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Disgraced figures speak at London’s “Al Quds Day” rally which featured Nazi comparisons and calls for Israel’s destruction

Yesterday’s “Al Quds Day” rally in central London saw numerous signs and chants that called for Israel’s destruction, as well as several comparisons to Nazis.

The “Al Quds Day” rallies are an Iranian-backed global event, but they have faced controversy over expressions of antisemitism and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. In previous years, for example, Berlin banned the parade from taking place, while footage of the protests this year in numerous German cities appeared to show participants shouting phrases like “Scheiße Jude!” (“S***ty Jew!”), “Drecksjude” (“dirty Jew”), and “Strike, oh Qassam, don’t let the Zionists sleep.”

Volunteers from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit were present at the protest to gather evidence.

One sign read: “Where did all the Nazis go after WW2? Israel!!!”

Another placard displayed a swastika alongside the Israeli flag alongside the words “Same mindset! Different era!”

A person was also spotted wearing a top bearing the words: “The world stopped Nazism. The world stopped apartheid. The world must stop Zionism.”

Our Monitoring Unit also captured evidence of a sign which implied that Pakistan should deploy nuclear weapons on “Nazi Israel”.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was present and led by Nazim Ali, the march’s inflammatory leader who made antisemitic statements during the 2017 march. In addition, multiple signs, viewable here and here, bore the words of the chant.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition. 

Last year, the Court of Appeal refused Mr Ali’s request for permission to appeal the High Court’s ruling quashing a decision by the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Fitness to Practice Committee. The High Court ruling came after an appeal by the Professional Standards Authority against the original ruling by the Committee at the request of Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Speakers at this year’s rally included the disgraced Reverand Dr Stephen Sizer, who in January was handed a twelve-year ban by the Church of England after having been found to have “engaged in antisemitic activity” by a tribunal of the Church of England, and the former Labour Party MP Chris Williamson, who was suspended from Labour and then readmitted, only to be resuspended following a public outcry after claiming that Labour has been “too apologetic” over antisemitism. Mr Williamson has previously tweeted that “Zionist teachers around the country are violating children’s rights” and that Zionism is “a racist ideology.”

Mr Williamson’s speech at the rally included repeatedly talking about Israel killing “innocent children” and Zionism being inherently racist.

The inflammatory rapper Lowkey, whose real name is Kareem Dennis, also spoke at the rally. Lowkey’s songs include lyrics such as “nothing is more antisemitic than Zionism”. He is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). A month-long investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst PSC supporters on social media. Lowkey has previously described Israel as a “racist endeavour” in direct and deliberate contravention of the Definition, described Zionism as “antisemitic”, and spoken of the “Zionist lobby” in the context of global capitalism.

An array of literature was available to attendants of the rally, including articles and books from Tony Greenstein, an expelled member of the Labour Party and founder of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who last year surrendered what remained of his claim against Campaign Against Antisemitism for calling him a “notorious antisemite”. 

One of Mr Greenstein’s available works present at the rally was entitled: “Zionism During The Holocaust. The Weaponisation of Memory in the Service of State of Nation.”

Also on display were images in support of high-ranking Iranian figures, such as the antisemitic Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps terrorist mastermind, Qasem Soleimani, and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has said that the West is a mafia-like organisation under the control of “prominent Zionist merchants”.

The event also saw the burning of the Israeli flag, indicating support for the destruction of Israel.

Numerous flags were waved, including that of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella organisation of mostly Shiite militia groups, as well as a large red flag, which in Shiite tradition symbolises blood spilled unjustly and calls for vengeance, and is traditionally associated with the legend of Imam Hussein. The appearance of the flag at an “Al Quds Day” rally, where accusations of murder by Israel of innocents are repeatedly hurled, is reasonably understood as an indication of violent intent toward the Jewish state.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2021 showed that over 94% of British Jews consider the threat from Islamists to be moderately or very serious.

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CAA writes to Staffordshire University and police following content that describes Jews as “filth”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to Staffordshire University and West Midlands Police following reports that a Regional Course Director at the University shared conspiratorial posts about Jews. 

Dr Rizwan Mustafa, whose role at the University includes overseeing accredited training programmes for new police recruits, has reportedly been under investigation since February following the publication of the Government’s report into its Prevent Strategy.

The report was produced by Sir William Shawcross, who was appointed as the Independent Reviewer of Prevent, the Government’s flagship anti-radicalisation programme, in January 2021.

The report claimed that Dr Mustafa shared content which called for the destruction of Israel and asked: “Where is the Caliph of the Muslims? Don’t you care that the Jews are defiling the place of the prophet’s nocturnal journey with their filth? The Jews are the most hostile people towards the believers.” He is also alleged in the report to have “shared conspiracy theories” about the origins of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Following the release of the report, Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “I am deeply concerned about this matter and am treating it with the utmost seriousness.

“I have immediately requested that West Midlands Police conduct an investigation into this matter and report to me as a matter of urgency, so that I can then determine the best course of action, based on the outcome of that investigation.”

In response to Campaign Against Antisemitism’s letter, Staffordshire University has confirmed that an internal investigation is underway.

Staffordshire University has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected]. 

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Antisemitism claims still represent nearly half of all Labour disciplinary cases

Nearly half of all disciplinary cases heard by the Labour Party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) pertain to antisemitism, according to new figures.

While these latest statistics are a reduction on the 65 percent figure published last November, they still represent an enormous proportion of cases.

Last year, Labour claimed that the backlog of cases from the period of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership has been cleared. However, the Party has yet to address the complaints submitted by Campaign Against Antisemitism against over a dozen sitting MPs.

Among the cases that have recently come to light are the suspension of Cllr Ismail Bax in Preston, who allegedly reposted comments on Twitter about the murder of seven Jews outside a synagogue in Jerusalem; and the suspension of Vivien Burke, the Vice Chair of Romford Labour, after tweets were revealed in which she allegedly described claims of antisemitism as a “witch hunt”, said that Sir Keir Starmer and the former Labour MP Joan Ryan are “paid puppet[s]” for Israel, and reportedly implied that a “Jewish lobby” is trying to “gag” people criticising Israel.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Man reportedly shouts comments about Jews and blood outside Stamford Hill synagogue

A man reportedly shouted comments about Jews and blood outside of a Stamford Hill synagogue, in addition to other alleged antisemitic remarks, before driving off.

The suspect was said to be a middle-aged man in a silver Mercedes, which was reportedly parked outside of the synagogue.

The alleged incident took place at 19:20 on 8th April on Lampard Grove in Stamford Hill and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 3058 09/04/23

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information-sharing agreement.

Image credit: Google

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Baroness Warsi to speak at conference with controversial UN official

Baroness Warsi is due to speak at a conference alongside a United Nations (UN) official who has made controversial remarks about Jews. 

It is understood that Baroness Warsi, a controversial member of the House of Lords and the Conservative Party, will be speaking at a conference organised by The Balfour Project.

The keynote speaker for the conference is Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, who described Roger Waters as a “true icon of our time” despite the public backlash against the musician following a series of comparisons between Israelis and Nazis. 

Ms Albanese also previously posted an open letter online which reads: “America and Europe, one of them subjugated by the Jewish lobby, and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust, remain on the sidelines and continue to condemn the oppressed — the Palestinians…”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel” is an example of antisemitism.

Lady Warsi has her own concerning record. In 2017, She reportedly made divisive comments claiming that Jews, Sikhs and black people do not do enough to speak out against the far-right and anti-Muslim hatred, and only months prior, she claimed that British Jews who volunteer for the Israeli Defence Force should be prosecuted as though they had been fighting for genocidal terrorist groups such as ISIS. In 2022, she was among a number of fawning British politicians to welcome Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to London, despite Rep. Omar’s notoriety for her past appalling comments about Jews.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Francesca Albanese’s indefensible past comments about the ‘Jewish lobby’ should have been cause for her removal from office. Her refusal to do the decent thing and resign – and the failure to sack her – should be no excuse for British NGOs and politicians to lend her legitimacy. That they intend to do so speaks volumes about their commitment to the fight against racism.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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“Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar” and “From the river to the sea” chants recited during Luton demonstration

Two incendiary chants concerning Jewish people and Israel were recited on the street in Luton during a demonstration, online footage has shown.

In the video, the chant “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud” can be heard, which, translated in English, means “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning.”

The “Khaybar” chant is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE. The chant has been heard in numerous anti-Israel rallies in Britain and abroad.

In the same video, the chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was also present. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.

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Candidate for High Peak Council alleged to have posted inflammatory tweets

A candidate for a council in Derbyshire allegedly published a series of controversial tweets about Jews. 

The Twitter account is claimed by Gnasher Jew to belong to David Aris-Sutton, who is currently running as a candidate for High Peak Borough Council. Some of the alleged tweets include comparisons of Israelis to Nazis, the characterisation of Jews as “child bombing [sic]” and “land grabbing [sic]”, and claims that if Mr Aris-Sutton had a time machine, “Hitler would be safe”. 

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism (the Definition) “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel” is an example of antisemitism.

High Peak Borough Council has adopted the Definition. 

Mr Aris-Sutton was reportedly suspended from the Labour Party. He continues to sit as a councillor at New Mills Ton Council, sitting as an independent.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

Image credit: Google

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Bike repairman says he would charge Jewish customers more as “they have all the money”

A father and son were told by a bicycle repairman that Jews would be charged more for repair of their scooter because “they have all the money.”

The customers came to their local bicycle shop in North London to fix the wheels of the child’s scooter. When the father asked how much the repair would cost, the repairman answered £40. When the father replied, “Oh dear, it’s half the price of the scooter itself,” the repairman allegedly responded: “Since you’re a good customer I’ll do it for £30,” adding: “For Jews I’d charge £60!”

Shocked by his comment, the father asked: “Why would you overcharge a Jewish person?”

The repairman allegedly replied: “because they have all the money.”

The father responded, saying that this was no way to conduct a business and that it was antisemitic to speak and behave in such a way. By this point the repairman had allegedly become angry and called the customer a sick person and kicked him and his son out of the shop.

Neither the father nor the six-year-old son had any markers identifying them as Jewish.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has provided support to the victim.

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Incoming NEU General Secretary under fire as Union insists his past remarks did not intend to convey encouragement for violence against Jews

The incoming General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) has come under fire over his past remarks and appearances.

Daniel Kebede, an activist and teacher based in north-east England, is due to become the leading teachers’ union’s new General Secretary later this year. He is replacing Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney. Mr Courtney has been a magnet for controversy relating to Jewish people during his tenure.

Mr Kebede appeared at a rally in Newcastle in 2021, where the chant “Khaybar, oh Jews” was heard, a reference to the antisemitic “Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning” chant. The “Khaybar” chant is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE. The chant has been heard in numerous anti-Israel rallies in Britain and abroad.

New video has emerged of Mr Kebede’s speech at the rally, which was organised by the inflammatory Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Although he is not seen in the video joining the chant, his remarks are caught on camera, in which he can be seen holding a microphone and saying that it is “time to stand together and oppose Apartheid, oppose occupation and fight for Palestinian liberation,” before going on to proclaim: “Let’s do it for Palestine, Ramallah, West Bank, Gaza – it’s about time we globalise the intifada.”

The “intifada” is widely understood as the campaign of Arab terrorist violence against Jewish Israeli targets in the early 2000s that claimed hundreds of civilian lives and brought an end to the peace process.

The rally took place in the same period as at least 25 members of the NEU from Jewish school JFS quit over concerns about antisemitism at the Union. At the time, Mr Courtney spoke at antisemitism-infested rallies, and Mr Kebede is now under scrutiny for having done so as well.

The new revelation comes after another union in the education sector, the National Union of Students (NUS), sacked its President late last year. She had a history of antisemitic and inflammatory comments. A ground-breaking report, into which Campaign Against Antisemitism and others provided input, was also published in January by Rebecca Tuck KC, finding that NUS created a “hostile environment” for Jews.

A spokesperson for the NEU said: “Daniel Kebede was present at a Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally in solidarity with Palestinians facing eviction in Sheikh Jarrah in 2021. In speaking to the rally Mr Kebede called for peace and justice in the Middle East and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people.

“He used the slogan ‘globalise the intifada’ which is an expression of such solidarity, and of support for civic protests; it did not convey any support for violence. He wasn’t aware of the chanting of ‘Khaybar, oh Jews’ and both he and the National Education Union completely condemn such chants, all acts of antisemitism and any attacks on Jewish people.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “For the NEU to have to clarify that past remarks by its incoming General Secretary were not intended to encourage support for terrorist violence against Jewish targets around the world is hardly a promising start to his term in office. It would be a concerning development in any trade union, but we have helped Jewish teachers and staff who felt unable to turn to the NEU precisely because they do not feel that it is on the side of its Jewish members. Daniel Kebede’s inflammatory past rhetoric, and appearance at rallies where indisputably antisemitic chants were heard, will do nothing to stop the exodus of Jewish members or reassure those who remain.

“The NEU should follow in the footsteps of the NUS by admitting that it has historically had a dreadful relationship with its Jewish members and commissioning an independent investigation into its own conduct over recent years and that of its leadership.”

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SRA “issues advice” to solicitor following CAA complaint about his social media activity

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has “issued advice” to a solicitor following a complaint by Campaign Against Antisemitism about his social media activity.

After a member of the public brought the online conduct of solicitor Michael Walton, formerly of NP Law, to our attention, we submitted a complaint in respect of numerous posts that he appeared to have published.

The posts included myriad descriptions of the Jewish Labour MPs Luciana Berger, Dame Louise Ellman and Dame Margaret Hodge, as well as prominent figures in the fight against antisemitism such as Rachel Riley, as “bitches”, and posts such as: “Sadly, we now know who is really leading the labour party. The Israeli Zionist Jews and Starmer is their puppet [sic].”

Other posts said of Dame Margaret “the poisonous witch IS anti Semitic” and asked: “Why hasn’t the stupid bitch been expelled?” Of Rachel Riley, another post asked: “Can somebody please sue that stupid, spiteful bitch Rachel Riley? How dare she use a photo of Corbyn being led away from an apartheid rally yet in the same breath say he’s anti-Semitic?! It beggars belief. HE IS NOT ANTI SEMITIC WHATSOEVER just rightly critical of Israel [sic].”

To Luciana Berger MP, one post read: “F*** OFF. You are a poisonous little bitch and your slander together with Hodge’s et al is destroying the great Labour Party – MY Labour Party – and that brings ME real pain. Jeremy is the least racist person you could ever meet, as is CW. And you’re doing it by deliberately.” “CW” is likely a reference to Chris Williamson, the disgraced former Labour MP.

These are just a sample of the considerable volume of examples of abusive social media postings, which we provided to the SRA.

Following an investigation, the SRA decided to “issue advice to Mr Walton and confirm that should the conduct or behaviour be repeated or the situation continue, more serious action is likely to be taken.”

His comments on social media were found to be “hostile and offensive” and to be in breach of Principle 6 of the SRA Principles 2011 and Principle 2 of the SRA Principles 2019, as the comments were made between the new and old handbooks. Mr Walton does not have the right to apply to the SRA for a review of this decision.

The SRA advised that this decision will not be published but will remain on Mr Walton’s records and may be considered in any future investigations.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We are grateful to the member of the public who brought these abominable social media posts to our attention. It beggars belief that a regulated professional could consider such conduct appropriate, and we are pleased that the SRA has taken these concerns seriously. Those who abuse Jewish people should know that we will stop at nothing to bring them to justice.”

If you are aware of a regulated professional who has engaged in behaviour that is hostile to Jewish people, please call us confidentially on +44 (0)330 822 0321 or e-mail us at [email protected].

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Teenager who pleaded guilty to sharing neo-Nazi videos given three-year community order

A teenager who pleaded guilty to sharing videos that promoted neo-Nazi and white supremacist content was given a three-year community order on Friday.

Oliver Riley, nineteen from Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in July on terrorism charges.

Mr Riley was convicted of three counts of possession of a document or record containing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and of sending a message that was grossly offensive. 

He was also convicted of providing a service to others that enables them to obtain, read, listen to, or look at such a publication and intended, or was reckless, as to whether an effect of his conduct would be a direct or indirect encouragement, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Tom Williams, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey on Friday that Mr Riley had begun pursuing an interest in extremist videos as a teenager, and that he was sixteen or seventeen years old at the time of the offences.

Following Mr Riley’s arrest, police officers conducted a search of his room, during which they discovered that he had uploaded 23 videos to BitChute, an online platform often favoured by members of the far-right. The videos were described as “racist, homophobic, glorify[ing] Nazism and terrorist attacks” by the prosecution.

WhatsApp messages between Mr Riley and his girlfriend were also revealed.

In one, the defendant had sent a meme said to have perpetuated Holocaust-denial. In another, he said: “Sometimes I want to die, kill myself, go to war or something, I sometimes want to kill people and rape people because I am so angry.”

Ed Henry KC said that Mr Riley was a “product of chronic sense of under-achievement and chronic sense of anxiety” and described him as having traits of being on the autism spectrum.

Mr Henry said: “He made a series of calamitous errors of judgment, mistakes. He hardly plays the role of being a terrorist in the dock of the Central Criminal Court.” 

Quoting Mr Riley’s own explanation, Mr Henry said: “Instead of being a person, instead of having an identity, I spent my day doing nothing productive, just s***-posting and being lonely.”

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker, sentencing, acknowledged the videos as “racist, antisemitic and homophobic” but further noted that Mr Riley felt “genuine remorse” for his actions.

Mr Riley was sentenced to a three-year community order that involves him having to complete a rehabilitation activity for 60 days, 200 hours of unpaid work, and not delete his digital history for three years.

Nick Price, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “It was criminally reckless for Oliver Riley to post this racist and extremist material online for others to view. By his actions others were being encouraged to assist or engage in terrorist activity. We carefully considered his age and learning difficulties before bringing these charges but concluded a prosecution should be brought. The CPS takes all cases involving hate crime extremely seriously and will continue to prosecute those who pose a threat to our society.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “Our investigation uncovered videos in Riley’s possession, the content of which supported white supremacy and hatred; he chose to share the material with others, promoting and glorifying these abhorrent views. I now hope that he takes the opportunity he has to get whatever help he needs to understand how dangerous and harmful this kind of material is.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.

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“Antisemitism is not racism-lite,” says Home Secretary, as she condemns “double standard” on hate towards Jews

The Home Secretary has revealed her concern that there exists a “double standard” when it comes to antisemitism, which must not be treated as “racism-lite”.

Suelle Braverman made the remarks in an interview last week with the JC.

“When it comes to antisemitism,” she said, “I have felt for a long time that there’s a double standard.” She added: “Racism that would be called out if it were directed against any other minority is explained away or ignored when it comes to Jews. We need to be really clear. Antisemitism is not racism-lite. It’s racism.”

She went on to elaborate that “whereas racism directed against other minority groups would trigger a very firm response from law enforcement, when similar behaviour is targeted towards the Jewish community, it tends to be accepted. A blind eye is turned, and so it becomes normalised. That is something we cannot tolerate.”

After being shown the level of security at Jewish institutions, which is funded by a Government grant managed by CST, she concluded: “you can’t but say that yes, collectively, as a law enforcement community, we can do better. And we must.”

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

At the CST annual dinner later the same day, she announced the establishment of a new Jewish Community Police, Crime and Security Task Force, which will be led by her and will include senior figures from the Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service, police and Jewish charities.

The Task Force is intended to meet three times a year to strengthen accountability and enhance efforts to combat antisemitic crime and violence against Jewish communities.

She also noted her support for the International Definition of Antisemitism and that she “is writing to all Home Office public bodies and police leaders to ask them if they’ve adopted it. And I’ll encourage them to do so if they haven’t.”

Regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), for the proscription of which Campaign Against Antisemitism and other groups have called, she observed: “We’ve seen how the IRGC sponsors terrorism across the globe and has used its illicit money to suppress dissent in Iran itself.” She would not comment on whether the Government is intending to ban the group, a move that is being heavily resisted by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, according to reports, despite its role propagating antisemitism in the Middle East and around the world and the very real security threat that the organisation presents to the Jewish community and the UK as whole.

She reflected: “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on that. What I can say is that the Government and I are well aware of the threat that Iran and the IRGC pose and we will take robust and appropriate action to keep the British public safe.”

In the interview, she also noted that her husband is “a proud Jew and Zionist”, and she has often reflected on her connection to the Jewish community.

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Spotify removes songs allegedly calling for “death of Israel” among other incendiary lyrics about Jews

Spotify has removed songs said to have contained incendiary lyrics about Jews and Israel. 

The JC described the songs as “violent extremist antisemitic content”.

It was reported that in one song titled Udrub Udrub Tel Abib (We Will Strike a Blow at Tel Aviv), the lyrics included: “Strike a blow at Tel Aviv and frighten the Zionists. The more you build it the more we will destroy it”, “Oh you settler, with your sidelocks, in your shelter you cower with fear”, and “Strike, oh Qassam missile, do not let the Zionists sleep. Even if they beg for mercy – be sure not to show Tel Aviv any mercy”.

Spotify were said to have removed the songs following a petition from the group We Believe in Israel and the Board of Deputies.

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Police fail Golders Green rabbi after violent antisemitic altercation in parking dispute

Police have failed a rabbi in Golders Green who was the victim of antisemitic violence and abuse in a parking dispute.

The rabbi, who wishes to remain anonymous, was in his car with his wife and children preparing to park in a parking space that was being vacated. Another car was forced to wait behind for a mere minute while the rabbi was waiting to park.

As the driver of the car behind became impatient, he left his vehicle and started yelling as he approached the rabbi’s car. The rabbi got out of his car in order to try to calm the other driver down, but the other driver shoved him back against the car and shouted: “F*** you and your whole dissolved gene pool.”

