The Hon. Piers Portman, the youngest living son of the 9th Viscount Portman and heir to 110 acres of West End real estate, has been refused leave to appeal after he was sentenced in October to four months in prison and ordered to pay over £20,000 after being found guilty of calling Gideon Falter, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chief Executive, “Jewish scum” in a confrontation at a courthouse in 2018.

In refusing Mr Portman leave to appeal, the Hon. Mr Justice Hilliard said: “I have considered all the grounds of appeal which have been advanced carefully and thoroughly, and to best advantage. Nonetheless, for the reasons I have given, I am satisfied that there are no arguable grounds of appeal against conviction and the application for leave to appeal must be refused.”

When Mr Portman was originally sentenced at Southwark Crown Court, His Honour Judge Gregory Perrins said that Mr Portman has “strongly-held antisemitic beliefs”, and that he had “deliberately targeted Mr Falter because of his role in prosecuting Alison Chabloz.” Ms Chabloz is an antisemite who has been repeatedly imprisoned following work by Campaign Against Antisemitism.

In scathing sentencing remarks, HHJ Perrins told Mr Portman: “You said you’re an honourable British gentleman. You’re anything but.”

HHJ Perrins then imprisoned him for four months, with the possibility of release on licence after two months, and ordered him to pay a £10,000 fine, make an additional £10,000 compensatory payment to the victim, Mr Falter, and pay court costs. Mr Falter donated the entire £10,000 to Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Mr Portman, 50, was prosecuted after approaching Mr Falter, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chief Executive, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 14th June 2018 following the sentencing of Alison Chabloz, a notorious Holocaust denier and antisemite. Campaign Against Antisemitism had brought a private prosecution against Ms Chabloz which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) took over, and which ultimately led to a conviction and landmark legal precedent. Mr Falter had testified against Ms Chabloz, who has since been repeatedly sent to prison over her antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust and claiming that Holocaust survivors had invented their suffering for financial gain.

Mr Portman followed Mr Falter out of the courtroom and confronted him in the lobby of the court building, where an enraged Mr Portman came close to Mr Falter and said: “I’m Piers Portman. I have written to you before. Come after me, you Jewish scum. Come and persecute me. Come and get me.”

Mr Portman was referring to a 1,527-word e-mailed screed previously sent to Campaign Against Antisemitism in which he denounced his former wife and her divorce lawyer, Baroness Fiona Shackleton each as a “greedy, grasping and lying manipulator of the system that happens to be Jewish.” He accused his former wife of “playing the Talmud inspired ‘Tyrant posing as a victim.’” Noting in the e-mail that he had a “Harrow Public School education”, Mr Portman defended the term “Holohoax”, writing that “I fail to see how the fabricated word has anything to do with hating anyone. Surely it is merely an expression created by people that believe they have been lied to,” and questioning how the terms “Jew” and “Jewboy” could be antisemitic.

He concluded his e-mail by taunting Campaign Against Antisemitism to “Come and pick on me…come and have a do with me…come and perform your charity on me.”

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: Piers Portman, right, leaves Southwark Crown Court with conspiracy theorist Matthew Delooze

A man who sported a moustache in the style of Adolf Hitler’s and wore a Nazi armband to his trial has been found guilty of terror offences and stirring up racial hatred.

Matthew Henegan, 35, appeared in court last year on seven charges of publishing, distributing and possessing material in March and April 2020 that is likely to stir up racial hatred. It was also claimed that he distributed leaflets in Cambridgeshire, where he resides, and possessed a document titled “How To Make Armour Piercing Bullets”, which apparently contains information likely to be useful in terrorism. In the raid of his home, investigators reportedly found a Nazi armband and leaflets which referred to Hitler as “your saviour”.

In addition, Mr Henegan asserted that Jewish people masterminded the COVID-19 pandemic and created an hour-long film in which he claimed that Jewish people controlled the police, economy and media. He reportedly referred to Jews as “kikes”, adding that they were filthy and sadistic and branded them “creatures”.

The content was published in documents and videos labelled “Corona Virus Hoax Full Edition”, “Corona Virus Hoax Supplement” and “Corona Virus Hoax Update – How You Are Being Controlled” which was then stored on archive.org, a publically accessible online database. 

Jurors watched excerpts from Mr Henegan’s films, one of which included the statement: “One (you) given a standing command upon my death to slaughter the kike, for they will come to slaughter you as they already do and you will enter your children into the same slave stage that you live in today. 

“Colonisation is what the kike is doing here with us, they merely turn film into their perverted dream and our reality. The power of the Aryan far exceeds the kikes and I will lead you to victory over these vile sadistic creatures. Your Fuhrer.”

Mr Henegan reportedly appeared at last year’s preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey wearing dark glasses, a hairband and an armband with a red swastika. According to a report, the judge asked the defendant’s lawyer: “Can you see what he’s wearing?”, and ordered Mr Henegan to leave the courtroom. The defendant asked: “Are we done for the day then?” The judge replied: “We are not.” The defendant replied: “I have a right to freedom of expression, freedom of dress, freedom of religion. They are rights not for debate.” The judge instructed the lawyer to give his client advice and said: “Next time it will not be out in the public corridor.” Mr Henegan returned to the courtroom with a jacket, with the armband no longer visible.

