called for zero tolerance enforcement of the law against antisemitic hate crime. Soon after that meeting it was agreed that CAA would work with MOPAC to oversee specific new strategies to better enable the authorities to enforce the law against antisemitic hate crime.

The creation of the London Hate Crime Panel is a very welcome development and we were pleased with the progress made during our inaugural meeting.

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Annual Antisemitism Barometer Published

The Annual Antisemitism Barometer is the largest study of its kind. It reveals both the scale of antisemitic sentiment in Britain, and its effect on the increasingly-threatened British Jewish population.

Whilst antisemitism in Britain is not yet at the levels seen in most of Europe, the results of our survey should be a wakeup call. Britain is at a tipping point: unless antisemitism is met with zero tolerance, it will continue to grow and British Jews may increasingly question their place in their own country.

The year 2014 saw a record-breaking number of antisemitic incidents perpetrated against Jewish people and Jewish property in Britain. Antisemitism is usually most visible in Great Britain during crises involving Israel, but the sentiment behind it does not simply disappear when the crises end.

The Mayor of London’s office recently revealed that in July 2014, when fighting between Israel and Hamas peaked, the Metropolitan Police Service recorded its worst ever month for hate crime in London, 95% of which was antisemitic hate crime directly related to fighting between Israel and Hamas.

It was in response to this record-breaking wave of antisemitism that in August 2014, the Campaign Against Antisemitism organised a grassroots-led movement dedicated to identifying and combatting antisemitism of both a classical ethno-religious nature and also a political nature related to Israel.

Some antisemitic views may be totally unintentional but are no less offensive for it. Many people in the UK have simply never met Jewish people, and might have stereotypical ideas of them. This is a smaller problem which simply needs better education and discussion so that people can appreciate that, as with any minority group, Jewish people are not defined only by their religion or race. ‘Unintentional’ stereotypes should be highlighted more often, and those espousing them will be able to better understand that they are offensive.

To effectively fight antisemitism we must examine both its origins and its consequences. It is our hope that this study will shed light on both of these aspects of this pernicious form of racism, in order that we can reduce its presence in British society. Antisemitism is not a problem only for Jewish people, but for all of Britain, which must uphold its tradition of tolerance and pluralism.

We are seeking to recruit a General Counsel a Creative Communications and Events Officer a Communications and Research Manager an Education and Outreach Intern to join our London office

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Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law. Everything that we do is done by people who volunteer their time, using donations contributed by members of the public. Join the fight against antisemitism by subscribing to our updates, volunteering, or donating.