The rabbi’s wife telephoned the police during the incident, which took place in June.

The assailant returned to his car and drove off. In order to help identify him, the rabbi followed him back to a house and informed the police of that address. When the police arrived, they interviewed the suspect who denied that any incident had taken place.

To the rabbi’s dismay, the police did not arrest him and told the rabbi that there was no evidence as his wife and children could apparently not act as witnesses, and other witnesses from the scene had departed by the time the police arrived.

The police assured the rabbi that he would be granted access to the recording of his wife’s telephone call to the police, which he believed captured audio of the assailant’s abuse. However, his subsequent requests for a copy of the audio were inexplicably denied, although the police insisted that they listened to it and that it did not contain the assailant’s abuse.

Although the police on the scene were polite, the follow-up e-mail that they promised him never materialised, and he heard nothing back since the incident took place last summer and they took his statement.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is an appalling example of dereliction of duty by police officers. Instead of looking for reasons not to pursue a case, leaving a victim and his family in distress, officers should do – and be seen to be doing – their utmost to ensure that justice is done. Instead, someone prepared to physically attack a rabbi has been left emboldened and at large.

“Our polling shows that a majority of British Jews did not believe that the police do enough to protect them. That sentiment is not going to change if serious incidents of violent antisemitic abuse like this are not fully investigated. We have provided support to the victim.”

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2021 showed that over two thirds British Jews believe that the authorities, in general, are not doing enough to address and punish antisemitism.

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Fourteen-year-old identifiably Jewish boy reportedly assaulted on way home from synagogue

A fourteen-year-old identifiably Jewish boy was reportedly assaulted on his way home from attending a synagogue in Stamford Hill.

The assailant allegedly shouted anti-Jewish slurs at the boy and pushed him.

The alleged incident took place outside of a petrol station in Stamford Hill and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 2425 19/03/23

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information-sharing agreement.

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Identifiably Jewish women with babies reportedly chased and sworn at outside Stamford Hill synagogue

Identifiably Jewish women, who were said to be with babies, were reportedly chased and sworn at outside of a Stamford Hill synagogue.

The suspect was described as being a white male with black hair wearing dark clothing.

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

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 2903 19/03/23.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information-sharing agreement.

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Former NUS President Shaima Dallali reportedly joked about killing Zionists

The former NUS President Shaima Dallali is reported to have joked about killing Zionists.

According to the JC, Ms Dallali, who was removed from her position as NUS President amidst investigations into her conduct following allegations of antisemitism, made the inflammatory comments in 2014 in relation to entering the West Bank.

She is alleged to have said of Israeli border guards: “I don’t want no Zionist near my passport, I’ll probs kill him tbh.”

Ms Dallali’s lawyers have apparently said that her remarks were “clearly not remotely serious”.

The JC added that in a Facebook comment, Ms Dallali said that fatwas from radical clerics meant “we’re not allowed to go to occupied Palestine…Israel and that…It’s still not allowed because you’ll need Israeli authorities to stamp your passport and that’s like recognising Israel…”

One of the clerics reportedly cited was Yusuf al-Qaradawi who, in 2009, said on Al-Jazeera TV that he would “shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews” and called upon God to “kill them, down to the very last one.”

Ms Dallai is alleged to have described him as the “moral compass for the Muslim community at large”. 

In a 2010 interview on BBC Arabic, Mr Yusuf al-Qaradawi reportedly said: “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.”

Ms Dallali’s lawyers are said to have stated that she does not endorse all of the cleric’s views and added that the JC’s newest findings was an example of old posts being dredged up to “besmirch her reputation”, that it was “not language she would use now” and “would not have been taken remotely seriously by anyone reading it”.

Her removal as NUS President, which came after she became the first President in the Union’s 100-year history to have been suspended, arrived in the wake of Rebecca Tuck KC’s damning report into the allegations of antisemitism within the NUS.

Ms Tuck’s report, which was released in January and followed an investigation into which Campaign Against Antisemitism, the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) and others provided input, observed that NUS allowed the development of a “hostile environment” for Jewish students, with instances in which Jewish students were “subjected to harassment” likely to be in breach of the Equality Act 2010, in addition to NUS’s own code of conduct. It rightly recognised that there had been a “poor relationship” between NUS and Jewish students for a long time. Ms Tuck drew on Campaign Against Antisemitism’s input and past research, including our annual Antisemitism Barometer survey of the Jewish community.

The report recommended improvements in NUS’s record-keeping, elections, due diligence of candidates, and code of conduct complaints. It also called for antisemitism training and the provision of educational materials, and a governance review. Ms Tuck also advised improvements in discussions about Israel, including the inclusion of an “experienced facilitator” in such debates.

Importantly, the report also called for the establishment of an advisory panel to ensure the implementation of the recommendations and for a survey of Jewish students to test that implementation, which were among the suggestions made to Ms Tuck by Campaign Against Antisemitism to ensure the durability of any recommendations that the report made. Indeed Ms Tuck observed how the recommendations of past reports relating to NUS have often not been implemented, a point that we stressed to her.

The announcement of Ms Tuck’s investigation last April came after Robert Halfon MP (then the Chair of the Education Select Committee) wrote together with Campaign Against Antisemitism to the Charity Commission calling for an investigation into the union’s charitable arm, which the Commission agreed to launch. The full dossier on NUS, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, can be read here.

There were numerous controversies involving NUS in 2022. In one scandal, the rapper Kareem Dennis, known as Lowkey, was due to headline NUS’s centenary conference but, after initially dismissing the concerns of Jewish students, who pointed out the rapper’s inflammatory record, the Union came under media scrutiny and eventually Mr Dennis withdrew from the event. As the scandal erupted, Robert Halfon MP excoriated NUS for failing to send a representative to attend a hearing held by the Education Select Committee, which he chairs.

This scandal was immediately followed by the election of Shaima Dallali as NUS’s new President, despite her history of antisemitic tweets and other inflammatory social media posts. Ms Dallali was forced to apologise for tweeting the words of an antisemitic chant. In 2012, during an escalation of tensions between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group Hamas, Ms Dallali tweeted the words “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud.” Translated into English, this chant means “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning.” It is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE.

These scandals come after decades of atrocious relations between NUS and Jewish students. Ms Tuck’s investigation is at least the third major such inquiry into NUS’s relations with Jewish students in the last twenty years.

It was reported recently that, claiming that her dismissal was discriminatory, Ms Dallali is taking legal action against NUS.  

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

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Charity’s Deputy Director accused of claiming Jews “raped” and “violated thousands” in speech

A charity’s Deputy Director has been accused of making incendiary claims about Jewish people in a series of speeches.

Abbas Abedi, the Deputy Director of the Islamic Centre of England (ICE), is said to have denied that he made inflammatory remarks about Jews and Zionism.

Mr Abedi gave a speech in Urdu in 2021, according to the JC, in which he said: “Jews took revenge on Muslims and tens of thousands of Palestinians were made homeless, their kids were slaughtered, women raped, thousands violated, kids killed… the Zionist lobby made this possible, it became possible due to American and UK help.”

In a separate speech, he is alleged to have said that Zionism was responsible for the creation of ISIS.

Mr Abedi reportedly claimed that “All people who are free believe that Zionism is the mother of terrorism…Zionism is the mother of ISIS. Don’t say ‘Islamic State’. Say ‘Israeli State in Iraq and the Levant’.”

The Deputy Director refused to accept the accusations, asserting that “Some politically motivated groups are trying to drag the charity into their political disputes.”

He also reportedly suggested that “misinterpreting my old speeches” was a restriction of his liberty.

We recently reported that a cleric in Manchester, who is listed as a speaker at ICE, gave a speech in which he praised an Iranian terror chief at an event where the audience chanted “Death to Israel”.

As reported by the JC, cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar appeared as a keynote speaker at a memorial event for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) terrorist mastermind, Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the United States in 2020. 

During the event in Qom, Iran, the audience is reported to have chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to England”. Mr Sekaleshfar is also reported to have described Soleimani as a “martyr” in a separate speech in 2021.

Earlier this year, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to all MPs calling on them to back the Government’s reported proposal to proscribe IRGC under the Terrorism Act 2000.

We have provided the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, and the Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, and all MPs with a dossier on the IRGC, detailing its horrendous record of antisemitism and violence against Jewish people.

In light of the mounting pressure to proscribe the IRGC, there have been calls made to close ICE. The Centre is believed to serve as an office for Iran’s Supreme Leader, and its Director, Seyed Hashem Moosavi, is understood to have been appointed by the regime as a mid-ranking cleric.

The institution also aired an Iranian propaganda film, posted on IRGC websites, featuring children singing a song that referenced an apocalyptic myth about murdering Jews, according to the JC. The Islamic Centre denied that its “local version of the song” carried the same meaning. It also has a history of publishing inflammatory rhetoric about Zionists and extolled Iranian support for the antisemitic terror groups Hamas and Hizballah.

The Islamic Centre is located just minutes from several synagogues in the area.

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CAA concludes “eye-opening” six-part educational programme at Immanuel College

Campaign Against Antisemitism has concluded a successful six-part educational programme for the Year 12 students of Bushey’s Immanuel College that has been described as “eye-opening” and “thought-provoking”.

Each week, we have delivered a session on a different issue relating to antisemitism. Session topics included “Antisemitism on social media”, “Exposing antisemitism and enforcing the law”, and “Tackling antisemitism on university campuses”.

We spoke of antisemitism in far-left and far-right circles, Holocaust-denial, and anti-Zionist antisemitism. Also discussed were the dangers posed by antisemites with large social media followings, like Kanye West.

Following the conclusion of the programme, one student told us: “I’m so grateful to Campaign Against Antisemitism for giving us the opportunity to learn how to be proud and to stand up to other people when they try and test your identity, and it’s given me many lessons for the wider world.”

Another said: “I would say that it was a very fascinating and insightful course that’s really provided me with great information that I think will help me in my later life when I tackle university.”

In addition to those sessions delivered by experts from Campaign Against Antisemitism, guest speakers included Rabbi Joseph Dweck, journalist Nicole Lampert and Jewish students currently studying at university.

Yitzy Hill, Head of Informal Jewish Education at Immanuel College, said: “The Year 12 students have had the privilege to engage in a six-week course with CAA. These courses have been educational, eye-opening and thought-provoking for all students involved, with the variety of speakers proving a real success. We look forward to working with CAA again.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Educating younger generations of British Jews is a vital responsibility. We consider it a privilege to be able to connect and inspire students in the Jewish community, and we would also like to thank our fantastic guest speakers who dedicated their time to contribute to the programme. We would also like to extend a big thank you to Immanuel College, for providing us with the opportunity to speak to your community.”

Should you wish to learn more about Campaign Against antisemitism’s educational offering, or to bring us to your school, please e-mail us at [email protected].

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After CAA provides evidence appearing to show Birkbeck’s Prof. Rob Singh using antisemitic language, University confirms he is leaving at end of academic year

Birkbeck, University of London has confirmed to Campaign Against Antisemitism that Professor Rob Singh will be leaving the institution at the end of the academic year.

The confirmation comes after we provided the University with evidence that appeared to show Prof. Singh using the most appalling language in correspondence with a third party.

We wrote to Vice-Chancellor Professor David Latchman CBE, sharing copies of the messages, which contained expressions of various forms of bigotry, including a number of antisemitic comments, urging the University to investigate.

Comments included appearing to accuse a Jewish person of contemplating theft and saying “Too bad you live down to stereotypes.” asking “Is it difficuybeing a Jew?” [sic] and “Are you pretending to be a Jew?” There was also a reference to “Jew boy” and other inflammatory language. In addition there were also references in the messages to “f***ing apes” and uses of the n-word, and abuse directed at other minority groups.

Prof. Latchman responded to Campaign Against Antisemitism to inform us that Prof. Singh would be leaving the University on 31st July 2023, without going into further detail.

Prof. Singh currently serves as Professor of Politics and Director of Education in the Department of Politics at Birkbeck. He did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The language used in the correspondence that was provided to us is extreme and appalling, containing various forms of bigotry, including a number of antisemitic comments. Someone who repeatedly uses such language, even in the heat of sustained argument, has no place teaching impressionable young people. It is right that he is imminently leaving Birkbeck.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism by universities.

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Labour votes not to endorse Jeremy Corbyn’s candidacy because he loses votes rather than because of antisemitism, and still he remains a member of the Party

The Labour Party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) has today voted not to endorse Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the next general election.

The motion, which passed by a vote of 22 to twelve, was brought by Party leader Sir Keir Starmer. It argued that, “in order to effect the NEC’s primary purpose to maximise the Labour Party’s prospects of winning the next general election, and to avoid any detrimental impact on the Labour Party’s standing with the electorate in the country as a whole; the Labour Party’s interests, and its political interests at the next general election, are not well served by Mr Corbyn running as a Labour Party candidate; And it is not in the best interests of the Labour Party for it to endorse Mr Corbyn as a Labour Party candidate at the next general election. Accordingly…Mr Corbyn will not be endorsed by the NEC as a candidate on behalf of the Labour Party at the next general election.”

Mr Corbyn currently sits as an independent MP, having been indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party, but he remains a member of the Labour Party itself, which briefly suspended him in 2020 before readmitting him.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We obviously welcome Labour’s decision not to endorse Jeremy Corbyn’s candidacy, given the central role that he has played in the Party’s antisemitism scandal. But the fact remains that, despite everything, he is still a member of the Labour Party. He has never been subjected to formal disciplinary proceedings or expelled. Even this decision to try to sever ties with him has been framed as being about him costing the Party votes. This is therefore not a stand against racism but a pragmatic approach to try to win elections.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism previously lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) shameful findings of institutional racism in the Party. Given the serious detriment that this conduct caused, we have consistently been seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension from the Party and, if the complaint is upheld, his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised.

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

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

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Alleged airgun shooting suspects released by police with their weapon after being apprehended by Jewish community

Police have released suspects who reportedly shot gel pellets at identifiably Jewish people with an airgun.

The victims of one of the alleged attacks, many of whom, it is understood, believed that the gel gun was a deadly firearm, belonged to the Jewish community in Stamford Hill.

The alleged incidents were reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

The volunteer group has said that there were four suspects who allegedly fired the gun from a grey Volkswagen. Police, who were said to have taken fifteen minutes to have arrived on the scene, reportedly released the suspects after a short conversation.

According to one of the victims, in one incident, the suspects were driving around Stamford Hill, one of London’s most diverse areas, firing exclusively at Jews. At approximately midnight on Saturday 18th March, a car with tinted windows drove past a woman and her husband, both of whom are identifiably Jewish, rolled down the window and fired three shots from a black gel gun before laughing. Under the impression that the car intended to run them over, the couple ran for cover.

Another individual told us that following an alleged incident in which there was another shooting of the airgun on Sunday night, the men in the car were then stopped by members of the Jewish community, who blocked the car from driving away. Police arrived fifteen minutes after being called, at which point there had been a total of five victims. Police reportedly informed the individual that the details of the men have been collected, but then released the men without seizing the weapon.

If you have any more information on the alleged incident of 18th March, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference numbers: CAD 2734/19MAR23 and CAD 496 26/03.

If you have any more information on the alleged incident of 26th March, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference numbers: CAD 498 26/03/23.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism: “This is but the latest in a spate of incidents against the Jewish community in Stamford Hill in which police have either been slow to react, if at all, or refused to take action altogether. We must ask, why is this incident allegedly not being investigated? What more must the Jewish community undergo before action is taken?”

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information-sharing agreement.

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CAA to write to travel companies found to use happy emojis to promote tours to Auschwitz

After Hays Travel was forced to apologise for a second time for using smiley-face emojis to promote tours to the Auschwitz death camp, it can be revealed that another travel firm has also been operating the same practice.

Snowdonia Travel and Cruise used happy face emojis with heart eyes to publicise its ‘Krakow and Auschwitz tour’. Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to the agency.

Polka Dot Travel Wrexham also used coloured heart emojis to promote its ‘Krakow with Auschwitz tour’.

We are grateful to the member of the public who brought this to our attention.

Recently, Hays Travel apologised for a second time after it was discovered that it once again used jovial imagery on Facebook to promote its Auschwitz tours, which it listed along with trips to Disneyland and the Grand Canyon.

Hays Travel said: “We are very sorry to have caused offence especially after we tried to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. As soon as this was brought to our attention we immediately removed these posts from Facebook.”

According to the JC, the Advertising Standards Authority said in relation to Hays Travel that it took “this particular issue very seriously and recognise that this obviously has the potential to prompt concerns,” adding that its rules say that advertisements “should not contain anything likely to cause harm or offence.” It has the power to order advertisers to remove materials.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Despite the controversy over Hays Travel’s repeated use of emojis to advertise trips to Auschwitz, for which the company has apologised, for other travel firms to be doing the same is utterly incredible. Of all institutions, travel agents should be most sensitive to what the destinations that they are advertising represent. That so many in the travel industry continue to portray Auschwitz as some sort of theme park through the use of jovial emojis shows a dreadful lack of awareness and understanding. This appalling industry-wide practice must end.”

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Man who stabbed two women in Burnley M&S after antisemitic rhetoric reportedly shouted found guilty of attempted murder

A man who stabbed two women in Burnley M&S after antisemitic rhetoric was reportedly shouted has been found guilty of attempted murder and wounding with intent at Manchester Crown Court. 

Munawar Hussain, 59, used a knife to wound the shop manager in the neck before chasing her through the store on 2nd December 2020. He then stabbed a customer in the arm before the blade snapped, having become stuck in the customer’s handbag strap.

It was reported at the time that antisemitic rhetoric was also heard during the incident.

Following the attack, Mr Hussain reportedly tried to flee the scene but was detained outside by the shop’s security guard and members of the public before police arrived.

The court heard that, following his arrest, a note in Urdu was found on his person that read: “O Israel, you are inflicting atrocities on Palestinians and Marks Spencer helping you financially.”

It is understood that he was discovered to have had a history of mental health problems but was considered fit to answer questions and stand trial.

According to the prosecution, “he told the police that he had targeted Marks and Spencer deliberately because he believed Marks and Spencer funded Israel in what he described as its persecution of Palestine. He said that had his knife not broken he would have gone on to kill others. He said that he expected that the police might kill him and he intended to be a martyr.”

The store manager, who suffered a collapsed lung and nerve damage, told police that her assailant was wearing a COVID mask and that his eyes “looked pure evil”. She added: “If I had fallen he would have killed me. I just thought he is not taking me away from my kids.”

Judge Nicholas Dean KC, presiding, said: “An offence arising out of claims that Israel was causing atrocities against Muslims, and an attack of retribution for that, at face value, is precisely the definition of a terrorist offence.”

Sentencing has been scheduled for May.

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

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CAA writes to Hungerford auction house over sale of Nazi medals

CAA has written to an auction house in Hungerford over the grotesque sale of Third Reich memorabilia. 

The Emporium auction house, which boasts a wide range of antiques, was discovered to have been selling emblems and medals featuring swastikas. 

One item, listed at £135, was labelled “WW2 German Boxed Faithful Service Cross 2nd Class”.

Another, priced at £55, was tagged as “WW2 mothers cross in silver”. 

This is not the first reported instance of an auction house selling Nazi memorabilia.

In October, Charles Hanson, who regularly appears as an expert on the BBC programme Bargain Hunt, was said to have been selling Nazi memorabilia at his auction house. 

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Technology Minister warns Twitter against failure to comply with online safety legislation after research shows antisemitism has doubled on platform

The Technology Minister has warned the social media company Twitter to comply with online safety legislation that is currently making its way through Parliament.

The warning from Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, comes after research has shown that antisemitic vitriol on Twitter has doubled in the past year since Elon Musk’s offer to purchase the company was accepted.

According to research from King’s College London, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and CASM Technology, there has been a 105 percent increase of antisemitic tweets on the platform between April 2022 and February 2023.

Another study, carried out by the Combat Antisemitism Movement in conjunction with the Network Contagion Research Institute, found that monthly references to the controversial financier and activist George Soros and to “globalists”, which are both tropes usually associated with the far-right, have nearly doubled.

Ms Donelan issued the warning at a technology summit, saying: “No matter the leadership or what have you, the ramifications of not complying with the law will still be so stringent and hit them where it hurts.”

The Online Safety Bill is currently in the House of Lords and expected to receive royal assent over the summer. Campaign Against Antisemitism has provided input to the drafting of the legislation.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.

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Labour mayor shares platform with expelled Ken Loach, despite leadership pledge to sanction those who do so

A Labour mayor has controversially shared a platform with the expelled outspoken filmmaker Ken Loach.

Jamie Driscoll, the Mayor of North of Tyne, appeared alongside Mr Loach at an event in Newcastle.

Mr Driscoll was elected with the backing of Momentum, and remains one of the most prominent pro-Corbyn figures in the Labour Party, although he has reportedly described the “Corbynista tag” as an attempt to “define us by London Westminster politics”.

In the past, Sir Keir Starmer has promised to sanction Labour members who share platforms with expelled members, but has not fulfilled this pledge.

Mr Loach was expelled from the Labour Party in August 2021 without public explanation. Mr Loach had been a leading ally of other controversial figures in Labour’s antisemitism scandal, especially those who denied that there was such a scandal of antisemitism. He said at the time of his expulsion: “Labour HQ finally decided I’m not fit to be a member of their party, as I will not disown those already expelled,” adding that he was “proud to stand with the good friends and comrades victimised by the purge. There is indeed a witch-hunt…Starmer and his clique will never lead a party of the people. We are many, they are few. Solidarity.”

Mr Loach’s voice was among the loudest of those who attempt to dismiss Labour’s antisemitism crisis as non-existent and a right-wing smear campaign. He claimed that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was subjected to a “torrent of abuse” that was “off the scale” and that regardless of what he did, the “campaign” of antisemitism accusations was “going to run and run”. He described the BBC’s Panorama investigation into Labour antisemitism as “disgusting because it raised the horror of racism against Jews in the most atrocious propagandistic way, with crude journalism…and it bought the propaganda from people who were intent on destroying Corbyn.”

He was also reportedly behind a motion passed by Bath Labour Party branding the Panorama programme a “dishonest hatchet job with potentially undemocratic consequences” and asserting that it “disgraced the name of Panorama and exposed the bias endemic within the BBC.” John Ware, the programme’s reporter, is apparently considering legal action against Mr Loach for his comments.

In 2017, Mr Loach caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. The International Definition of Antisemitism states that “denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust)” is a manifestation of antisemitism. Although Mr Loach later sought to clarify his remarks, he has continued to make inflammatory and provocative statements about Labour’s antisemitism scandal.

While speaking at a meeting of the Kingswood Constituency Labour Party, Mr Loach advocated the removal from the Party of those Labour MPs, some of whom are Jewish, who have taken a principled stand against antisemitism. Shortly after that incident, the Labour Party announced that it would no longer use Mr Loach as a producer of their election broadcasts.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Antisemitic chants heard outside Downing Street as Benjamin Netanyahu meets Rishi Sunak

The antisemitic “From the river, to the sea” chant was heard outside of Downing Street today as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

The footage was captured by an evidence-gathering team from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit.

A sign was also spotted that made reference to “Jewish terrorists”. 

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

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Executive Director and CEO of YIVO Jonathan Brent exposes the lie that Jews went “like sheep to the slaughter” during the Holocaust

Jonathan Brent, an academic and historian who serves as the Executive Director and CEO of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he explained what YIVO’s archive can teach about Eastern European Jewry’s response to the rise in antisemitism.

YIVO is a cultural organisation and place of higher learning with a world-renowned library and archive of 24 million documents whose mission is to preserve, study, share, and perpetuate knowledge of the history and culture of Eastern European Jewry worldwide.

Mr Brent stated how YIVO’s archive served as evidence of the various means of resistance from Jewish communities during the Holocaust, refuting the lie that Jews went to their deaths “like sheep to the slaughter”.

Mr Brent said of Jewish people persecuted in the Holocaust: “You have to remember, they had no army. They had no police. They had no means, they didn’t have guns. What did they have? They had the resilience.”

The YIVO CEO spoke passionately of the “inner resilience” and “cultural resistance” that can be seen throughout the archives. 

He said: “The Jewish people of Eastern Europe responded largely through trying to organise their societies, to cope with these outbreaks of antisemitism…we have photographs of these Jewish defence committees throughout the Pale of Settlement. But what could they do when there were thousands, tens of thousands, of angry Ukrainians or Lithuanians or Romanians, let alone the Nazis, that came?

“So what did they do? Many became partisans and one of the fantastic things that has come out of the materials that we have is the diary of Yitskhok Rudashevski, a young boy – again, thirteen years old – who wrote his diary in the Vilna Ghetto, and he talks about how what they are doing in the Vilna Ghetto in retaining their traditions, in singing songs, in having literary events, in putting on music, in reading poetry, in writing poetry, how this is defying the Nazis. This is their act of defiance.”

Mr Brent noted that “yes, it is a tragic story but within this tragic story, there is so much to be proud of. So much to think about in terms of how, as a small people, one deals with these forces that are growing in the 1920s.”

Outlining the multitude of threats that the Jewish world faced, he added: “There was Bolshevism to the East, and Nazism to the West, and America would not let Jews in. And what could you do? You were stuck. The world would not let Jews in.

“They resisted, in the ways that they could, and thank God that they did, because that resistance gave them dignity, and that is the thread that connects us to them. That dignity. That pride, that they had in being who they are.”

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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UCL Jewish Society, backed by CAA and others, sends letter to UCL Council urging rejection of alternative definitions of antisemitism

The University College London (UCL) Jewish Society has submitted a letter to the UCL Council, urging it to reject alternative definitions of antisemitism that contradict the International Definition of Antisemitism, which the University has previously adopted.

The Jewish Society letter is backed by Campaign Against Antisemitism, UJS and other leading Jewish community charities.

In 2021, UCL’s Academic Board passed an advisory resolution calling on the University to “retract and replace” the International Definition of Antisemitism, which UCL adopted in 2019. The resolution was greeted with outrage, with one academic resigning in protest and others writing a letter in support of the Definition.

Tomorrow, UCL’s Council is considering the Academic Board’s recommendations to dilute the Definition by adopting three other definitions, including the so-called Jerusalem Declaration, which is a wrecking document intended to undermine the globally-recognised International Definition of Antisemitism. The letter urges the Council not to do so and instead to uphold the status quo.

The letter notes that UCL was the first University to admit Jewish students, and yet numerous serious antisemitic incidents on campus prompted an internal investigation and a report, followed by the appointment of an Antisemitism Programme Manager by the University.

A recent survey of Jewish students at UCL by the Jewish Society found that 98 percent of Jewish students support only the International Definition of Antisemitism, while polling by Campaign Against Antisemitism for our Antisemitism Barometer has shown that a staggering 92 percent of British Jews believe that antisemitism in British universities is a problem, and the CST has recorded a 22 percent increase in antisemitism on campus.

In a statement, the UCL Jewish Society said: “We strongly stand behind IHRA as the only definition that can protect our Jewish students at UCL. Jewish students are most affected by any policy changes on antisemitism. This is a crucial moment and we thank the Jewish community for their unwavering support. We look forward to Council standing up for Jewish students.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “UCL’s Jewish students have every right to expect that, when it comes to defining the hatred that they themselves experience, the University will listen to them. Like the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community, there is near-unanimous support among UCL’s Jewish students for the International Definition of Antisemitism, and the strength of that opinion must be heeded by UCL’s Council. The International Definition of Antisemitism is the only definition that can protect Jewish students.

“We are proud to have supported UCL’s Jewish Society, along with other communal organisations, in making the voice of its members heard.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism by universities.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

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Extracts read to court in trial of man accused of creating antisemitic and racist podcasts

A trial has resumed following a break of several months for a man accused of creating the website “Radio Aryan”, later named “Radio Albion”, in order to upload antisemitic and racist podcasts.

James Allchurch, 51 from Pembrokeshire, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Monday after the trial began in July but had to be adjourned due to barrister strikes. 

Mr Allchurch is accused of fifteen counts of distributing a sound recording stirring up racial hatred.

The charges allege that Mr Allchurch distributed recordings that included the titles “Rivers Of Blood”, “Banned In The UK”, “The Leftist Supremacist Mindset”, and “The Usual Suspects”. The alleged offenses were said to have taken place in Gelli, a village in south Wales.

In previous hearings, the defendant requested he be referred to as “Sven Longshanks”, his podcasting name which is apparently taken from King Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks, who expelled the Jews from England in 1290.

Last year, the prosecution, referring to the podcasts in question, told the court that “These recordings are insulting or abusive and were distributed with intent to stir up racial hated,” labelling the recordings “highly racist and highly antisemitic in nature” as well as “white supremacist in nature”.

The court was played an audio clip in which Mr Allchurch reportedly introduced a song that said the world was better when Black people were enslaved and Jews were persecuted under Adolf Hitler as “one of his favourite tracks”.

Other recordings allegedly made reference to Jewish people controlling the media, banks and TV and film industries.

In a raid of his home, police reportedly discovered a notebook belonging to Mr Allchurch containing usernames and passwords which included entries such as “JewsAreTheEnemy”, “RaceWarMessiah” and reference to the numbers 14 and 88. 

1488 is often used as a coded reference to the neo-Nazi fourteen-word oath: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children”, a slogan initially devised by David Lane, a member of the white supremacist terrorist group “The Order” which was responsible for the murder of Jewish radio host Alan Berg. The number 88 refers to the eighth letter of the alphabet, H, and is intended as a code for “Heil Hitler.”

During Monday’s trial, prosecutor Jonathan Rees KC said that “The very purpose of Radio Aryan was to spread his propaganda about racial conflict.”

The court heard extracts from the podcast, one of which read: “No other race is equal to the white race.”

Mr Allchurch was said to have been joined by guests on the podcast, one of which reportedly included Alex Davies, who was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison last year after he was convicted of membership of the neo-Nazi terrorist group, National Action.

The trial continues.

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High Court grants CAA permission to intervene in Ken Livingstone’s bid to overturn EHRC investigation into antisemitism in Labour Party

Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Labour councillor Pam Bromley have failed in their opposition to Campaign Against Antisemitism’s application to intervene in their judicial review of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

In a written judgment, Mrs Justice Lang decided that Campaign Against Antisemitism should be allowed to intervene formally in the judicial review proceedings in which Mr Livingstone and Ms Bromley are seeking to overturn the EHRC’s landmark 2020 report which concluded that the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership had engaged in unlawful antisemitic harassment of its Jewish members.

Despite our role as originating complainant in the EHRC’s investigation into Labour, Mr Livingstone and Ms Bromley had strongly opposed the High Court giving permission to us to intervene in the case, arguing that our intervention would “not provide any benefits”.

Rejecting Mr Livingstone’s and Ms Bromley’s position, Mrs Justice Lang ruled: “In my judgment, the Court is likely to be assisted by CAA’s intervention…It made the complaint to [EHRC], and requested that an investigation took place. It provided substantial evidence, conceptual framework analysis and legal submissions to support the investigation. It has been particularly concerned with antisemitism denial as a form of harassment. As a Jewish community charity, it is rooted in the Jewish community and it has built up a longstanding expertise on the nature of modern antisemitism. Because of its expertise, it is likely to be able to contribute information, analysis and context more effectively than the other parties [the EHRC and the Labour Party].” 

The EHRC supported Campaign Against Antisemitism’s intervention, while the Labour Party neither supported nor opposed it, remaining neutral.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We are pleased that the High Court has ruled that, as complainant in the EHRC’s investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party, and as an expert body, we are well-suited to assist the court in understanding the nature of antisemitism denial as a form of harassment and other important matters in this case.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism is represented by Derek Spitz and Adam Wagner, of counsel, instructed by Asserson solicitors.

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Guardian ignores complaints over article that appears to endorse antisemitic blood libel

The Guardian, at the time of writing, has yet to respond to complaints submitted early last week in connection with an article that appeared to endorse an antisemitic blood libel.

In an article titled “Adelaide Writers’ Week: rare moments of empathy and nuance found amid a storm of controversy”, written by journalist Sian Cain and dated 11th March 2023, the write quotes a line from a poem by a young Arab activist with a history of inflammatory remarks on social media.

In the poem, Mohammed El-Kurd, a correspondent for The Nation, writes of Israel: “They harvest organs of the martyred, feed their warriors our own.”

The claim that Israel is harvesting of organs is reminiscent of the medieval blood libel, in which Jews were alleged to murder Christian children in order to use their blood in religious rituals.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterise Israel or Israelis” is an example of antisemitism.

The article went on to say “El-Kurd, speaking to the crowd via video link from New York, addressed the line about organs that some had labelled antisemitic: it was based on easily found and widespread news reports from 2009 in which the Israeli military admitted pathologists had harvested organs from dead Palestinians, and others, without the consent of their families for years.”

These are not Mr El-Kurd’s words but the journalist’s, and are grossly misleading in two ways.

First, the words are lifted almost verbatim from a Guardian article of almost fifteen years ago, an article that itself was subject to correction because it was misleading. The truth, as the correction recognised, was that Israeli pathologists had extracted organs from a range of categories of deceased persons, including Israelis. By emphasising “Palestinians” and marginalising “and others”, the article gives a misleading impression of the practice, implying that it was targeted specifically at one group.

Second, Mr El-Kurd had claimed in his poem: “They harvest organs of the martyred, feed their warriors our own.” The justification provided by the journalist of Mr El-Kurd’s line makes no reference to the consumptionof organs. The notion that Jewish people consume the blood and organs of others is a textbook antisemitic blood libel, and this was not only not addressed but, by ignoring it while appearing to justify the rest of the line, appeared indirectly to defend it.

Worse still, the journalist implies that it is unreasonable to label the harvesting allegation as antisemitic because it is, in fact, “easily found” to be true. While she may be paraphrasing Mr El-Kurd, that is not clear from the article. If they are Mr El-Kurd’s words, then they should have been quoted or presented as such and challenged, for, pace Mr El-Kurd, there is no basis for the antisemitic allegation that Jews eat the organs of others. If, alternatively, they are not Mr El-Kurd’s words but the journalist’s – which, given that they paraphrase the earlier Guardian article, seems likely – then the journalist has essentially defended his poem, including the allegation about consumption of organs. This adds The Guardian’s insult to the injury inflicted by Mr El-Kurd.

Not only is this atrocious journalism, looking to defend a controversial figure instead of putting his views in full context and pointing out their inaccuracies, but it promotes a horrific antisemitic trope and implies that those who take issue with it are buffoons for not uncovering the “easily found” evidence.

We and CAMERA, which brought the article to our attention, submitted complaints to The Guardian. We called on the newspaper to urgently correct the article and apologise for giving such a prominent platform to racist myth.

To date, neither we nor CAMERA have heard back from The Guardian.

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“Hitler” graffiti discovered on Manchester postbox

Graffiti bearing the word “Hitler” was discovered on a postbox in Manchester last night.

Photographs appear to show the postbox defaced with a heart followed by the name “Hitler”, as well as separate etching of “Hitler” directly below.

A concerned Twitter user, with whom Campaign Against Antisemitism has been in touch, uploaded the image to the social platform, along with another photograph in which the word “Palestineo” is scratched into the pavement.

The graffiti was discovered on Albert Avenue in Prestwich at around 21:00.

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Manchester cleric reportedly praised Iranian terror chief at event where audience chanted “Death to Israel”

It has been reported that a cleric in Manchester gave a speech in which he praised an Iranian terror chief at an event where the audience chanted “Death to Israel”.

According to the JC, cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar is listed as a trustee and director at the Islamic Cultural Centre, a Manchester-based charity, and as a speaker at the Islamic Centre of England, the latter of which is said to have been described as the “London office” of the antisemitic Islamist terrorist group known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission.

Mr Sekaleshfar is alleged to have appeared as a keynote speaker at a memorial event for IRGC terrorist mastermind, Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the United States in 2020. 

During the event in Qom, Iran, the audience is reported to have chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to England”. 

Mr Sekaleshfar is also reported to have described Soleimani as a “martyr” in a separate speech in 2021.

Earlier this year, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to all MPs calling on them to back the Government’s reported proposal to proscribe IRGC under the Terrorism Act 2000.

We have provided the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, and the Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, and all MPs with a dossier on the IRGC, detailing its horrendous record of antisemitism and violence against Jewish people.

In light of the mounting pressure to proscribe the IRGC, there have been calls made to close London’s Islamic Centre. The Islamic Centre is believed to serve as an office for Iran’s Supreme Leader, and its Director, Seyed Hashem Moosavi, is understood to have been appointed by the regime as a mid-ranking cleric.

The institution also aired an Iranian propaganda film, posted on IRGC websites, featuring children singing a song that referenced an apocalyptic myth about murdering Jews, according to the JC. The Islamic Centre denied that its “local version of the song” carried the same meaning. It also has a history of publishing inflammatory rhetoric about Zionists and extolled Iranian support for the antisemitic terror groups Hamas and Hizballah.

The Islamic Centre is located just minutes from several synagogues in the area.

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British diplomat met cleric who compared Jewish people to “apes and pigs”

It has been revealed that a British diplomat met with a cleric who compared Jewish people to “apes and pigs”.

The JC reported that UK Consul-General Diane Corner, Britain’s top diplomat in Jerusalem, met with Mahmoud al-Habbash, said to be the spiritual adviser to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

In a sermon, Mr al-Habbash can be seen stating that Jews are “cursed by Allah”, “humanoids”, and comparable to “apes and pigs”.

A Twitter post from the British Consulate in Jerusalem featured a photograph of Mr al-Habbash standing next to Ms Corner smiling.

Asked for comment by the JC on the meeting between Corner and al-Habbash, the Foreign Office reportedly declined.

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CAA considering legal action after SOAS Palestine Society reportedly posts quote from Hizballah Secretary-General

Campaign Against Antisemitism is considering legal action after the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Palestine Society reportedly shared a quote from the Secretary-General of Hizballah.

In 2019, following a gruelling effort over several years by Campaign Against Antisemitism and our allies, Hizballah was completely proscribed by the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, with the support of the Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

Hizballah’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, has previously said: “If Jews all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.” Hizballah has been true to its mission, bombing Jewish targets from Buenas Aires to Burgas, and it has even been blamed for setting off two bombs in London outside buildings used by Jews and Israelis.

According to the JC, the SOAS society shared an Instagram post to its story which contained a quote from Mr Nasrallah that read: “The law of executing Palestinian prisoners will increase the faith, courage and willingness of the Palestinian youth to carry out operations, and this measure is a foolish one.

“Everything that is happening now indicates the end of the Zionist entity.”

The society reportedly also shared a video hours prior of an interview, during which a girl says that “The Jews are hateful”.

In 2021, Professor David Hirsh, a lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London who was appointed as the Chairman of a panel that oversaw an antisemitism-related complaint at SOAS, said that SOAS could be institutionally antisemitic.

The incident related to a complaint from a former student at SOAS who sought to have his fees refunded after he was forced to leave the University due to a ”toxic antisemitic environment”.

The University has not adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

The University has previously told Campaign Against Antisemitism that: “While SOAS has not adopted the IHRA definition, we are committed to maintaining a neutral platform and ensuring that all members of our diverse community are free to express their opinions in a mutually respectful and collegial environment.

“SOAS has a strong academic track record in research and teaching which relates to Israel Studies and Jewish Culture, including the UK’s first Professor of Israel Studies, an active Centre for Jewish Studies and a range of degree programmes including Hebrew with Arabic. The School is also home to the Jewish Music Institute. All of this is part of our leading role in the development of thinking on issues relating to the Middle East.

“We will continue to promote open and robust discussion on campus.”

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected]. 

Image credit: JC

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NUS conference opens with apology for failings over tackling antisemitism 

The National Union of Students (NUS) opened its conference earlier this week by apologising for its failings in tackling antisemitism.

The apology arrived in the wake of Rebecca Tuck KC’s damning report into the allegations of antisemitism within the NUS.

Nehaal Bajwa, NUS’ Vice President for Liberation and Equality, said at the conference: “[Rebecca Tuck’s] findings were truly shocking and showed us what Jewish students have been saying and have known for a long time; that antisemitism is real and it is happening in NUS spaces as well as in student unions and wider student politics.”

Chloe Field, Vice President for Higher Education, added: “So, we really want to open conference today with a moment of accountability for NUS and a moment of humanity towards our Jewish friends and members. On behalf of NUS today and the past, I am genuinely, truly sorry that it has taken us so long to address antisemitism head-on. You have been let down by the very organisation that you should have been able to trust the most. My team and I will do everything that we can do to make sure that you never have to fight this fight on your own again.

“Let us say this to anyone in doubt: antisemitism is real and it is happening in student politics today. Antisemitism is an attack not just on Jewish people, but on all of us and the shared values we hold.”

Ms Tuck’s report, which was released in January and followed an investigation into which Campaign Against Antisemitism, the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) and others provided input, observed that NUS allowed the development of a “hostile environment” for Jewish students, with instances in which Jewish students were “subjected to harassment” likely to be in breach of the Equality Act 2010, in addition to NUS’s own code of conduct. It rightly recognised that there had been a “poor relationship” between NUS and Jewish students for a long time. Ms Tuck drew on Campaign Against Antisemitism’s input and past research, including our annual Antisemitism Barometer survey of the Jewish community.

The report recommended improvements in NUS’s record-keeping, elections, due diligence of candidates, and code of conduct complaints. It also called for antisemitism training and the provision of educational materials, and a governance review. Ms Tuck also advised improvements in discussions about Israel, including the inclusion of an “experienced facilitator” in such debates.

Importantly, the report also called for the establishment of an advisory panel to ensure the implementation of the recommendations and for a survey of Jewish students to test that implementation, which were among the suggestions made to Ms Tuck by Campaign Against Antisemitism to ensure the durability of any recommendations that the report made. Indeed Ms Tuck observed how the recommendations of past reports relating to NUS have often not been implemented, a point that we stressed to her.

The announcement of Ms Tuck’s investigation last April came after Robert Halfon MP (then the Chair of the Education Select Committee) wrote together with Campaign Against Antisemitism to the Charity Commission calling for an investigation into the union’s charitable arm, which the Commission agreed to launch. The full dossier on NUS, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, can be read here.

After the investigation was announced, Shaima Dallali, the then-President of NUS, was removed from her position amidst allegations of antisemitism. This was the first time in the Union’s 100-year history that a President has been removed.

There have been numerous controversies involving NUS over the past twelve months. In one scandal, the rapper Kareem Dennis, known as Lowkey, was due to headline NUS’s centenary conference but, after initially dismissing the concerns of Jewish students, who pointed out the rapper’s inflammatory record, the Union came under media scrutiny and eventually Mr Dennis withdrew from the event. As the scandal erupted, Robert Halfon MP excoriated NUS for failing to send a representative to attend a hearing held by the Education Select Committee, which he chairs.

This scandal was immediately followed by the election of Shaima Dallali as NUS’s new President, despite her history of antisemitic tweets and other inflammatory social media posts. Ms Dallali was forced to apologise for tweeting the words of an antisemitic chant. In 2012, during an escalation of tensions between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group Hamas, Ms Dallali tweeted the words “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud.” Translated into English, this chant means “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning.” It is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE.

These scandals come after decades of atrocious relations between NUS and Jewish students. Ms Tuck’s investigation is at least the third major such inquiry into NUS’s relations with Jewish students in the last twenty years.

It was reported today that, claiming that her dismissal was discriminatory, Ms Dallali is taking legal action against NUS.  

It was also reported that Manchester Students’ Union is set to hold a referendum on whether it should disaffiliate from NUS, citing concerns over antisemitism and Islamophobia.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

Image credit: NUS via Twitter

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“F*** Jews”: Man reportedly launches verbal assault on young Jewish children in Stamford Hill

It has been reported that a man launched into a verbal assault on young Jewish children in Stamford Hill. 

The children, said to be girls aged seven, nine and eleven, were allegedly subjected to comments such as “You make babies all day,” “f*** Jews,” and “your mother is fat”.

The alleged incident occurred on Firsby Road and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 13/03/23.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information-sharing agreement.

Image credit: Google

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Former Glasgow security guard who exchanged antisemitic messages in far-right group jailed for nearly three years  

A former security guard who exchanged antisemitic messages with an online far-right group and shared an instructional video on how to build a replica submachine gun was jailed for nearly three years yesterday.

James Farrell, 32 from Priesthill in Glasgow, admitted to posting the video to the “Oaken Hearth” Telegram channel, in which he also professed an admiration for the Norwegian neo-Nazi murderer, Anders Breivik.

Antisemitic propaganda in support of Adolf Hitler was also said to have been shared, and at one point, Mr Farrell is alleged to have said: “It’s about time someone firebombed a synagogue.”

Mr Farrell joined the Telegram group in March 2021 and, after the group was infiltrated by an undercover police officer, was arrested in October of that year. 

Mr Farrell admitted in Glasgow’s High Court of Justiciary to sharing a video clip featuring instructions on how to build a 3D-printed replica MAC-11 firearm, which he had previously described as an “edgy, cool video”, and pleaded guilty to a breach of the 2006 Terrorism Act.

Sentencing him to two years and eight months in prison, Lord Clark said: “As the criminal justice social work report states, you continue to adhere to your far-right wing views. You have expressed no remorse.”

Lord Clark added that Mr Farrell, who shared the video under the online moniker “Jabz”, “made the video directly available to extremists and potential terrorists and encouraged or induced or assisted them.”

Last year, four members of the Oaken Hearth channel were convicted under anti-terrorism and firearms legislation and sentenced to a total of 31 years.

Image credit: Police Scotland

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“Extreme, insufferable, close-minded”: Allison Josephs criticises media outlets’ depiction of Orthodox Jews

Allison Josephs, the Founder and Executive Director of Jew In The City, a non-profit organisation that seeks to change negative perceptions of religious Jews, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where she spoke of the often-used tropes used against Orthodox Jews in the media.

“I think the general way that we see Orthodox Jews depicted is extreme, insufferable, xenophobic, close-minded,” Ms Josephs said. She added that “that’s not to say that those types of people don’t exist,” but lamented how the “normative religious Jew” was portrayed as “dysfunctional and abusive”. 

Speaking on the hotly debated Netflix drama series Unorthodox, which revolves around the life of a former Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn, Ms Josephs described the premise as “troubling”.

“Put that dynamic on any other minority community, where you put ‘un’ in front of it,” she said. “Unblack? Unhispanic? It’s a really gross dynamic that you become celebrated when you become less of what you are.”

Also discussed during the conversation was the Netflix film ‘You People’ and the myriad of tropes it used in depicting Jewish people. Campaign Against Antisemitism produced a short review of the film earlier this year.

When asked why she felt that much of the media depicts Orthodox Jews in a negative light, she said: “There are not a small number of Jews in media. Hollywood was founded by Jews because of antisemitism, and so they started their own thing out west, and a lot of them were running from their own persecution. And when you’re persecuted for being a Jew, that leaves you with a lot of complicated feelings about your relationship to your identity.”

Ms Josephs criticised media outlets for disproportionately telling negative Jewish stories over positive ones.

“What doesn’t happen is the happy people, who are happy and healthy and living meaningful lives as religious Jews, they are not contacting The New York Times, they are not contacting Netflix, they are going about their business living their best life, so their stories don’t get told,” she said. “There’s also something salacious about all of the drama.”

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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CAA launches four-part “Debunked: Black Hebrew Israelites” Instagram series 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a four-part video series on Instagram in which we take a closer look at the Black Hebrew Israelite movement.

The Black Israelite Hebrews are an extremist Black supremacist group that asserts that they are the “true” Jews. The group has harassed and intimidated Jews on the streets of the United Kingdom and the London Underground, and is thought to have been connected to the New Jersey kosher grocery store shooting in 2019.

The first episode of the Debunked: Black Hebrew Israelites series, which features Podcast Against Antisemitism guest Tova the Poet, explains why the movement is considered so dangerous. 

The second episode is set to be released to our Instagram account on Monday.

You can watch the first episode here.

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Man with swastika-engraved dagger who sent antisemitic messages sentenced after pleading guilty to terrorism charge

A man discovered to have been in possession of Nazi memorabilia and who sent antisemitic messages was sentenced last week after he pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge. 

Matthew Patterson of Kettering first came to the attention of Counter Terrorism Police when he sent racist tweets amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

Shortly after, police conducted a search of his home where they discovered a collection of Nazi memorabilia, which included an SS ring, a gas mask and a swastika-engraved dagger. 

Police also retrieved extreme far-right antisemitic messages from Mr Patterson’s digital devices.

Mr Patterson pleaded guilty to one charge of collecting information for terrorist purposes under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and was given an eleven-month sentence, suspended for two years, at Leicester Crown Court. He will be subject to an extended period on license of one year.

Detective Inspector Alan Jackson from Northamptonshire Police’s Counter Terrorism Police-East Midlands Special Branch team said: “This was a complex investigation that led to the discovery of extreme right-wing and antisemitic communications as well as a number of Nazi memorabilia in his possession.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.

Image credit: Google

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CAA submits recommendations on legal reform to introduce tougher punishments for racist councillors

Campaign Against Antisemitism has submitted recommendations on proposed amendments to the Localism Act 2011 to the Parliamentary Committee for Standards in Public Life, in order to introduce tougher punishments for racist councillors.

The Committee, chaired by Lord Evans, has previously made recommendations to the Government on reforms to the sanctions regime for local councillors. The Government rejected the proposals, but the deficiencies of the current system mean that the problem is still very much alive.

Our submission considers the Committee’s proposals in the light of recommendations that we have published as part of our ongoing study of the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism by local authorities, which, uniquely, is updated in real-time. The project also records incidents of antisemitism at local councils around the country. To see if your local council has adopted the Definition, please visit the project.

The recommendations include stricter and more uniform sanctions for local authorities to be able to impose on councillors who engage in antisemitic conduct, more clarity on when a councillor is or is not subject to the council’s code of conduct, the importance of training, and other matters. These recommendations are in addition to the importance of adopting the Definition and applying it when allegations of antisemitism arise.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We are pleased to be able to provide the Parliamentary Committee for Standards in Public Life with our recommendations for how the sanctions system in local government can be improved to better address antisemitic incidents at local councils. This submission is part of our ongoing policy work, which seeks to ensure that the authorities are empowered by law to address incidents of antisemitism wherever they arise.”

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CCTV footage appears to show identifiably Jewish man accosted in Stamford Hill

CCTV footage has appeared to show an identifiably Jewish man being accosted by a fellow pedestrian in Stamford Hill.

It was reported that the Jewish man believes the suspect to have intentionally collided with him as they were both walking, and stated that, following the alleged altercation, the suspect made a motion as though to repeat it.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: 4605754/23

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information sharing agreement.

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Man reportedly attacks identifiably Jewish teenager at Stoke Newington railway station

An identifiably Jewish teenager was reportedly attacked by a man at Stoke Newington railway station.

The alleged attack, in which the suspect has been accused of knocking the sixteen-year-old’s hat off of his head, was reported to have been unprovoked.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 7376 09/03/23

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information sharing agreement.

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“Black Hebrew Israelites are not Jewish”: Tova the Poet unpacks the dangers of the extremist fringe group posing harm to Jews

The poet Tova Ricardo, better known as Tova the Poet, whose poems speak from her perspective as a Black Jewish woman, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where she spoke at length on Black Hebrew Israelites.

The Black Israelite Hebrews are an extremist Black supremacist group that asserts that they are the “true” Jews. The group has harassed and intimidated Jews on the streets of the United Kingdom and the London Underground, and is thought to have been connected to the New Jersey kosher grocery store shooting in 2019.

“Black Hebrew Israelites are not Jewish,” Ms Ricardo said. “That is something that the Black community, the Jewish community, mainstream society, need to understand. There are Black Jewish people like myself. There are many Black Jewish people around the world, in America, and we have absolutely no affiliation with Black Hebrew Israelites.”

Explaining why the ideology of the Black Hebrew Israelites is so dangerous, she said: “It attempts to appropriate Jewish traditions and history in order to allow these people to deal with their sense of inferiority. These people have historically read themselves, seen themselves, in the Israelite story in the Bible. They’ve seen themselves as the downtrodden. Because of the history of slavery in this country and the ways in which Christianity and the Christian Bible was pushed on Black Americans. Some Black Americans have seen themselves in that story, and there are a lot of Black Americans who can sympathise with that story, but there are some who take it too far.” 

In recent months, high-profile celebrities such as Kanye West and Kyrie Irving have both repeated rhetoric similar to that of the Black Hebrew Israelite teaching.

“Kanye West, people like him, are not Jewish,” the poet stated. “That is a figment of their imagination, and its an insult to actual Black Jewish people, particularly when the Black community is speaking about Black Jews and ‘why isn’t someone like Kyrie or Kanye allowed to call themselves Jewish?’ Kyrie, Kanye, they are not Jewish, and you are not working to build coalitions with actual Black Jewish people.”

Ms Ricardo would go on to describe the difficulties that Black Hebrew Israelites pose to Black Jews, like herself, specifically, and admitted that the group has, regrettably, had a negative impact on her own relationship with Judaism. 

“Black Jewish people are trying to tell folks that Black Hebrew Israelite ideology is dangerous, and I will say this, and I haven’t really said this before, because Black Hebrew Israelites have attempted to appropriate Jewish traditions and language, and when people see a Black person who says the word ‘Hebrew’ or ‘Israelite’, they associate them with Black Hebrew Israelites, I, as an actual Black Jewish person, I don’t actually feel comfortable even calling myself, referring to myself, as a ‘Hebrew’ or as an ‘Israelite’. 

“Within the Jewish community, non-Black Jewish people will use those terms whether they were talking about stories in the Torah, whether we’re speaking about our holidays, Jewish people will use that language is part of our tradition. But I don’t use that language, because I don’t want someone to associate me with Black Hebrew Israelites. I don’t want them to look at me and think ‘Oh, a Black person using these words. That must mean she’s like them.’ So, it’s causing distress in my life, also because Black Hebrew Israelites do not like actual Black Jews. We are a threat to their identity.” 

Outlining the fact that Black Hebrew Israelites are considered an extremist group fringe group, Ms Ricardo continued: “Most Black people do not believe in this. I’m sure there are a lot of people who will go on social media and will see certain Black celebrities push this ideology or they will see a video of someone on the street pushing this ideology, and those people need to be condemned. 

“But the majority of Black people…I’m Black, I’ve grown up around Black people. Most Black people do not believe this. And I would recommend that folks who don’t actually know Black people, or the Black community, not make generalisations, because that would make Black people mad, because most Black people have asserted that these are fringe groups. [Black Hebrew Israelites] are parts of fringe groups. They are not the norm in the Black community. They are actually very harmful to the Black community, specifically, Black [LGBTQ+] people and Black women have been speaking about the dangers of Black Hebrew Israelites…I just want to reiterate that. Most Black people don’t believe this.”  

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Numerous swastikas found graffitied on Jewish residence in Stamford Hill

Multiple Jewish residents in Stamford Hill have reported that numerous swastikas have been graffitied on the building in which they live.

The graffiti was reported to have been daubed outside Sidlaw House on Portland Avenue.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 97 10/03/23.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information sharing agreement.

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Vincent Reynouard served with second warrant in court

The convicted Holocaust-denier Vincent Reynouard has been handed a second warrant in court today.

Mr Reynouard, 54, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for the latest hearing in his ongoing bid to avoid extradition to France.

While sitting in the dock, Mr Reynouard was served the new arrest warrant in French and English. His lawyer, Paul Dunne, instructed him to “take your time and read it so you understand the nature of the offences against you.”

Mr Dunne told Sheriff Kenneth Campbell that it was “far from ideal” for his client to have been served a copy of the warrant in the dock, but that Mr Reynouard had “understood the charges”.Mr Dunne said of Mr Reynouard: “He does not consent to his extradition to France.”

Advocate depute Paul Harvey KC told the hearing that French authorities had made an error in their application for the first warrant, hence the need for a second warrant.

Sheriff Campbell told Reynouard: “You have now been served with this fresh warrant and you understand the general nature of the charges.”

Mr Reynouard was sentenced to jail for four months on 25th November 2020 by a court in Paris and again in January 2021 for six months, in addition to fines. His latest conviction is in relation to a series of antisemitic postings on Facebook and Twitter and a 2018 YouTube video for which fellow French Holocaust denier, Hervé Ryssen (also known as Hervé Lalin), received a seventeen-month-jail term earlier that year.

However, Mr Reynouard fled the country before serving his sentence and settled in the UK, where he reportedly worked as a private tutor teaching children mathematics, physics and chemistry. Private tutors are not required to undergo background checks.

In November, he was finally arrested near Edinburgh. In the intervening months, Campaign Against Antisemitism has been cooperating with French Jewish groups seeking Mr Reynouard’s extradition to France. Along with Lord Austin, an Honorary Patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism, we have corresponded with police forces and prosecutors in the UK and Interpol in an effort to locate Mr Reynouard and bring him to justice.

Scottish police reportedly arrested him at an address near the Scottish capital, where he was apparently living under a false identity. He was brought before a judge on the same day and refused extradition to France.

Late last year, Mr Reynouard appeared in court where it was heard that he had been granted legal aid. He will be back in court next month, with a full extradition hearing scheduled for February.

Mr Reynouard faces a sentence of almost two years in a French prison, in addition to any further sentence in relation to other ongoing proceedings.

The Office Central de Lutte Contre les Crimes Contre l’Humanité, les Génocides et les Crimes de Guerre (OCLCH) — the arm of the French gendarmerie that specialises in hate crime and war crimes — has been leading the investigation.

Mr Reynouard’s first Holocaust denial conviction was in 1991 for distributing leaflets denying the existence of the gas chambers at concentration camps. Holocaust denial has been a criminal offence in France since 1990. He has been convicted on numerous occasions and his subsequent sentences include multiple prison terms and a €10,000 fine.Mr Reynouard is alleged to have ties to Catholic fundamentalist groups that deny the Holocaust. In a recent analysis of the French far-right, the newspaper Liberation claimed that Mr Reynouard and Mr Ryssen are key members of a network of propagandists dedicated to the denial and distortion of the Holocaust.

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Purim holiday marred by “Heil Hitler, I love Hitler” abuse from man reportedly in possession of a knife

The Purim holiday in London was marred by verbal abuse from a man reportedly in possession of a knife.

The assailant allegedly yelled “Heil Hitler, I love Hitler” at Jewish people leaving a synagogue on Darenth Road in Stamford Hill during the festival yesterday.

The incident was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, and a suspect has been arrested.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD7746 07/03/23.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information sharing agreement.

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Former US soldier who admitted to attempted murder of fellow service members jailed for 45 years after leaking data to UK neo-Nazi, pro-Jihadist group

A former soldier who admitted to the attempted murder of his fellow servicemen has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. 

Ethan Melzer, 24, pleaded guilty to providing top secret data to the Order of the Nine Angles, a neo-Nazi, pro-Jihadist group based in the United Kingdom. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism called for the proscription of the Order of the Nine Angles group following the publication of a report on its activities. A report by the activist group Hope Not Hate showed that the organisation promotes extreme violence, Holocaust denial, neo-Nazism and other antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as ‘Zionist’ control of the world.

The group was founded in the 1970s and dates its calendar from the birth of Adolf Hitler. It aspires to destablise contemporary “Judeao-Christian” society and to see it replaced with a fascist and Satanist substitute. It is understood that members are encouraged to infiltrate institutions to undermine them from within or join Islamist organisations to promote the group’s destabilisation agenda. Some of the group’s texts apparently make reference to ritual sacrifice and praise notorious criminals.

On 24th June, Mr Melzer pleaded guilty to attempting to murder United States service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, who also imposed the sentence.

The sensitive information provided to the Order of the Nine Angles, of which Mr Melzer himself was a member, included the whereabouts of his former unit’s location, movements, and security. 

The court heard that, from as early as 2018, Mr Melzer had been consuming videos and propaganda from various extremist far-right, white supremacist, and Islamist organisations, including ISIS. He then began feeding information through an encrypted platform to a subgroup within the Order, known as the “RapeWaffen Division”, with the intention of facilitating an attack on his unit’s military base.

In messages sent to the white supremacist Order, Mr Melzer wrote: “[Y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this”. 

He also told them that he was “expecting results”. Apparently apathetic over the possibility of dying for the Order, he wrote: “Who gives a [f***]…it would be another war…I would’ve died successfully…cause another [ten] year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.”

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said: “Today’s sentence holds Mr. Melzer accountable for an egregious and shameful act of betrayal against his own military unit and his country. The Justice Department will use all available resources to disrupt and bring to justice those who would aid foreign terrorist organizations and use violence to harm our men and women in uniform or any American anywhere.”

Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division said: “Melzer betrayed his fellow soldiers and his country. Americans serving their country overseas should never have to fear a terrorist attack from within their own ranks, and today’s sentence holds him accountable for his deadly plan to attack the brave men and women of the armed forces who protect our nation.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.

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Luciana Berger and Mike Gapes rejoin Labour Party

It has been reported Mike Gapes has rejoined Labour, shortly after Luciana Berger announced her decision to rejoin the Party.

Ms Berger, a Jewish former Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, left the Party in 2019 over institutional antisemitism and feeling “unwelcome in [her] own party” during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Following an apology from Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, Ms Berger said last week that she was “pleased to be returning to [her] political home”.

This week, Ms Berger is joined by Mr Gapes, a former Labour MP for Ilford South, who also left the Party in 2019 alongside Ms Berger, Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey.

Dame Louise Ellman, who rejoined the Party in 2021, commented at the time, “there remains a great deal more to do to tackle antisemitism in the Party.” 

Earlier this year, Mr Corbyn doubled down on his insistence that the scale of antisemitism in the Party was “grossly exaggerated”.

The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Everton fan sentenced over antisemitic insults at match against Tottenham

An Everton fan has been convicted over antisemitic insults at a football match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Neil McManniman, 46, was convicted of religiously aggravated harassment at Liverpool Crown Court and given a suspended nine-month prison sentence. He was also banned from football matches for five years, ordered to carry out fifteen days of rehabilitation activities and given a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.

Mr McManniman was found to have hurled a “torrent of foul abuse” towards Tottenham fans during a home match at Goodison Park on 7th November 2021.

He had seven previous offences, including a similar conviction involving the use of the n-word, for which he previously received a three-year banning order.

The antisemitic abuse reportedly included hissing sounds, commonly performed in imitation of the gas chambers at Nazi death camps.

He denied the charges but a jury took only half an hour to convict him.

Judge Brian Cummings KC described his behaviour as “outrageous” and said: “You have not learnt your lesson from your previous court experiences.” He added that Mr McManniman had denied the offence “and tried to lie your way out of it.”

He also observed of the defendant: “You were seen on a number of occasions standing and gesticulating at the away supporters while shouting antisemitic abuse and making loud hissing sounds which I am sure were intended to reference the gas chambers in the Holocaust.”

During the trial, the prosecutor recounted how a fellow Evertonian heard Mr McManniman’s antisemitic abuse, including phrases like “dirty Jews, dirty Yids”, and complained to a steward, who also heard him shouting remarks such as “f****** Jews”. He was then ejected from the stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur has long been associated with the Jewish community, and its fans are consequently often targeted by antisemitic abuse.

Counsel for Mr McManniman variously claimed that he had been drink – although the defendant had reportedly maintained otherwise in this trial – and that he lost sight in one eye after being attacked fifteen years ago and had not been able to work. Additionally, he was voluntarily engaging with agencies to assist with mental health problems and his mother had written a letter setting out his shame and remorse. The judge suspended his nine-month prison sentence for two years in view of the mental health mitigation.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is a significant conviction, not only because it signals that there is no place for antisemitism in football, but also because it acknowledges that imitating the sound of gas chambers is a way of harassing Jewish people. This was recognised not merely by a judge but by a jury of ordinary people, who readily understand such conduct as antisemitic. Not only Tottenham fans but Everton supporters too will be reassured to find Neil McManniman banned from their stands for five years.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to report on and act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Middlesex University reportedly to cut ties with Islamic College over links to Iran and inflammatory staff

Middlesex University is reportedly cutting ties with the Islamic College.

The University is terminating its partnership with the Brondesbury Park-based institution, whose degrees are validated by Middlesex University and which has received hundreds of thousands of pounds in taxpayer funds, according to the JC.

The Islamic College is alleged to be the British affiliate of Al-Mustafa International University, which is controlled by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and which was sanctioned by the United States in 2020 because it is allegedly “a recruiting platform for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.”

Earlier this year, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to all MPs supporting the Government’s mooted ban on the IRGC terror group.

There is no evidence that the Islamic College itself is involved in terrorism. A staff member, however, reportedly claimed that mass-murderer Anders Breivik was an “ultra-Zionist, freemason, Islamophobic who claims to belong to the Templar order of the Rose-Cross.”

In addition, a former Principal of the College, Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour, has reportedly been captured on video apparently urging the crowd at a rally in 2013 to chant their support for the antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation Hizballah, which has since been proscribed by the British Government.

Another lecturer was reportedly captured on video comparing Israel’s policies to those of the Nazis. The JC has reported that, after it began investigating, this video is no longer available. According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

The founder of the College, Saied Reza Ameli, who until 2006 was a trustee of the Irshad Trust, the charity that runs the College, is reportedly now a secretary to Iran’s Supreme Council for the Cultural Revolution.

The Islamic College runs courses on Arabic, Islamic studies and Islamic law at undergraduate and graduate levels. Its degrees are “validated” by Middlesex University, and, in addition to significant taxpayer funds received under the Covid furlough scheme, it is owned by a charity, enjoying the benefit of tax-incentivised donations.

The Islamic College is closely associated with the controversial Islamic Centre of England.

A spokesperson for Middlesex university reportedly said: “Following a review of our partnership with the Islamic College in London we have mutually agreed to terminate. Middlesex University has a statutory duty of care to students currently studying at the college and we are in close contact with the regulatory body, the Office of Students, to ensure a smooth transition. The end date of our partnership will be December 31, 2023.” 

In a further statement, spokesperson for the University said: “Middlesex University validates academic provision offered by the Islamic College and provides services related to oversight of academic quality and standards, in line with standard sector practice. All of our partnerships are regularly reviewed and we undertake thorough due diligence before formalising any collaborative relationship. We are grateful to the JC for bringing these serious allegations to our attention and we will be raising them with the Islamic College as a matter of urgency.”

The Islamic College denies affiliation to Al-Mustafa University. A spokesperson said that the College’s aim is to “offer programmes of the highest standards in Islamic studies, promulgate a rational and critical study of religion, enhance community cohesion and promote interfaith dialogue. It is not engaged in the dissemination of any ideology.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitismby universities.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected]. 

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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Archbishop of Canterbury says he would never have forgiven himself if he hadn’t backed Chief Rabbi’s warning against Jeremy Corbyn in 2019

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that he would never have forgiven himself if he had not backed the Chief Rabbi’s warning about Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

Justin Welby made the remark at an event at a Jewish community centre last week in a public conversation with the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Shortly before the 2019 General Election, Rabbi Mirvis asked in The Times how far Mr Corbyn would have to go to be considered “unfit for office”, rhetorically asking readers: “What will the result of this election say about the moral compass of our country? When December 12 arrives, I ask every person to vote with their conscience. Be in no doubt, the very soul of our nation is at stake.”

Archbishop Welby subsequently issued a statement warning that there is a “deep sense of insecurity and fear felt by many British Jews.”

In the conversation last week, Archbishop Welby recalled the the Chief Rabbi had forewarned him that he was going to speak out, and the Archbishop recounted: “I said immediately I will support you,” the Archbishop said. He further observed that his staff supported his decision “without hesitation”.

The Chief Rabbi said during the conversation: “The Archbishop of Canterbury volunteered to issue his voice… There was an enormous amount of courage and we appreciated it enormously”. The Archbishop responded: “I think it would have been cowardice not to say something. It was so obviously right I knew I would never forgive myself if we didn’t speak clearly…I know my history…You have to cut off these things off straight away because if you don’t, they become overwhelming.”

The event was held by the Yoni Jesner Foundation to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the murder of Yoni Jesner in a terror attack on a bus while he was studying at a yeshiva in Israel.

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Fringe group that previously apologised for assisting antisemitism-denier now demands Jewish Book Week include “Palestinian voices”

A fringe group that was previously forced to apologise after it was revealed that it had assisted an antisemitism-denier has demanded that Jewish Book Week include “Palestinian voices”.

Na’amod: British Jews Against Occupation, protested at Jewish Book Week yesterday, explaining on Twitter: “Na’amod went to Jewish Book Week to ask why our community is hosting a panel about Israeli democracy without a single Palestinian voice. We handed out leaflets & spoke with attendees about how excluding Palestinian voices while including [pro-Israel] organisations…ignores the occupation and contributes to a culture of anti-Palestinian racism.

“What credibility does a panel like this have when it fails to engage with those at the sharp-end of Israel’s non-democracy? We think it’s time Jewish Book Week is honest with itself and its audiences: there is no democracy with occupation. We hope that in future, our community will not only engage with the reality of Israeli occupation but prioritise solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis seeking a just and equitable future.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel” is an example of antisemitism.

Last year, Naamod was forced to apologise after the researcher David Collier revealed that it had assisted Pete Gregson, who was organising a tour for the fringe and controversial Neturei Karta group’s Rabbi Dovid Weiss and the inflammatory academic Azzam Tamimi.

In 2019, Pete Gregson was suspended by the Labour Party and expelled from the pro-Corbyn pressure group Momentum and the GMB union for saying that Israel was a “racist endeavour” which “exaggerates” the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis for “political ends”. He has a history of inflammatory conduct.

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Duke of Sussex holds “intimate conversation” with trauma expert who compared Hamas terrorists to Warsaw Ghetto fighters

The Duke of Sussex has conducted an “intimate conversation” with an inflammatory trauma expert who has previously compared Hamas terrorists to Warsaw Ghetto fighters and denied antisemitism in the Labour Party.

Yesterday, Harry held a conversation with Gabor Mate, who wrote in 2014: “The Palestinians use tunnels? So did my heroes, the poorly armed fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto.”

This was not an isolated occurrence. On a 2019 far-left podcast, for example, he spoke to his son Aaron Mate, who has also courted controversy in the past, about “the misuse of antisemitism”, defending the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, saying: “You also point out just how manipulative it is to call Corbyn an antisemite…So, Corbyn goes to this rally where this Jewish person speaks, and Corbyn’s accused of being an antisemite because he’s present when a Jew criticises or points out similarities between the ghettoisation of Gaza and the ghettoisation of Jews.”

Similar views were expressed in a 2021 episode of the podcast in which Mr Mate participated, alongside his son, activist Max Blumenthal, and the controversial activist and musician Roger Waters.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

The elder Mr Mate, a Holocaust survivor born in Budapest in the period of the deportation of Hungarian Jewry in 1944, has also spoken positively of Mr Waters.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Giving such a prominent platform to someone who has compared Hamas operatives to the victims of the Holocaust and who has gone out of his way to deny antisemitism in Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is a deeply troubling move from Harry. The Duke of Sussex should carefully consider how he uses his privileged position.”

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Ten-year-old Jewish boy punched in stomach on way home from school

A ten-year-old Jewish boy was punched in the stomach on his way home from school.

The attack took place on Amhurst Park in Stamford Hill on 3rd March and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 1708 03/03/23.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information sharing agreement.

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“I will come on Shabbos when you can’t call police,” yells man while banging on doors of Jewish homes

Multiple Jewish families in Stamford Hill have been woken up early in the morning for several weeks by a man allegedly banging on their front doors.

Recently, the man was reported by the families, who live on Moresby Road, to have screamed: “I Will come on Shabbos [the Jewish Sabbath] when you can’t call police.”

Observant Orthodox Jews do not use electricity, including telephones, on the Sabbath.

The incidents have been reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD366 03/03/23.

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

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information sharing agreement.

Image credit: Google

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“You ugly Jewish kids, f****** ugly people”: woman screams at 74-year-old Jewish lady and young girls

Earlier this week, a woman reportedly screamed “You ugly Jewish kids, f****** ugly people” at a 74-year-old Jewish woman and young Jewish girls at a bus stop in Stamford Hill.

The incident took place at the CS bus stop on Clapton Common 3rd March and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 219 03/03/23.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2021 showed that over two thirds British Jews believe that the authorities, in general, are not doing enough to address and punish antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have an information sharing agreement.

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JLE’s Rabbi Aubrey Hersh explains what the festival of Purim teaches us about antisemitism

Rabbi Aubrey Hersh, the Senior Lecturer and Projects Director at the Jewish Learning Exchange (JLE) in the North London area of Golders Green, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke about the Jewish festival of Purim and what it can teach people about antisemitism.

Purim, which takes place next week, celebrates the salvation of the Jews of ancient Persia from an antisemitic genocide masterminded by the king’s second in command. The Jews’ salvation is secured with the blessing of the king, but it is delivered by the Jews themselves, who are simply given permission to fight to prevent the planned bloodbath.

Rabbi Hersh said to the podcast host: “Politically, we need to be aware that there are always those looking to take advantage and will prey on soft targets, and throughout the last 2,000 years, Jews were often presented as being just that; a soft target whilst they were in exile.” 

Speaking on how the manner in which antisemitism manifested itself in the Purim story has repeated over time, he explained: “[The Jews] were a minority in a majority host culture. They did not have a country of their own. There was exploitation, and this is true of any country in which the Jews have lived in. They have never been free of the accusations that have accompanied antisemitism, irrespective of the century, irrespective of the location.

“In fact, it is summed up in three words in the story that we read publicly on Purim, the Megillat Esther (Book of Esther), where we say ‘V’ha’ir Shushan navocha’, which really means that the city of Shushan, the capital city, was confused, and the confusion arose from the fact: ‘Why pick on the Jews?’” 

He continued: “They looked like their neighbours, they dressed like their neighbours, they appear like their neighbours, they’ve had a similar education to their neighbours. Why are they being singled out? And this is a question that will occur over and over again to any objective reader of history over the past 1,900 years.”

“The Purim story,” he said, “is essentially the first attempted genocide.” 

Speaking on antisemitism more broadly, he would go on to say: “At a time, there was religious antisemitism, and then there was political antisemitism, there has been economic antisemitism, racial antisemitism. Nowadays, we experience antisemitism through anti-Israel, often, and therefore, it morphs with the times. As the older one becomes unfashionable, a new one pops up. It cannot be neatly defined, but it is there, and ultimately, its visceral.”   

In addition to his work at the JLE, Rabbi Hersh has, over the last two decades, run more than 250 heritage tours in Europe to destinations such as Krakow and Auschwitz, Prague, Paris, Amsterdam and Budapest, and since 2003 has specialised in Holocaust education, working with the Imperial War Museum and Yad Vashem. He is also one of the regular voices on the “History for the Curious” podcast, which looks at historical events, people and movements, with several episodes covering the Nazis and the Holocaust.

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Far-right group Patriotic Alternative suspended from Twitter again, one month after being reinstated

The far-right group Patriotic Alternative has been suspended from Twitter just one month after their accounts were reinstated.

Patriotic Alternative is a UK-based group headed by the former leader of the youth wing of the BNP, Mark Collett. Mr Collett is reported to have dabbled in Holocaust denial, is regularly heard as a guest on the radio show of the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, David Duke, and has described the Holocaust as “an instrument of white guilt”.

The group is known for its efforts to recruit youth to its white nationalist ideology. Previously, the far-right group published an online “alternative” home school curriculum condemned as “poison” and “hateful” and attempted to recruit children as young as twelve through livestreaming events on YouTube, according to The Times.

The group’s latest suspension from Twitter is understood to have been a result of complaints made by CST, with further escalation from The Times. The far-right group was banned from Twitter for almost two years before the platform reinstated them under its newest owner, Elon Musk. 

Mr Musk has drawn criticism in recent months for his repeated reinstalling of previously banned far-right individuals to the platform, including the founder of the America First Political Action Conference, Nick Fuentes, a known Holocaust-denier.

On January 15th, Mr Collett posted to his Telegram channel that he had been reinstated. Patriotic Alternative’s official Twitter account had also been reinstalled, as well as accounts belonging to other high-ranking figures in the group.

However, on 24th February, Patriotic Alternative released a statement in which it said that the accounts had once again been suspended a day earlier, a little over a month from when they were reinstated.

The far-right group claimed that the Twitter ban was “clearly an attempt to prevent us from reaching people who are crying out for our message,” stating that “the establishment” was concerned about the organisation “being allowed freedom of speech”.  

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.

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“F*** you, you are not normal”: Eight-year-old Jewish girl reportedly victim of verbal abuse on London bus

An eight-year-old Jewish girl was reportedly made to be the victim of verbal abuse on a London bus.

A man allegedly yelled at the girl: “F*** you, you are not normal.”

Both were said to be aboard the 243 bus in Hackney at the time of the alleged incident.

The suspect was said to have tried to follow the girl off of the bus, but was unable when the driver swiftly closed the doors. The suspect was reported to have continued hurling abuse after the doors were closed.

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

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 4674 28/02

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

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Alleged member of far-right group Patriotic Alternative pleads guilty to terror charges 

A man reported to be a member of the far-right group Patriotic Alternative has pleaded guilty to two terror charges today.

Kristofer Thomas Kearney, 38, has been described as an “alleged far-right fitness guru” who operated under the online moniker of Charlie Big Potatoes. Originally from Liverpool, Mr Kearney was living in Alicante when he was extradited in September to face charges.

Entering his pleas at the Old Bailey by way of video link from HM Prison Chelmsford, Mr Kearney pleaded guilty to two offences of disseminating terrorist publications, both in relation to two Telegram posts on 23rd January and 8th March 2021. 

The documents reportedly glorified and encouraged extreme right-wing terror attacks.

The court heard that Mr Kearney posted links to 89 extremist documents in the Charlie Big Potatoes Telegram channel, including the manifestos of the Christchurch mosque shooter, Brenton Tarrant, the Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist, Anders Breivik, and the shooter responsible for the Chabad of Poway Synagogue attack, John T. Earnest. 

It was also said that Mr Kearney was a member of the far-right group, National Action, which was proscribed by the British Government in 2016 following repeated calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.

Judge Richard Marks KC declined to deliver a sentence until a two-day trial is carried out in order to better determine Mr Kearney’s motivation.

Patriotic Alternative is a UK-based group headed by the former leader of the youth wing of the BNP, Mark Collett. Mr Collett is reported to have dabbled in Holocaust denial, is regularly heard as a guest on the radio show of the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, David Duke, and has described the Holocaust as “an instrument of white guilt”.

The group is known for its efforts to recruit youth to its white nationalist ideology. Previously, the far-right group published an online “alternative” home school curriculum condemned as “poison” and “hateful” and attempted to recruit children as young as twelve through livestreaming events on YouTube, according to The Times.

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.

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Notorious antisemite Alison Chabloz loses appeal against conviction over “grift a shekel or two” music video

The notorious antisemite Alison Chabloz has today lost her appeal after being found guilty of a communications offence following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism last year.

The two-day appeal hearing at Southwark Crown Court followed last April’s two-day trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court which concerned a video of the scene in the classic Oliver Twist film when Fagin, a fictitious Jewish criminal (a character that has come under significant criticism over the past century for its antisemitic depiction), is explaining to his newest recruit how his legion of children followers pickpockets. Ms Chabloz uploaded the video and sings an accompanying song of her own about how Jews are greedy, “grift” for “shekels” and cheat on their taxes.

The video appeared to be either a bizarre fundraising effort for her mounting legal costs due to numerous charges she has faced, including several ongoing prosecutions in which Campaign Against Antisemitism has provided evidence, or an attempt at mockery of Campaign Against Antisemitism for pursuing her in the courts.

When sentencing Ms Chabloz to the sentence that she has now failed in her appeal against, Judge Nina Tempia said that the defendant “was making up evidence” as she went along, and she did not accept Ms Chabloz’s claim that her song was about the controversial activist Tommy Robinson, describing that suggestion as “ludicrous”. Instead, Judge Tempia said, “I have no doubt” that the song related to Jews. She further noted that, given Ms Chabloz’s previous convictions, she “knew exactly what she was doing” and that she had a propensity to commit these types of offences.

Judge Tempia sentenced Ms Chabloz to 22 weeks’ custody because the matter was, “so serious”. Ms Chabloz would serve half of the sentence in prison and would then be under post-sentence supervision. She was ordered to pay £1,058 in costs by 30th September 2022. 

During her appeal this week, Ms Chabloz tried to suggest that the video was part of a personal quarrel, as she had suggested throughout her trial. 

Speaking directly to Ms Chabloz, Adam Payter, prosecuting, said: “You have a propensity to post grossly offensive antisemitic material. It’s what you do, isn’t it, Ms Chabloz?”

She was questioned about her performing of the racist ‘quenelle’ gesture, which appears as a still photograph at the end of her music video. The ‘quenelle’ is an inverted Nazi salute, a gesture involving one outstretched hand pointing to the ground with the other touching the same arm. It is widely accepted as being aimed at Jewish people. The gesture was made popular by the convicted French antisemitic performer Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala, whom Ms Chabloz expressed support for in court. Mr M’Bala M’Bala has previously been imprisoned over videos of an “antisemitic nature” and has also been convicted for hate speech and advocating terrorism, among other offences, in France and Belgium.

Ms Chabloz stated that while she herself not did place the image in the video, it was the work of her video producer that was added in with her permission. 

Ms Chabloz initially attempted to explain away the gesture as not being antisemitic but being “anti-establishment”. Bizarrely, to the disbelief of the prosecution, she then embarked on a baffling tangent about how the word ‘quenelle’ in fact relates to dumplings, leading Mr Payter to ask whether when she made the gesture she was in fact making “a culinary reference”, to which Ms Chabloz responded: “In part, yes”.

Upon further questioning from the prosecution, Ms Chabloz eventually accepted that she could understand how the ‘quenelle’ gesture could be seen as antisemitic, but then stated that she performed it regardless because “what else have I got left to lose?”

The prosecution would go on to state that “this entire song…was designed to be grossly offensive to Jews,” prompting Ms Chabloz to embark on a myriad of tangents, leading His Honour Judge Tony Baumgartner to request that she simply answers the questions, before reprimanding her: “This is not an opportunity for you to make a speech.”

When asked by Adrian Davies, defending, whether she was a part of the “extremist right,” or had ever been a member of a political party, Ms Chabloz stated: “I’ve been a member of the Labour Party, just to support Jeremy Corbyn.” 

In closing, Judge Baumgartner said that he found Ms Chabloz “guilty as charged,” noting that he deemed her to be “an unconvincing witness” with a “propensity to send antisemitic messages”.

Remarking on the usage of the ‘quenelle’ gesture, he said that “In and of itself, we find the appellant’s approval of the quenelle to be grossly offensive,” and would go on to characterise her equating of the gesture to dumplings to be “quite frankly ridiculous.”

Referencing Ms Chabloz’s previous convictions, Judge Baumgartner stated: “We are sure the appellant is well aware to what crosses the line.”

“We find as a fact that the appellant intended the video to be grossly offensive to Jewish people,” he said, adding: “We reject any suggestion that this was merely satire or parody.”

Judge Baumgartner informed Ms Chabloz that she must now pay a costs order of £2,361.

Ms Chabloz is a virulent antisemite and Holocaust denier who has an extensive record of using social media to publicise her hatred for Jews and to convert others to her views about Jewish people. Following a private prosecution by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which was later continued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Ms Chabloz became the first person in Britain to be convicted over Holocaust denial in a precedent-setting case.

Ms Chabloz is fixated on the idea that the Holocaust did not occur, and that it was fabricated by Jews and their supporters as a vehicle for fraudulently extorting money in the form of reparations. This forms the basis for her second obsession: that Jews are liars and thieves who are working to undermine Western society. Ms Chabloz is also connected to far-right movements, at whose meetings she gives speeches and performs her songs, in the UK and North America. She is currently banned from entering France, where Holocaust denial is illegal.

Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We thoroughly welcome this decision. A repeat offender who has never shown any sign of remorse for the damage that she causes, it is only right that Alison Chabloz must obey the remainder of her sentencing conditions. Let this outcome act as a reminder to all antisemites that their actions will not be tolerated or ignored. Wherever there is Jew-hatred, we will be there to fight it.”

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

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“We cannot be defined by what is done to us”: Author Ben M. Freeman on how antisemitism can impact how Jews view themselves

Ben M. Freeman, a Scottish, gay, Jewish author, activist, and educator, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke about how external antisemitism can result in internalised anti-Jewishness, leading to Jews altering their beliefs, and even appearances, in the pursuit of acceptance from antisemites.

The podcast was recorded in front of a live audience last month at Campaign Against Antisemitism’s first-of-its-kind sold-out event, “CAA presents…An evening with Ben M. Freeman”, which attracted a room full of Jewish young professionals to an east London venue to watch a live interview with Mr Freeman, followed by a question and answers session.

Drawing from his newest book, Reclaiming Our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride, Mr Freeman said: “We cannot be defined by what is done to us. We have to define ourselves via our experiences, our identity, our history, our story.”

Addressing how antisemitic stereotypes and tropes have led to some Jews viewing their bodies in a negative light, Mr Freeman said: “Antisemitism is a racism…there are many groups that are racialised, and we are one of them…we have to understand that the way that we are treated, that way that we are perceived, the stories that are told about us, they impact us.

“People are told, ‘Oh, you don’t look Jewish,’ and we’re meant to take that as a compliment…the fact that we perceive it as a compliment is deeply, deeply worrying, and is a tragedy for our community.”

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Man reportedly kicks identifiably Jewish woman and yells “f*** you Jewish people” in Stamford Hill

A man has reportedly kicked an identifiably Jewish woman’s legs and yelled “f*** you Jewish people”.

The alleged incident occurred on Windus Road in Stamford Hill and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 1430 21/02/23

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

Image credit: Google

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Investigation shamefully clears cricket club chairman who resigned after being revealed to have ‘liked’ “Zionist lobby” tweets

An independent investigation has shamefully cleared a cricket club chairman of any wrongdoing, despite his decision to resign after being revealed to have ‘liked’ “Zionist lobby” tweets.

The revelation came last year as the JC exposed Azeem Akhtar’s questionable social media history, revealing that he had ‘liked’ tweets referring to the “Zionist lobby” as well as posts comparing Israel to the Nazis.  

Mr Akhtar was announced as Chairman of Essex County Cricket Club (ECCC) in November. However, shortly after, several concerning tweets seemingly endorsed by the Chairman surfaced, including one which read: “It is not offensive to say that the Pro–Israel and Zionist lobby have deep pockets and oversized influence/control over the media.”

Another read: “Comparing Israel with Nazis is not antisemitic. In fact, many Jewish people have done so themselves.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

A further tweet ‘liked’ by Mr Akhtar said: “The fact that ‘from the river to the sea’ unsettles Zionists is all the more reason to keep saying it.”

The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition.

He was also found to have ‘liked’ tweets by the inflammatory rapper and activist, Lowkey, who has reportedly claimed that the “mainstream media” has “weaponised the Jewish heritage” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “stave off” inquiries about far-right groups in Ukraine. He has also appeared on the disgraced former MP Chris Williamson’s show on Press TV, an Iranian state-owned news network whose British broadcasting licence was revoked by Ofcom in 2012. Lowkey has appeared alongside the disgraced academic David Miller, and was recently embroiled in a controversy at the National Union of Students.

Shortly after the publication of the JC’s report, Mr Akhtar admitted that he had ‘liked’ the tweets in question allegedly due to being upset with the violence that had taken place last year between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Hamas. An independent probe into Mr Akhtar’s online behaviour was then announced.

However, he “vehemently” denied being antisemitic and said that he wants “the Jewish community to feel they had the most Jewish friendly chairman of Essex County Cricket Club they’ve ever had.”

Despite Mr Akhtar’s decision to resign, the investigation has now cleared him, stating that his online behaviour had been “supportive of the Islamic faith and beliefs as opposed to being antisemitic or indicating any other forms of racism”.

Mr Akhtar said in a statement: “I am passionately committed to fighting all kinds of discrimination whether that be antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other kind of prejudice. As concluded, my social media activity is reflective of my religious and political affiliations and the strong humanitarian stance I take on conflicts around the world. ECCC must lead the way with utmost sincerity in being a genuinely diverse and inclusive club. I wish ECCC the very best for the coming season and will continue to support the team as I have done every season since I was a boy.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Several of the tweets ‘liked’ by Azeem Akhtar breach the International Definition of Antisemitism. Comparisons between Israel and Nazis and comments about the ‘Zionist lobby’ are indefensible regardless, but in light of recent high-profile controversies relating to antisemitism in cricket, these tweets feel that much more odious.

“This investigation could have been an opportunity to tell people that Jews matter in the world of cricket. Disappointingly, this wasn’t the case. The findings of this investigation is not only a spectacular failure of the Essex County Cricket Club, but to portray Mr Akhtar’s endorsement of these tweets as merely being ‘supportive of the Islamic faith’ is insulting to both Jews and Muslims.

“Additionally, the fact that Mr Akhtar took it upon himself to resign speaks volumes, and one might say that the Club is out hit wicket.”

This is not the first time that antisemitism-related controversies have arisen in cricket.

Last year, both Azeem Rafiq and Andrew Gale were reprimanded by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for historic antisemitic social media posts and acting in a way that is “prejudicial to the interests of cricket”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Man reportedly asks Jewish woman “Why didn’t Hitler kill you?” in East London

A man has reportedly verbally assaulted a Jewish woman in East London.

The suspect, who is reported to have previously attacked Jews in synagogues and shops, allegedly said to the woman: “Why didn’t Hitler kill you? Do you still exist? Shame Hitler didn’t kill you.”

The alleged incident occurred on Amhurst Road in East London and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: 1602 21/02

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

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As CAA seeks witnesses in “F*** the Jews” convoy case, senior CPS official incredulously tells Jewish community CPS “probably tried too hard” in failed attempt to prosecute suspects

A senior official at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has told the Jewish community that the organisation “probably tried too hard” in its abortive attempt to prosecute the suspects in the high-profile “F*** the Jews” convoy case.

Nick Price, the Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, made the comments yesterday in a presentation to a Jewish charity.

He said: “I would have loved to have prosecuted that case. Unfortunately we could not positively identify the people in the cars. We couldn’t prove to the criminal standard that the people in the cars are the people that were issuing antisemitic comments. That was a pretty fundamental evidential issue and we couldn’t get beyond that. In the end what we can’t do is create evidence. We can only work with the evidence that we get.”

Answering an audience question, he added: “We tried as hard as we could on that case. If I’m honest, we probably tried too hard. Which is why I think that the community was very disappointed that having begun a prosecution, we ended it.”

The CPS announced last November that it was dropping the case against the remaining two suspects, having already withdrawn charges against two suspects earlier in the year. At the time, Campaign Against Antisemitism demanded that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Max Hill KC, “immediately explain this decision or resign”.

As fighting flared in Gaza in May 2021, a convoy waving the flag of the Palestinian Authority set off from the north of England, heading into London. Men in one of the cars shouted from a megaphone: “F*** the Jews…f*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters, and show your support for Palestine.” The speaker went on to call listeners to “Rape their [the Jews’] daughters”. The incident took place a very short distance from a synagogue and was condemned by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary.

The car was part of a convoy of some 200 cars displaying Palestinian Authority flags which started in Bradford, passing through Sheffield and Leicester down the M1 motorway before veering into Hendon and Golders Green, two North London neighbourhoods with large Jewish populations. According to witnesses, convoy participants shouted abuse at Jewish passersby, including: “Free Palestine! Go back to Poland”.

The astounding news of the dropped charges against Mohammed Iftikhar Hanif, 27, and Jawaad Hussain, 24, comes four months after the announcement in July by the CPS that it had dropped charges against Asif Ali, 25, and Adil Mota, 26, who had also until then been suspected of being involved. 

It meant that all charges against the four original suspects have been dropped.

Campaign Against Antisemitism is exploring legal options, and has put out a witness appeal. If you saw or heard the convoy directly, please complete this short form.

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

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EHRC lifts Labour out of special measures, as antisemitism problems remain in Party despite progress

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has announced that it is lifting the Labour Party out of special measures, following the conclusion of the Action Plan agreed between the EHRC and the Party.

The Action Plan was imposed after the EHRC released its damning report in 2020, following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the originating complainant.

The EHRC has described itself as “content with the actions taken” by Labour, in justifying its decision to end its monitoring of the Party.

In 2020, at the time of the publication of the report, Campaign Against Antisemitism filed disciplinary complaints against over a dozen sitting Labour MPs against whom no action had yet been taken.

Over two years later, still no action has been taken.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Despite our status as originating complainant in the EHRC’s investigation into Labour, the Party has not carried out disciplinary investigations in relation to more than a dozen complaints that we submitted over two years ago against sitting MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, who remains a member of the Party, and Angela Rayner. It is therefore hard for us to feel that a corner has been turned.

“While welcome progress has been made in the fight against antisemitism under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, justice is yet to be done in too many cases for anyone to conclude that the problem has been rectified. We will continue to press Labour on these complaints and its other failings, just as we do with all political parties. The Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn plunged the Jewish community into a state of fear that could all too easily return unless antisemitism is firmly rooted out.”

The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.

Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.

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Abdullah Qureshi given hospital order after court finds he is “suffering from a mental disorder”

Abdullah Qureshi has been given a hospital order after the court found him to be “suffering from a mental disorder”.

On 7th April, Mr Qureshi, 28, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates’ Court to two counts of assault by beating and one count of grievous bodily harm with intent. The charges related to a series of assaults on 18th August 2021 in Stamford Hill in which five religious Jews in the North London neighbourhood were violently attacked.

In one incident at 18:41 on the day of the attacks, an Orthodox Jewish man was struck in the face with what appeared to be a bottle. In another at 19:10, a child was slapped on the back of the head, and in yet another at 20:30, a 64-year-old victim was struck and left unconscious on the ground, suffering facial injuries and a broken ankle. Two further incidents were also alleged.

The incidents received significant media attention at the time, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, condemned “this appalling attack,” adding: “Let me be clear, racist abuse and hate crime, including antisemitism, have absolutely no place in our city.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism then revealed that the CPS had dropped the racially/religiously aggravated element of those charges as part of a plea deal with Mr Qureshi. After we, Shomrim, CST and other communal organisations made representations to the CPS, it agreed to reinstate the aggravated elements, but Mr Qureshi appeared in court to resist the reinstatement of the aggravated element.

In August, Stratford Magistrates’ Court agreed to reinstate the racially/religiously aggravated element to the charges against Mr Qureshi, and, at a further hearing at Thames Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded not guilty. In November, Mr Qureshi was found guilty of the reinstated racially/religiously aggravated charges that the CPS initially dropped, before intervention by Campaign Against Antisemitism and other groups.

In December, Mr Qureshi was expected to be sentenced. However, this was halted following concerns surrounding his mental health. The court heard that Mr Qureshi suffered from anxiety and depression and that he had been hearing “internal voices” which ordered him to carry out the attacks. 

Dr Bala Krishna, a specialist in forensic medicine, informed the court that, at the time of her assessment of Mr Qureshi, it was her opinion that he was “currently presenting psychotic symptoms,” namely “paranoia and auditory hallucinations, depressive symptoms, and anxiety,” adding that he needs “further assessment to be fully diagnosed”.

Dr Krishna further informed the court that Mr Qureshi revealed to her that he was under the influence of alcohol, cocaine, and psilocybin mushrooms at the time of the assaults.

Today, His Honour Judge Noel Lucas QC ordered an interim hospital order under Section 38 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Such an order is given when a person has been convicted but a court has been advised by doctors that the person has a mental health issue that requires hospital treatment before sentencing should occur. 

Handing down the hospital order, HHJ Lucas QC told the court: “I am satisfied Mr Qureshi is suffering from a mental disorder.”

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

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Palestine Solidarity Campaign publishes post calling Zionists “brainwashed racists” who should be fired from their places of work 

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has published an Instagram post calling Zionists “brainwashed racists” who should be fired from their places of work.

The incendiary statement was made among a series of inflammatory graphics, believed originally to have been produced by the anti-Israel group “Key 48” and then reproduced to the account of the PSC’s Brixton chapter with a new caption that read: “DO NOT NORMALISE FACISIM [sic]”. 

In the first of the series of graphics posted to the account, a slide reads “How to talk to Zionists”, followed by a second that simply says “Don’t”.

Subsequent slides refer to Zionism as “an inherently violent and terroristic movement,” and tars Zionists as “a racist minority” who have been “brainwashed”.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.

The Instagram post disgracefully went on to compare Zionism with mental illness, stating: “If a Zionist wants to talk to you, direct them to a therapist. As no logical, sane or moral person is a Zionist.” 

Another graphic reads: “Zionists need to be called out. Is your co-worker a Zionist? Your teacher/lecturer a Zionist? Campaign for them to be fired.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism published a video rebuking the post. The PSC Brixton account has since deleted the post from its Instagram account.

This is not the first time that the PSC has found itself at the centre of an antisemitism-related controversy, with many of its rallies being host to antisemitic placards and pamphlets. A month-long investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst PSC supporters on social media. 

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This Instagram post is nothing short of incitement by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, amongst whose supporters there has been a long history of antisemitism. Zionism is simply the movement to afford Jews the right of self-determination in Israel afforded to other peoples all over the world and recognised in Article 1 of the UN Charter. The claim that Zionism is racism is therefore an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which breaches the International Definition of Antisemitism. 

“In addition to the incendiary and grotesque insinuation that Zionism is a mental health disorder and the call to have Zionists fired from their places of work, this post by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign constitutes clear incitement and intimidation. While the controversial organisation will claim to be targeting ‘Zionists’, we know by now that, regrettably, it will be Jewish people who bear the brunt of this rhetoric. Posts such as this have no place online, and we have called on Instagram to remove it.”

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“This is something that’s been going on all my life”: Content creator Shloime Zionce addresses antisemitism in Brooklyn’s Hasidic community

Shloime Zionce, a YouTuber, podcaster, and the Foreign Affairs correspondent for Ami Magazine, a publication geared towards Orthodox Jews, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke about the misconceptions against identifiable Jews, and the horrific statistics of violent antisemitic attacks against them.

“People tend to think that Hasidic Jews don’t work, they just sit and study and pray all day. Some people do that, but for most of us, we work very hard to support our families and to contribute to society,” he said. 

In addition to his own online content, Mr Zionce is widely known for starring in Peter Santenello’s popular YouTube series about Brooklyn’s Hasidic community, which has racked up millions of views. Mr Zionce said that participating in the series helped him to learn more about his own community, such as the multitude of communal services offered.

Speaking on the antisemitism that his community faces, Mr Zionce said: “Obviously, antisemitism is ugly wherever and whenever it happens. Unfortunately, it seems that, statistically speaking, the people who are the recipients of the worst and most violent beatings are generally Haredi Jews or Hasidic Jews. 

“These are people who are most visibly Jews, with the big kippahs (skullcaps), beards, peyos (sidelocks), black hats, black suits, et cetera.”

The content creator said that “This is something that’s been going on all my life,” adding that “there are definitely periods of time where things get worse, and things get better. For some reason, it goes in waves. Right before the [COVID-19] pandemic, there was a terrible wave. Every single day, people were being beaten in the streets, and then it kind of quieted down a little bit. Now it’s getting a little bit intense as well.”

Mr Zionce turned his attention to how his community has been responding to the attacks.

“Antisemitism has existed for thousands of years, I don’t think it’s going to go away any time soon. But we do try to keep our communities safe. We have different organisations. There’s Shomrim, which is a local patrol organisation. 

“The police try to help as much as possible, and we are just trying to call it out as much as possible to make sure that it doesn’t happen but unfortunately, this is just a part of life for Jewish people.” 

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Southport man sentenced following racially and religiously aggravated offence against Jewish man in pub

A Southport man has been sentenced after he was found guilty of carrying out a racially and religiously aggravated offence against a Jewish man in pub last year.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Liverpool Crown Court heard that on 21st September, Edward Ossian, 68, hurled antisemitic abuse at a Jewish man in Bottle Bar on Lord Street.

In a victim impact statement read out for the court, the victim said: “I feel very anxious about wearing my kippah outside because the stress of antisemitism and all that comes with being openly Jewish today. I feel the actions of that day will impact me for some considerable time. 

“I should be able to go out without the stress of being verbally berated. The comments said to me shook me to my core. The incident has impacted on my daily life. I have changed my routines to avoid any further confrontation. It has impacted on my family life and where I feel safe to go.”

Mr Ossian, who pleaded guilty to the offence last year, was handed a twelve-week custodial sentence, suspended for one year, as well as twenty days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. He was also told to pay a £300 victim surcharge, given a three-year restraining order and must wear an electronic tag for eight weeks, with a curfew from 19:00 to 07:00.

Detective Inspector Matthew Kerr said: “Hate crime in all its forms simply will not be tolerated and I hope this result sends a clear message that anyone found to commit hate crime offences anywhere on Merseyside will be brought to justice. [Mr] Ossian will now have a criminal record and the consequences of this in the future could prove to be significant.

“We take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously and I would like to take this opportunity to reassure people that we have specially trained officers who investigate cases with a view to robust action being taken against offenders.”

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

Image credit: Merseyside Police

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Newly-elected Deputy Secretary General of Muslim Council of Britain reportedly praised founder of Hamas

The new Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) reportedly praised the founder of the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Hamas.

In 2015, Mohammed Kozbar allegedly visited the grave of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and described him as “the master of the martyrs of resistance, the mujahid [holy warrior] sheikh, the teacher,” according to the JC.

Mr Kozbar also reportedly met senior Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud al-Zahar.

In 2021, the UK banned Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist group following calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.

A spokesperson for the MCB reportedly described suggestions that Mr Kozbar, who is also the General Secretary of the Finsbury Park Mosque, supported violence or antisemitism as “smears”. According to last week’s major review into the Government’s Prevent strategy, Mr Kozbar was also “praised” by the London branch of the National Association of Muslim Police.

Mr Kozbar also hosted Egyptian cleric Omar Abdelkafi. Despite Mr Abdelkafi’s record of quoting from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and a Facebook post that included a prayer to “liberate the al-Aqsa mosque from the filth of the Jews,” Mr Kozbar reportedly described him as “our beloved preacher”.

In 2011, Mr Kozbar was reportedly caught on video speaking at an anti-Israel rally, where he allegedly said that he looked forward “to the end of Israel, inshallah.”

He has also reportedly given public support to the disgraced Bristol University academic David Miller and to Shaima Dallali, who was removed from her position as President of the National Union of Students amidst allegations of antisemitism.

Last week, Mr Kozbar reportedly told the JC: “I look forward to bringing my experience to help Muslim communities be part and parcel of British society. I have demonstrated interfaith action at a local level, and it is much needed at a national level. I look forward to particularly building this with our Jewish friends. I have worked with many Jewish colleagues who have looked past the Islamophobic smears levelled at me in the past.”

Image credit: JC

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Scottish Prison Service to investigate how notorious French Holocaust denier Vincent Reynouard is disseminating far-right material online from his jail cell

The Scottish Prison Service is investigating how a French Holocaust-denier is disseminating far-right material online from his jail cell.

Vincent Reynouard, 53, was arrested late last year by Police Scotland officers in Anstruther, Fife, in a joint operation involving Scottish and French authorities, after he spent two years on the run. Campaign Against Antisemitism nworked with French Jewish organisations, with the help of Lord Austin, to secure his arrest. He denied his consent to be extradited to France in a hearing in December, and today his lawyer asked the court for more time to prepare for his extradition hearing.

An investigation by The Herald has also found that Mr Reynouard has continued to post updates on his far-right blog Sans Concession, despite being incarcerated.

The blog features as its main image a photo of Auschwitz, and describes its “objectives” as “the dissemination of historical revisionism and the rehabilitation of National Socialism.”

Since his arrest in November, Mr Reynouard has reportedly posted some sixteen articles on the blog, ranging from posts on prison life in HMP Edinburgh and his relationships with fellow prisoners and guards, to extracts from what Mr Reynouard claims will form part of his memoirs.

In one post, Mr Reynouard wrote: “I dreamed of another world where social justice would reign, as under Hitler. However, we were no longer in Hitler’s time, and I dreamed of a National Socialism ‘without the camps’, a peaceful National Socialism, solely oriented towards the good of all, therefore unrelated to what could have happened contingently 50 years earlier.”

In another blog post, Mr Reynouard compared his stay at the prison to being “on vacation on a cruise ship”.

According to the Scottish Prison Service, people being held in Scotland are not allowed to send or receive e-mails, nor are they permitted to send any material that is intended “for publication”. The Service has the power to stop post being sent to a prisoner if he is found to be contravening the rules.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We do not comment on individuals. We can advise that people in our care do not have the right to send or receive electronic communications. They are also not permitted to send any material which is intended for publication, for the use by radio or television.

“They do, however, have access to writing materials in order to maintain contact with solicitors, family, and friends, and it is highly possible for a third party to submit material for publication on their behalf. Where we believe criminality is taking place we would report this to Police Scotland, and SPS have the ability to put in place restrictions on correspondence to and from those in our care, where we believe there is justifiably reasons to do so in line with prison rules.”

Mr Reynouard was sentenced to jail for four months on 25th November 2020 by a court in Paris and again in January 2021 for six months, in addition to fines. His latest conviction is in relation to a series of antisemitic postings on Facebook and Twitter and a 2018 YouTube video for which fellow French Holocaust denier, Hervé Ryssen (also known as Hervé Lalin), received a seventeen-month-jail term earlier that year.

However, Mr Reynouard fled the country before serving his sentence and settled in the UK, where he reportedly worked as a private tutor teaching children mathematics, physics and chemistry. Private tutors are not required to undergo background checks.

In November, he was finally arrested near Edinburgh. In the intervening months, Campaign Against Antisemitism has been cooperating with French Jewish groups seeking Mr Reynouard’s extradition to France. Along with Lord Austin, an Honorary Patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism, we have corresponded with police forces and prosecutors in the UK and Interpol in an effort to locate Mr Reynouard and bring him to justice.

Scottish police reportedly arrested him at an address near the Scottish capital, where he was apparently living under a false identity. He was brought before a judge on the same day and refused extradition to France.

Late last year, Mr Reynouard appeared in court where it was heard that he had been granted legal aid. He will be back in court next month, with a full extradition hearing scheduled for February.

Mr Reynouard faces a sentence of almost two years in a French prison, in addition to any further sentence in relation to other ongoing proceedings.

The Office Central de Lutte Contre les Crimes Contre l’Humanité, les Génocides et les Crimes de Guerre (OCLCH) — the arm of the French gendarmerie that specialises in hate crime and war crimes — has been leading the investigation.

Mr Reynouard’s first Holocaust denial conviction was in 1991 for distributing leaflets denying the existence of the gas chambers at concentration camps. Holocaust denial has been a criminal offence in France since 1990. He has been convicted on numerous occasions and his subsequent sentences include multiple prison terms and a €10,000 fine.

Mr Reynouard is alleged to have ties to Catholic fundamentalist groups that deny the Holocaust. In a recent analysis of the French far-right, the newspaper Liberation claimed that Mr Reynouard and Mr Ryssen are key members of a network of propagandists dedicated to the denial and distortion of the Holocaust.

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“Islamists have encouraged hatred of Jews”: highly-anticipated report into Prevent strategy, revealing role of antisemitism in radical Islamism and Government failures 

A highly-anticipated report into the Government’s Prevent strategy, which is designed to detect and prevent radicalisation, has been published this week, with scathing findings about the state of the nation’s flagship anti-extremism programme.

The report, headed by William Shawcross, who was appointed as the Independent Reviewer of Prevent in January 2021 by the Government, has made several shocking revelations.

Principally, the report laments that the approach to tackling Islamism has become ever narrower, while the approach to the far-right has become broader. This has various manifestations, including different thresholds for what constitutes Islamist extremism and far-right extremism, and an excessive focus on relatively minor threats from the far-right over more urgent and serious threats from Islamist groups. The Research Information and Communications Unit, a Home Office unit established in 2007 as part of the Prevent programme, comes in for heavy criticism in the report for focusing too much on the far-right at the expense of Islamism.

Mr Shawcross also suggested that fears of being accused of Islamophobia are likely to be hampering several aspects of Prevent and anti-radicalisation programming and training: “Practitioners who wish to focus on the principle terror threat to this country [Islamism] find themselves viewed with suspicion even by colleagues. This is an unacceptable state of affairs which I have seen in too many areas.” He further noted that officials can have “fears of being accused of being racist, anti-Muslim, or culturally-insensitive”, which results in “disproportionate” resources being expended on the far-right, rather than the more urgent Islamist threat. “The volume of resources devoted to each ideological threat,” the report observed, “is notably divergent from the UK’s current threat assessment.”

The Islamist groups of concern in the report include Hizballah and Hamas, both of which were outlawed by the Government following calls from Campaign Against Antisemitism and other groups. 

The report welcomed the proscription of Hizballah and Hamas, but argued that their support networks in Britain must also be confronted. “These companies and charities operate legally. This highlights the importance of arm’s length bodies such as the Charity Commission in helping formulate the most effective response,” the report noted. Mr Shawcross is a former Chair of the Charity Commission.

The report observed how involvement in a group like Hamas can even be a gateway to even greater radicalisation: “There are examples of British individuals who travelled to Hamas-controlled territory before going on to join other terrorist groups and perpetrate acts of terrorism.”

The report also identified terrorists who were referred to Prevent but were never escalated to Channel, the programme for the most urgent and serious cases, who nevertheless proceeded to commit serious crimes. Among this number was Malik Faisal Akram, who took hostages at a synagogue in Texas.

The report observed that some organisations that have received funding from the Government to tackle extremism have promoted antisemitism. It also observed that antisemitism is present in both Islamist and far-right ideologies held by individuals referred to Prevent and to Channel.

Mr Shawcross was “alarmed at the prevalence of extreme antisemitism” among those who were referred to Channel, and examined cases that included “individuals expressing the intent to kill, assault or harm Jewish people or a particular Jewish individual, threats to burn, desecrate or blow up a synagogue…claiming religious or political justification for the murder of Jewish people…and adherence to extreme antisemitic conspiracies.” There were also “examples of individuals who made an association of British Jews with the actions of the Israeli Government, and the justification of harm towards individuals expressed as ‘Zionists’ or ‘baby killers’.” The report also observed that, “Domestically, British authorities have disrupted early-stage terrorist plots targeting Jewish areas, including in Birmingham and Manchester.” 

In particular, the report noted, “The Islamist worldview is supremacist, Islamists have encouraged hatred of Jews.”

The report also made the disturbing finding that Rizwan Mustafa, the founding Chair of the West Midlands branch of the National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP), shared content which reportedly called for the destruction of Israel and asked: “Where is the Caliph of the Muslims? Don’t you care that the Jews are defiling the place of the prophet’s nocturnal journey with their filth? The Jews are the most hostile people towards the believers’.” He also allegedly “shared conspiracy theories” about the origins of Al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Mr Shawcross wrote: “I was disturbed to learn that this individual has worked with Government departments on counter terrorism and security policy. In 2020, he authored a paper for NAMP advising Counter Terrorism Policing drop the terms ‘Islamism’ and ‘jihadism’, which was later discussed at a meeting attended by senior policing figures.”

The report was launched in the House of Commons by the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, who said: “In too many aspects of British life, hatred directed at Jewish people has been tolerated, normalised, and accepted. Racism that would rightly be called out and enforced against were it directed at any other minority, is too often ignored when directed at Jews. The review makes clear that this double standard must change.” She pledged to implement all of Mr Shawcross’ recommendations.

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“It breaks my heart”: Viral content creator Non-Jewish Nanny speaks out about antisemitism and the Jewish children she looks after

The popular content creator Adriana Rosie, better known online as the Non-Jewish Nanny, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where she described what it was like learning about antisemitism through working for Jewish families and her feelings on it being directed towards the children she looks after.

Ms Rosie has amassed millions of views and likes for her entertaining and educational TikTok and Instagram content in which she provides her perspective as a non-Jewish person looking after children from Jewish families.

“I had some free time, and I just started to put stuff on TikTok, regardless of the topic. But, so much of my life is nannying. I’m a nanny, and my kids are all Jewish, but they’re Orthodox, so very immersed into the Jewish culture. And so, I found that when I was telling my funny stories about my day and my nanny-kids, the funny bit about it was like, ‘Oh, and by the way, I’m not Jewish, and this is because they are Orthodox.’ 

“It was a story about kosher things, homework…I found it interesting that the people who took a liking to it, I thought would be other nannies or other people like me who had no idea about the Jewish community, but it was actually the people who were Orthodox and Jewish themselves! They were so kind, they still are.”

Ms Rosie has rapidly grown her online fanbase by taking the time to interact with her followers and show a willingness to learn more about Jewish culture.

The content creator also revealed that she has received emotional messages from Jewish people expressing gratitude for her content, with many stating how refreshing it was to see viral content about the positives of Jewish culture from someone who is not Jewish.

“I get so many messages of people thanking me. Even to start with, my very first job ever, [the mother] said to me, ‘We’re Jewish, is that okay?’ I thought that was such a weird thing, why would she ask me that? Of course that’s okay.

“I feel very sad. Some people have said to me, ‘I’m in my kitchen right now, tearing up, preparing for Shabbat, and I just can’t believe that there’s somebody out here who not only sees what we do and doesn’t think it’s weird and hate it, but they are actually so interested and think its endearing, interesting, respectful.”

She went on to say: “Sometimes the antisemitic and the harsher and mean voice is louder…there are people out there like me who love you guys, who think nothing different of what you do and respect it, and respect the culture and religion.”

During the interview, Ms Rosie revealed that one of the mothers she works for explained to her the concerns around safety that identifiably Jewish people face.

“One of the mums had said to me, ‘We have so much security at our synagogue because we get threats, and we sometimes do feel unsafe walking to shul (synagogue) on Shabbos and we feel unsafe, people are looking at us, people can tell…’ I was so blown away that they felt that way…it kind of broke my heart.” 

Getting onto the topic of antisemitism in relation to the children that she cares for, Ms Rosie passionately stated: “I have now been in public with my babies, with their yarmulkes (skullcaps) and their tzitzit (fringes on a Jewish prayer shawl)…it breaks my heart, it makes me want to cry, because who could ever harm, or hate, or care to threaten a family and culture that is so wholesome, grounded, accepted and loving? 

“They keep to themselves, you know? They do not bother, they do not harm, they literally revolve their life around worshipping Hashem and living in the best way that they possibly can, and who would want to harm that and damage that? When I think about the kids, who I love…they’re my brothers and sisters, I love those kids, I look at them with their yarmulkes…it’s sad to me that people could view them on the street and think badly.”

Sending a message to any would-be antisemites, Ms Rosie fervently proclaimed: “[When] I’m with them, I’m like ‘These are my kids right now, don’t you dare do anything to make them feel a certain way!’”

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Plaque commemorating Brighton’s first Jewish resident found smashed on ground

A plaque commemorating Brighton’s first Jewish resident has been found smashed on the ground.

The plaque, dedicated to Israel Samuel, read: “Brighthelmstone’s first Jewish resident lived in a building near this site 1766 – 1806”

The plaque was unveiled in 2016 on Brighton’s East Street in a special ceremony.

The smashed plaque is understood to have been reported to the police as “third party report of criminal damage with a hate marker”.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 quoting reference number: 139732

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Former footballer John Barnes embroiled yet again in scandal relating to antisemitism

The former Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes has become embroiled, yet again, in a scandal relating to antisemitism.

In a Twitter tirade, Mr Barnes asked: “What COLOUR not RELIGION …. and what NATIONALITY were the jewish people that hitler tried to exterminate?? white europeans …. no??”

Responding to a tweet by another Twitter user that said: “Jews aren’t white. No one went to war to save the Jews. Quite the opposite. US and UK didn’t do anything for them – didn’t consider them white/European/WASP enough”, Mr Barnes wrote: “You’re right no one went to war to save the Jews, but they were considered European so MORE worthy of our empathy, the allies PLAYED the white card to garner acceptance, where the reality was to stop German expansionism and nothing else.”

He added: “Obviously all Jews are not white, but the European Jewry who suffered the Holocaust were, had Hitler left the European Jews alone and went to Ethiopia and committed the same atrocities to the black Falasha Jews, I doubt WW2 would have started.”

Mr Barnes previously expressed a similar sentiment in his 2021 book, wondering, “Can you racially abuse Jewish people?”, he asks, explaining that “if the Jewish people are a race, what race does a black Jewish person belong to?”

In recent years, Mr Barnes has been politically outspoken. In 2019, he appeared on BBC Question Time, and, whilst commending the Labour MPs who left the Labour Party in the previous week over “what they believe,” and recognising “it’s about antisemitism in the Labour Party,” he also took it upon himself to decide on behalf of Jewish people what is and what is not antisemitism.

On the issue of antisemitism, Mr Barnes asserted that “there is a difference between that and anti-Zionism…getting mixed up” and correctly pointed out that “you can criticise the state of Israel without being antisemitic.“ But he then turned against the view of the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community in saying that he thought that “from the Labour Party’s point of view, as much as Zionists may want to say it’s one and the same I don’t think it is. It’s a bit like saying all racism is the same, because it isn’t, for example the Jews, in my opinion, whilst it is a religion they aren’t necessarily a separate race of people. I think they get mixed up in that respect.”

Last year, the actress and television personality Whoopi Goldberg was widely criticised and suspended from her programme after asserting that the Holocaust was not about race.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “John Barnes is rehashing Whoopi Goldberg’s staggering ignorance of history. For the Nazis, the Holocaust was all about race, and it does not belittle anyone else’s experience of racism to recognise that. Instead, Mr Barnes, who has previously tried to dictate to Jews what antisemitism is and is not, has inserted himself in the ugly but familiar debate over Jewish whiteness, where Jews are too white for some and not white enough for others. He is in very poor company there, and the longer he remains, the more tarnished his reputation will become.”

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Multiple assaults, including attempted strangulation, of Jewish women reported in Stamford Hill

Multiple assaults on Jewish women have been reported in Stamford Hill.

An attempted strangulation of a woman with a baby was also reported.

The alleged incidents occurred on Seven Sisters Road in Stamford Hill and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 3319 7/2/23

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

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University College London students chant “From the river to the sea” in protest of speaker

Students at the University College London have been recorded chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” in protest of activist Yoseph Haddad’s speech at the University. 

The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Additionally, signs reading “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” were seen, while calls for an intifada were also heard.

An intifada is a rebellion or uprising, but the Palestinian intifadas were characterised by acts of terrorism targeting Jews. 

During an anti-Israel demonstration held last year, the UCL Students for Justice in Palestine Society, Saleem Nusseibeh, led the “from the river, to the sea” chant and warned the crowd of hundreds about “Zionist plotting”.

UCL adopted the Definition in 2019 but in 2021, its Academic Board passed an advisory resolution calling on the University to “retract and replace” the Definition. The Students’ Union also voted down a similar resolution. After the vote, one Jewish academic affiliated to the University resigned in disgust, calling UCL an “antisemitic cesspit”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the Definition by universities.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

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Event featuring author Bret Easton Ellis reportedly sees walk-outs after allegedly saying Kanye West is not an antisemite 

An event featuring the author Bret Easton Ellis reportedly saw walk-outs after he allegedly said that rapper Kanye West, who has publicly professed his adoration for Adolf Hitler, was not an antisemite. 

Mr Ellis is reported to have said: “Kanye now is no different from the Kanye I met in 2013. He is outrageous, he is provocative. I don’t believe he is an antisemite.

“He is a destroying artist. He wants to live in a world that is completely free. He just wants to say ‘f*** you’ to everybody.”

Members of the audience in attendance at the Westminster UnHerd Club’s event reportedly then walked out.

Mr West made headlines following a series of antisemitic comments last year, which resulted in Adidas cutting ties with the rapper after Campaign Against Antisemitism launched a petition garnering nearly 200,000 signatures in a matter of days. 

  • On 7th October 2022, he posted on Instagram: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”
  • Two days later he tweeted: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con [sic] 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

On an episode of the Drink Champs podcast, aired on 16th October 2022, Mr West:

  • Said: “The thing about me and Adidas is like, I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they can’t drop me. I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”
  • Demanded: “I want all the Jewish children to look at they daddy and say ‘Why is Ye mad at us?’”
  • Stated that was “Me Too-ing the Jewish culture. I’m saying y’all gotta stand up and admit to what y’all been doing, and y’all just got away with it for so long, that y’all ain’t even realise what y’all doing.”
  • Referred throughout the interview to “Jewish business secrets”, “Jewish Zionists”, and stated how Jewish people in the entertainment industry “will take one of us, the brightest of us, that can really feed a whole village, and they’ll take us and milk us until we die.”
  • Claimed that he had been “blocked out” by “the Jewish media”.
  • Said: “Jewish people have owned the Black voice, whether it’s through us wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt, or it’s all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager, or being signed to a Jewish basketball team, or doing a movie on a Jewish platform like Disney.”
  • Doubled down on his tweet about “going death con [sic] 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE”, claiming that he “is Jewish also”, adding: “We’re not just Black. We are Jew [sic], just like the Jewish people…I can’t be an antisemite.”
  • Claimed that he responded to being invited to a Holocaust museum by saying: “I want you to visit Planned Parenthood. That’s our Holocaust museum.” 
  • Complained about being photographed in public, saying: “You get used to being screwed by the Jewish media.” 
  • Said: “A thing that a Jewish person will always say is they’ll say ‘This is mine’. Something that a Black person built, or any company built, they’ll be like ‘This is mine now’.”
  • Referencing fellow rapper Ice Cube, who was criticised for sharing an antisemitic image, said: “You really influenced me to get on this antisemite vibe, and I’m here to finish the job.” (Ice Cube has refuted this claim and distanced himself from Ye.)

In an interview on CUOMO on the NewsNation network, aired on 18th October 2022, Mr West:

  • Said: “I don’t like the term ‘antisemitic’. It’s been a term that’s allowed people, specifically in my industry, to get away with murder.”
  • Made comments referring to the “Jewish underground media mafia”. 
  • Claimed “Jewish people own the Black voice.”
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70-year-old Jewish woman reportedly knocked out after being hit in head in East London

A 70-year-old Jewish woman was reportedly knocked out after being hit in the head in East London.

The alleged incident occurred on Ridley Road Market in Dalston and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 2264 03/02/23

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

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Founder of organisation linked to purchase of Wembley synagogue reportedly called on Muslims to avoid behaving as “imitations of the Jews”

The allegations come shortly after Dawat-e-Islami UK, the charity behind the purchase, was forced to issue an apology after it referred to the congregants of the synagogue as “non believers”.

The founder of a Pakistani organisation whose UK charity affiliate recently purchased Wembley United Synagogue has previously made inflammatory remarks about Jewish people, according to the JC.

A fundraising flyer which announced the purchase of the synagogue said: “A mega project in Wembley, London (a former place of worship of non believers).”

A spokesperson for Dawat-e-Islami UK said that he wished to “apologise for the hurt caused by our leaflet this week” and that the text would be amended.

However, it has now been reported by the JC that the charity has been discovered to have a troubling record.

In 2021, the charity reportedly hosted the cleric Sheikh Asrar Rashid, who has previously described Jews as “a cowardly nation” and is alleged to have said that Hitler did Jews “a favour”.

In addition, the JC also stated that the founder of Dawat-e-Islami in Pakistan, Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri, published a book in which he called on Muslims to boycott Jewish goods and to avoid behaving as “imitations of the Jews”.

A spokesperson for Dawat-e-Islami UK’s legal department said: “We would like to point out that most mainstream religions including Judaism refer to others as ‘non-believers’ if they do not follow that religion’s beliefs. In relation to the other matters you have mentioned, we would like to remind you that the core texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as documented in the Torah, the Bible and Quran, all have identical positions of punishments for blasphemy. If we search for short, cherry-picked clips, we are sure we could find lots of example [sic] of reference to Leviticus 24:16 for the Seven Law of Noah.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “While it is right that Dawat-e-Islami has apologised for referring to a former synagogue as a ‘place of worship of non-believers’, it is hugely concerning that this multi-million-pound-a-year charity ever approved a leaflet where that was the secondary headline. It is no wonder that so many members of the Jewish community contacted us to raise concerns about the language used, and the relevance to Dawat-e-Islami in its fundraising campaign of replacing a synagogue with a mosque. We will be asking the Charity Commission to investigate this matter, as well as the disturbing allegation that the charity’s Midlands branch hosted Sheikh Asrar Rashid, a preacher accused of claiming that Hitler did Jews ‘a favour’.

“Additionally, we will be asking the Commission to investigate claims that the founder of Dawat-e-Islami in Pakistan called on Muslims to boycott Jewish goods and to avoid behaving as ‘imitations of the Jews’. The Commission should find out whether the alleged statements were made true and, if so, whether Dawat-e-Islami UK rejects them.”

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Warwick University students vote for Students’ Union to disaffiliate from NUS “over failures of alleged bigotry”

Students at the University of Warwick have voted to disaffiliate the Students’ Union from the National Union of Students (NUS) “over failures of alleged bigotry”.

In an “all students vote”, 487 voted to disaffiliate from the campaigning body of NUS – albeit not from NUS’s charitable arm, which works with students’ unions – while 416 voted against and 253 abstained.

The motion asserted: “The NUS has failed to protect minorities from abuse through divisive rhetoric and lack of zero tolerance and condemnation for hate speech. Warwick SU, and any national student union it belongs to, must have zero tolerance against bigotry towards any individual, minority group and other protected characteristics, and require the same of elected individuals and guests…Warwick SU, and any national student union it belongs to, should prioritise the day-to-day issues students face, such as requesting financial support following increasing living costs…There are various alternative organisations which deal with national issues that have little direct relevance to students, including foreign affairs, which are more suitable for other causes and to which students are free to sign up to.”

The motion added: “The NUS’ constant failure over allegations of bigotry and their detachment from key student concerns, as shown by successive low turnout, has left the union without credibility to many students from various backgrounds and politicians from across the spectrum, endangering the success of any future lobbying by NUS UK…Collective power of students remains important, and a sustainable alternative model of national cooperation between student unions should be explored.”

The vote came after a damning report by Rebecca Tuck KC – following an investigation to which Campaign Against Antisemitism contributed – found that that NUS allowed the development of a “hostile environment” for Jewish students, with instances in which Jewish students were “subjected to harassment” likely to be in breach of the Equality Act 2010, in addition to NUS’s own code of conduct.

During the investigation, Shaima Dallali, the President of NUS, was removed from her position amidst allegations of antisemitism. This was the first time in the Union’s 100-year history that a President has been removed.

The University of Oxford’s Students’ Union has also announced that it will be holding a vote on disaffiliation later this month.

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitismby universities.

If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].

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True-crime author Michael Benson speaks to CAA about Jewish mobsters and American Nazis

Michael Benson, the true-crime author of the book Gangsters vs. Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in WW2 Era America, in which he tells the incredible, real-life story of how Jewish gangsters disrupted Nazi gatherings in the United States during the late 1930s, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke about his latest book.

Speaking on his decision to portray the Jewish gangsters in his book as heroes, Mr Benson said: “I feel no qualms whatsoever about the morality of my book. The gangsters are the good guys. The Nazis are the bad guys. There are very few shades of grey…I believe even really, really bad men can do great things.”

The author added that he learned throughout the course of writing his book that in 1930s America, “all racism, all bigotry was mainstream,” and that as long as a member from a particular minority group was not in the room at the time, discussing that group in racist fashion was widely accepted.

With the rise of Nazism and pro-Hitler groups, like the German American Bund and the Silver Legion of America, Jewish Americans began to worry. Antisemitic flyers had begun to pop-up, and antisemites started to feel emboldened, with violent attacks on Jews increasing. 

“The story takes place at a time when hate speech laws were not even thought of,” Mr Benson said. “What the Bundists were doing was they were committing cultural slander, and in their pamphlets cultural libel, but there were no laws against that.”

After one particular incident in which members of the Bund marched down the streets of New York carrying antisemitic banners, the Jewish judge, Nathan D. Perlman, decided to take matters into his own hands.

“[Judge Perlman] doesn’t call Mayor La Guardia, he doesn’t call his congressman, he doesn’t call the commissioner or police. He calls the number one Jewish gangster in the world, probably of all time, Meyer Lansky,” the author explained.

Lansky, along with his childhood friend and fellow gangster Bugsy Siegel, embarked on a mission to disrupt Nazi gatherings.

Similar events would transpire across the country in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles.

“In America, in 1938, the Jewish men win every single time,” said Mr Benson.  

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Man reportedly grabs twelve-year-old identifiably Jewish boy by his throat before throwing him off bus

A passenger on a London bus reportedly grabbed a twelve-year-old identifiably Jewish boy by his throat before throwing him off.

The boy was said to be making his way home from school on the 476 bus when he was allegedly assaulted by the 50-year-old man.

The alleged incident occurred at around 18:00 on Monday and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 6794 30/01/23

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

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Matty Healy appears to perform Nazi salute on stage

The frontman of The 1975 band appeared to do a Nazi salute while marching on the spot on stage at a performance during the group’s current tour.

Matty Healy reportedly made the gesture during the song “Love it if we made it”, as he sang the lyrics: “Thank you, Kanye, very cool.”

The reference was to Kanye West, also known as Ye, who has recently been embroiled in a high-profile antisemitism scandal.

Some fans described the gesture as having been in poor taste, while others believed it was meant satirically as a criticism of Mr West.

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Suspect reportedly attacks identifiably Jewish man in North London, throwing off his skullcap 

A man is suspected of attacking an identifiably Jewish person in North London on Friday, before throwing his skullcap off of his head.

The alleged incident occurred at around 14:30 on the corner of Crowland Roadin and High Road and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 4943 29/01/23

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

Image credit: Google

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Jewish pedestrian reportedly punched in the face in Tottenham

A Jewish pedestrian was reportedly punched in the face in North London.

The alleged incident occurred on Ferndale Road in Tottenham and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 4832 29/01/23

Campaign Against Antisemitism works closely with Shomrim, with whom we have a data-sharing agreement.

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

Image credit: Google

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Disgraced Reverend Stephen Sizer given twelve-year ban after being found to have “engaged in antisemitic activity”

The disgraced Rev. Dr Stephen Sizer has been handed a twelve-year ban by the Church of England after having been found to have “engaged in antisemitic activity” by a tribunal of the Church of England.

Rev. Dr Sizer, 69, who was ordained in 1984 and served as a vicar at Christ Church in Virginia Water, Surrey, faced eleven allegations of conduct that “provoked and offended” the Jewish community between 2005 and 2018. The Bishop of Winchester, in whose diocese Rev, Sizer’s church is located, suspended him in 2018 pending the outcome of the hearing late last year.

The tribunal found that “the Respondent’s conduct was unbecoming to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders, in that he provoked and offended the Jewish community, and, in the case of allegation (H), his conduct was unbecoming, in that he engaged in antisemitic activity, all within section 8(1)(d) of the Clergy Discipline Measure.” It upheld the complaint in four instances and found a number of other allegations not to be proved. Allegation (H) related to Rev. Dr Sizer’s “Promoting the idea that Israel was behind the terrorist attacks on 11th September 2001 by posting a link in January 2015 to the article entitled “9-11/Israel did it” that blamed Israel for the attacks.”

Following this finding, it has today been announced that Rev. Dr Sizer, who retired in 2017 after twenty years at his Surrey pulpit, will be banned for twelve years. This period includes the time that he has already served since the complaint was brought in 2018, and will therefore last until December 2030. The ban means that Rev. Dr Sizer cannot fulfil any priestly roles, such as taking communion or marriage services, until he has served his sentence.

In a statement, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “I note the findings of the Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Winchester regarding the Revd Dr Stephen Sizer and his subsequent prohibition from licensed ministry in the Church of England. It is clear that the behaviour of Stephen Sizer has undermined Christian-Jewish relations, giving encouragement to conspiracy theories and tropes that have no place in public Christian ministry and the church. I renew my call for the highest possible standards among ordained ministers of the Church of England in combatting antisemitism of all kinds.”

The acting Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Reverend Debbie Sellin, said: “It is the Church of England’s task to lead in the work of enabling mutual understanding and strong, peaceable interfaith relationships for the common good of society, and its ministers must take very seriously their role in initiating positive relationships between communities, locally, at diocesan and regional level, as well as nationally and internationally.” She added: “Antisemitism has no place in our society and those in positions of power and influence must listen to concerns about it.”

Rev. Dr Sizer has claimed that an Israeli conspiracy was behind 9/11, and in February 2015 he was ordered by the Church of England to stop using social media. While the Church said that the material that Rev. Dr Sizer posted was “clearly antisemitic”, the Daily Mail revealed that former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote to the Church defending Rev. Dr Sizer, saying that he was being victimised because he “dared to speak out against Zionism.”

According to The Times, court documents listed allegations that included that Rev. Dr Sizer attended a London conference at which a Hizballah politician spoke in 2005; that he met with a “senior commander of Hizballah forces” in 2006; that he spoke at a conference in Indonesia at which a Holocaust denier also spoke in 2008; that he “promoted the idea that Israel was behind the terrorist attacks on 11th September 2001 by posting a link in January 2015 to an article entitled ‘9/11: Israel did it’ that blamed Israel for the attacks”; and that he posted on Facebook in 2018 that Mr Corbyn was “a victim of the hidden hands of Zionists”.

Nicholas Leviseur, presenting the case against Rev. Dr Sizer, said that the disgraced vicar was accused of “conduct unbecoming and inappropriate for a clerk in holy orders” and argued that his behaviour went “far beyond” normal political commentary or activity, adding that “there appears to have been an unusual amount of behaviour…promoting the views of others which are bluntly antisemitic in character.”

Rev. Dr Sizer’s counsel, Stephen Hofmeyr QC, argued that Rev. Dr Sizer had said “repeatedly, unreservedly and very publicly that…antisemitism must be repudiated unequivocally” in his writings about “Christian Zionism”, and had written that: “Legitimate criticism of Israeli policies towards the Palestinians must not be used as an excuse for racism or attacks against Jewish people.” He summarised that Rev. Dr Sizer’s case “is that he is not antisemitic and that his words or conduct never have been antisemitic.”

In addition to the incidents noted above, Rev. Dr Sizer allegedly told a radio programme in 2008: “My concern is with so-called Christian Zionist organisations that…equate the Gospel with helping Jews…without telling them about the Cross…my concern is with those so-called Christian organisations that do not engage in Evangelism, that do not share Jesus with Jewish people: that’s antisemitism.”

In 2010, he reportedly posted photographs of Israeli soldiers under the title “Herod’s Soldiers Operating in Bethlehem Today”, likely a reference, reminiscent of the blood libel, to the Book of Matthew where Herod orders all baby boys in Bethlehem to be killed in an effort to kill Jesus.

Among his other inflammatory comments and activities, it has been alleged that he has a history of association with elements of the far-right, and his books have reportedly been removed from sale by a leading Christian publisher.

Last year, the Church of England apologised for centuries of antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism works to raise awareness of antisemitism among all faith and minority communities.

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Man arrested after “keeping British girls in cellar for nine months” reportedly a Holocaust-denier and conspiracist

A man arrested after allegedly “keeping British girls in cellar for nine months” is reported to be a Holocaust-denier and conspiracist.

Tom Landon, 54, is understood to have been reported to social services by neighbours who heard children’s voices emanating from the British man’s home in Obritz in northern Austria near the German border. It is claimed that whenever anyone approached the house, the children’s voices became silent.

Inspectors found Mr Landon and his 40-year-old British partner at the home, and five young children between seven months and five years of age.

News reports allege that Mr Landon has ties to the German Reichsburger movement, which recently sought to conduct a coup on the German state, which was foiled by authorities.

According to the Deputy Mayor of Obritz, “He’s not from here and has only been Obritz for a short time. Before that, he apparently lived in England. I think he worked in the IT sector.”

He added that Mr Landon could speak English and German, and that the children did not appear to have been mistreated and had been seen walking around the town a fortnight earlier.

Image credit: Twitter

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New report reveals four in ten secondary school teachers have encountered antisemitism in class

A new study has revealed that four in ten secondary school teachers who teach about the Holocaust have witnessed antisemitism in the classroom.

According the research conducted by the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, fifteen percent of teachers also said that they witnessed Holocaust denial from their students either “occasionally” or “often”, while three quarters of the teachers surveyed said that they had encountered students who had repeated falsehoods about the Holocaust that they had read online.

The study recommends that more time in schools be devoted to learning about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance, particularly as previous research has indicated that the time for learning about the Holocaust is being reduced in the Key Stage 3 curriculum. The study further recommends that teachers are given more time and encouragement to access training to confront the issues that they may encounter in the classroom.

The study, titled, “Continuity and Change: Ten years of teaching and learning about the Holocaust in England’s secondary schools”, used a mixed method approach, including both extensive survey responses from 1,077 teachers who teach about the Holocaust, as well as quantitative data from group interviews with 134 teachers from 45 different schools across the country.

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“I don’t want to talk about it, I want to scream about it”: Holocaust survivor and CAA national billboard campaign model Ruth Posner recounts escape from Warsaw Ghetto and views on antisemitism today

Ruth Posner BEM, a Polish-born British Holocaust survivor who escaped the Warsaw Ghetto as a child, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where she recounted her harrowing ordeal during the Shoah, and shared her thoughts and feelings on modern antisemitism and Holocaust denial. 

Ms Posner described how she grew up proud of her Polish identity, with many Catholic friends, and whose non-religious Jewish father viewed himself as a “humanist”. These factors, she explained, contributed to the shock that she felt when she was forced into the Ghetto alongside religiously observant Jews, with whom she felt that she had little in common.

However, Ms Posner noted that many of her Catholic friends spread the antisemitic myth of deicide and that she began to feel a change when one day at school, a girl hit her and said: “You killed our Lord, and you should be punished for it.” 

Shortly after that incident, she noted, war broke out. Nazis would knock at the door of Ms Posner’s family, telling them that they had fifteen minutes to gather their belongings and leave. 

“I couldn’t understand what was happening,” she said. “And my mother said to one of the guys, ‘You’re wearing a black uniform, but your heart can’t be black?’ And she was hit. He just smacked her…it was the first sign of violence that I had ever witnessed.”

She revealed how her family was then forced into the Ghetto. “We were marched with other people, I can’t remember how many, to a house where I met people I didn’t normally associate with, not because I didn’t want to but just because my life was different. [I was] with very religious Jews with peyot (sidelocks) who spoke Yiddish, and I felt estranged from them, strangely enough.”

Ms Posner recalled the “filthy old house packed with people” where her and her family were given one room in the basement to live in alongside others, noting that her father slept on the floor.

“We heard trucks, now and then, and people shouting ‘heraus, heraus’ (‘out, out’), and the trucks were being loaded with people living in that house,” she said, unaware that what she was hearing were the first instances of deportations to concentration and extermination camps.

“People were taken out, we didn’t know what the hell was happening.”

Ms Posner revealed that her father created a plan for her to escape the Ghetto, which began with creating a fake passport and acquiring her work as a slave labourer in a nearby leather goods factory. She recalled being physically assaulted in the factory. 

One day, Ms Posner’s aunt decided that they would both escape the Ghetto during their journey to the factory, by walking across the road to the “Christian” side. 

“She explained to me, ‘Today, we are going to do this. Now, it is dangerous, but don’t be afraid because there is a possibility we will survive…I will watch, and tell you when the time comes to cross the road’. She was watching the two Nazi soldiers and they were obviously very, very careful in watching what was happening.

“They stopped for a cigarette, and so they were talking to one another with their backs turned to the road. When I say this, I still can’t believe that this is not a story, but it actually happened, and she said to me ‘Now, now, just walk down, cross the road. Don’t run, just go and walk. When you feel the time has come, take your band off.”

The band was, in fact, the yellow Star of David armband that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust.

“All these years ago, I still can’t believe how lucky we were. We managed to get across to the other side.” 

While Ruth and her aunt managed to escape the Ghetto, she later discovered that her remaining family were murdered in the Treblinka extermination camp. 

Ms Posner and her aunt then lived in hiding using fake names and backstories and posing as Catholics for years, until they participated in an abortive but bloody Polish uprising against the Germans, whereupon they were captured and taken to Germany as Polish prisoners of war, their Jewish identity still a secret.

The Germans, after keeping Ms Posner and her aunt as prisoners for some time, forced them both onto a train. “All of a sudden, we hear strange noises, and they’re airplanes dropping bombs.”

Ms Posner stated that “the Germans were just as frightened as we were, because those were American bombers.”

Amidst the chaos and violence around her, Ms Posner and her aunt made an escape, and they once again found themselves fleeing. They would live with, and work for, German farmers, until the end of the war and the arrival of British and American soldiers. In a remarkable scenario during this period, Ms Posner recounted, she and her aunt found themselves hiding Germans from Allied soldiers.

Speaking on her thoughts and feelings on modern antisemitism, Ms Posner said: “For many years, I didn’t particularly want to talk about my past, and my story. But, this kind of thing, Holocaust denial, I don’t want to talk about it, I want to scream about it.

“When I hear Holocaust denial…it makes me sick. That’s all I can say. There are no words that are going to express the feeling, because words come from thought, and this comes from my innards. I could scream. I wish I could speak to the person who said it. I wish I could actually exchange ideas.”

Ms Posner is also a model in Campaign Against Antisemitism’s current national billboard campaign to raise awareness of antisemitism, a first-of-its-kind for Britain.

The podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Welsh neo-Nazi sentenced to at least six years in prison

A Welsh neo-Nazi has been sentenced to at least six years in prison today, after pleading guilty last July to membership in a proscribed neo-Nazi terror group.

Luca Benincasa, 20, became the first person to be convicted of belonging to the Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) since it was banned in July 2020. He is understood to have been a prominent member of the group.

The group, which mainly exists online, promotes violence and mass murder in pursuit of a race war.

He also pleaded guilty in August to three counts of possessing indecent images of children, one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child between 29th December 2021 and 1st January 2022.

Mr Benincasa, from Cardiff, was today sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to five years and seven months for the terrorism charges. He must also serve a consecutive eight month sentence for pornographic images charges. He will be jailed in a young offenders’ institution. In addition, he was also given an extended licence period of three years for the terror charges. 

When the police raided Mr Benincasa’s residence, they found a flag depicting the logo of the SS, the Nazi paramilitary organisation, hanging from his bedroom wall, and a Nazi dagger and parts of an SS officer’s uniform, including a hat and a swastika armband, among his possessions. He had reportedly also taken photos of himself on his phone wearing the SS uniform and covering his face, and displaying a Stanley knife, rifle and SS dagger.

His laptop, meanwhile, was found to contain Nazi and neo-Nazi literature and documents. An unfinished “Feuerkrieg Division Handbook” was also discovered, which said that the group does not “encourage” illegal activities” but would not “disavow” a “true warrior” who “takes up arms and fights for the sake of our race”. It listed the Government, anti-fascist activists and journalists as enemies.

On Instagram and Snapchat, Mr Benincasa wrote messages such as: “I’m a neo… nazi” and “I am an extremist I commit multiple acts of hate crimes” and “told my mum I wanna be a terrorist…little does she know I’m currently classed as one already.” Police reportedly also found evidence in Telegram threads that he was “actively recruiting” people to join FKD, telling one applicant, “I usually want to genocide anyone that’s not white.”

Prosecutors described a “manifesto” drafted by Mr Benincasa and seized by police as “extremely racist” and “extremely antisemitic”. During the trial, the court also heard that he browsed the internet for “forced teen porn”, “rape games” and “child sacrifice”. Far-right and Satanic graffiti was also reportedly found at Mr Benincasa’s prison cell at HMP Chelmsford.

Mr Benincasa’s defence barrister told the court that his client’s guilty plea, young age, clear criminal record and likely diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder should mitigate his sentence.

Sentencing Mr Benincasa today, Judge Jane Miller KC told Mr Benincasa: “By 1st February 2022 you were calling yourself the UK cell leader of FKD and one of its recruiters.” She concluded: “You were clearly a prominent member of the organisation.” She further described the material seized by police as “racist, antisemitic and homophobic” and said that Mr Benincasa’s messages to like-minded people showed him to be “fanatical and single minded.”

Detective Superintendent Mark Pope, of Counter Terrorism Policing Wales who led the investigation, said: “The dangerous nature of the material in Benincasa’s possession cannot be underestimated. This is why it is of such importance to hold to account those who seek to join proscribed organisations and gather material which may be useful to a terrorist. This intelligence-led investigation has resulted in the conviction of a dangerous individual and highlights the commitment by counter terrorism policing to tackle all forms of extremist ideology.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.

Image credit: Counter Terrorism Policing

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CAA to complain to BBC over Amol Rajan’s apparent minimising of Kanye West antisemitism

On the Today programme, host Amol Rajan appeared to minimise Kanye West’s recent antisemitism scandal.

In an interview with Chuck D from Public Enemy on the BBC’s flagship radio programme on 19th January about hip hop music, which included considered reflections about anti-Black racism, Mr Rajan turned finally to Mr West. When discussing Kanye West, Mr Rajan described him as an “extraordinary musical power” but failed to fully address Mr West’s antisemitism, minimising Mr West’s comments to “promoting some conspiracy theories”, which Mr Rajan then appeared to caveat by pointing out that Mr West has “bi-polar disorder”.

Last year, Mr West denied the Holocaust, described Hitler as a “cool guy”, and said he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people”, among other inflammatory outbursts over an extended period on multiple platforms and channels. Mr West himself described his own comments as “antisemitic”, which Mr Rajan failed to do.

Chuck D then appeared to brush Mr West’s racism aside as mere “showbiz”.

Mr Rajan abjectly failed to address the severity of West’s antisemitic rhetoric, which caused the artist to be dropped by Adidas and other sponsors and partners. This omission was particularly objectionable given how much of the interview lamented other forms of racism.

Polling that we conducted in 2020 for our Antisemitism Barometer already revealed that two thirds of British Jews were deeply concerned by the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish concern, and 55% by its handling of antisemitism complaints. It is likely that these figures would be even higher if polled today.

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors traditional media and regularly holds outlets to account. If members of the public are concerned about reportage in the media, they should contact us at [email protected].

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Candidate on TV show The Apprentice apologises following discovery that his online auction site facilitated sale of Nazi memorabilia

A candidate on the television programme The Apprentice has apologised following the discovery that his online auction site facilitated the sale of a piece of Nazi memorabilia.

Raven Yard Antiques, which is owned by Gregory Ebbs and serves as a marketplace for third parties to auction items, was found to have facilitated the sale of a Nazi German officer’s dress dagger for £725.

Mr Ebbs is a candidate on The Apprentice, the popular BBC reality show hosted by the Jewish businessman and celebrity Sir Alan Sugar.

Following the discovery and prior to the apology, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Raven Yard Antiques’ worthy mission is ‘to promote sustainable living’, but it cannot do that while facilitating the sale of artefacts that are synonymous with death. Nazi militaria are reminders of the slaughter of six million Jewish men, women and children. These items belong in a museum, not in the hands of sick collectors acquiring them from an auction house that stands to make a profit from these sales. Sir Alan Sugar, who was recently the victim of criminal antisemitic harassment, would likely take exception to this sort of entrepreneurship. The sale on Gregory Ebbs’ website of a swastika-emblazoned dagger for hundreds of pounds on the day that the first episode of The Apprentice leaves us with many questions for Mr Ebbs.”

Mr Ebbs said: “I in no way condone or wish to be looking to be celebrating this abhorrent and shameful part of history and I apologise for any offence caused. My online business is an antiques marketplace where independent sellers have a platform to sell a wide range of antiques, memorabilia & militaria from many different periods of history. The item in question was sold by a third party vendor. This type of memorabilia is not something I would personally sell or stock. The website is relatively new and I will be looking to implement stricter vetting procedures for third party vendors.”

Image credit: Raven Yard Antiques

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BBC Arabic contributor called for “death to Israel” and described Jewish state as “occupied Palestine” live on air

A regular contributor to BBC Arabic reportedly called for “death to Israel” and described Jewish state as “occupied Palestine” live on air.

Mayssaa Abdul Khalek, a Lebanon-based reporter, also reportedly called for Arab states to attack Israel. These calls appeared on social media alongside links to her broadcasts for the BBC.

Ms Khalek, who identifies herself as a “BBC Arabic co-host”, also described a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel as an attack on “occupied Palestine” in a live report in May 2021. Describing how a Lebanese man had died, she said: “he and a group of youths were hit by RPGs that Israeli military shot at them during their attempt to cross the border fence in front of the imperialist colony of Metula [a town in northern Israel]. These events also come after three rockets were launched yesterday from South Lebanon towards occupied Palestine.”

It is understood that she also used the phrase “occupied Palestinian territories” to describe Israel in a tweet linked to the same broadcast, in apparent contravention of BBC guidelines, but removed the post after being contacted by the JC.

In 2016, she wrote a post online beginning, “Death to Israel,” and continuing: “Is it your business to resist the Arab countries or Israel? Oh, sorry, Israel is an ally of your friend Russia, and they coordinate in the Syrian war.”

Other concerning social media activity includes her “liking” of a tweet commemorating Diaa Hamarsheh, a terrorist who killed after murdering a rabbi, a policemen and three civilians in the Isreli city of Bnei Brak. She has also reportedly spoken of “the enemy, Israel”, 

Ms Khalek’s remarks were translated by CAMERA Arabic and reported by the JC.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “Mayassa Abdel Khalek is not a BBC News Arabic co-host or presenter. She is a contributor invited on occasion to talk about Lebanon. In a live and brief interview held May 14th 2021, when Ms Abdel Khalek delivered her analysis on rockets fired from Lebanon on May 13th 2021, she should have been challenged when she described Metulla as a ‘colony’. 

“Further, when Ms Abdel Khalek commented on the intended target of the rockets, the presenter should have disputed her remark that they were headed to ‘occupied Palestine’. They were presumably launched towards northern Israel, which the BBC wouldn’t describe as ‘occupied Palestine’.

“We do not ban guests from appearing on the BBC. Careful judgements are made and will continue to be made about the guests we invite on and the context in which we hear from them.”

In December, a Parliamentary inquiry into the BBC’s bias against Jews was announced, following a campaign by the JC. Campaign Against Antisemitism supported those calls.

Polling that we conducted in 2020 for our Antisemitism Barometer already revealed that two thirds of British Jews were deeply concerned by the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish concern, and 55% by its handling of antisemitism complaints. It is likely that these figures would be even higher if polled today.

Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors traditional media and regularly holds outlets to account. If members of the public are concerned about reportage in the media, they should contact us at [email protected].

Image credit: JC

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.