Mr Henegan told the jury on Monday: “You may see me, with my moustache, and think of it as a Hitler moustache, rather than Charlie Chaplin or Oliver Hardy. It is clearly your diseased mind that influences your thoughts.”

When Mr Henegan was asked if he was a National Socialist, he replied: “Yes, “I do not pretend otherwise.”

Judge Nigel Lickley said to him: “You have to understand that because of the convictions now recorded against you, you are facing a custodial sentence. The length of that custodial sentence and whether it is immediate or suspended are matters I will decide on the next occasion. I have no firm view at the moment other than all sentencing options are open and that includes immediate custody.”

Prosecutor Julia Faure-Walker told the jury: “Mr Henegan chose to use the particularly derogatory term ‘kike’. There is no way that Mr Henegan was intending there to be any caveats in relation to the ethnic group he was directing hatred towards, it is absolutely clear that the words ‘kike’ and ‘Jew’ are used interchangeably.

“During the video Mr Henegan complains no one listens to him, they’d much rather go on about f***ing antisemitism. He won’t have it that people are trying to raise this matter. He has no time for complaints about racism towards Jews. There must have been a reason why he used the word ‘kike’ within the material.

“The reason it was used was purposely to communicate his intense dislike for this group of people. The endless highly offensive swear words are an indication that he wasn’t just attempting to relay facts. He was trying to conjure up anger and extreme animosity. He was perfectly able to give evidence without using such extreme profanities. That sort of language is reserved for the groups he looks down on, mostly Jews.

“There will be some who look at leaflets, view the video or listen to the audio and immediately dismiss it as rubbish. Unfortunately, there will be others when faced by such highly emotive and charged language who will have feelings of racial hatred.”

Despite denying all charges, Mr Henegan was convicted at the Old Bailey in central London on Monday for publishing, distributing or possessing material intended to stir racial hatred on six counts and one count of possessing a document useful to a terrorist after approximately eleven hours of jury deliberation. 

Mr Henegan is due to be sentenced on 14th January at the Old Bailey.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “On top of every other misery that this pandemic has inflicted on the world, it has also been treated as a pretext for racists to promote antisemitic conspiracy theories. Among them is Matthew Henegan, who calls himself the Fuhrer, came to court with a Nazi armband and says that Jews control the media and police and are behind a supposed ‘Covid hoax’. We welcome this conviction of this abominable individual, and we call for a sentence that keeps him out of society and keeps the rest of us safe from the danger that he poses.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years, continues to urge the Jewish community to remain vigilant and welcomes the seriousness with which the authorities are treating the danger.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts. 

Authorities have expressed alarm over swastika graffiti discovered on bus shelters in Newcastle.

The bus shelters on Newcastle’s Great North Road, in addition to being defaced with the antisemitic hate symbol, were also vandalised with claims that the COVID-19 pandemic is “a hoax” was also found.

A spokesperson from Northumbria Police said: “Enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible. Anybody found to have been involved will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.”

Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.

CCTV footage released last night shows a North London gang picking up and running off with a Jewish child, reported to be a ten-year-old boy who was on his way home from school.

The gang is believed to be associated with the nearby Webb Estate and is accused of harassing Jewish residents for years.

The incident took place in Stamford Hill and was reported at around 23:05 yesterday 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 6066 9/12/21.

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 has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts. 

A rabbi was subjected to antisemitic abuse in Melbourne, it was reported yesterday.

During the incident, which occurred one month ago at Crown Melbourne, a man reportedly approached the rabbi where he then alleged that the rabbi was filming him and his family. The rabbi replied by saying that he was not filming and was only checking his phone. The stranger then hurled insults at the rabbi and reportedly said: “You’re one of those [that] Hitler didn’t finish.”

The rabbi reportedly remained calm during the incident but later described it as “traumatising,” adding that he never imagined that he would receive this sort of hate in Melbourne.

In September, the State of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, announced that it would become the first Australian state to ban the display of Nazi symbols.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded incidents of antisemitism in Berlin during the first half of 2021 are the highest that they have been compared with other recordings from January to June in the past three years, according to a report published yesterday by RIAS, a Berlin-based monitoring institute.

Between the months of January and June of this year, 522 incidents of antisemitism were reported, which is an increase of about seventeen percent year-on-year. This is the highest number reported since 2018.

The report also found that 211 of the incidents – almost half of the total – were reported during the month of May, which marked the eruption of the most recent conflict between Israel and the antisemitic terrorist group, Hamas.

Samuel Salzborn, the antisemitism Commissioner for Berlin, said that “Every antisemitic act is one too many,” adding: “We need to aim to have no more antisemitic incidents. Unfortunately, we are far away from being there.” 

Mr Salzborn noted that “antisemitic incidents pile up when people find excuses to justify their hatred,” and went on to say that “This was most recently visible in the context of the ideological conspiracist ‘Querdenken’ scene, and during the anti-Israel demonstrations in the spring.” He continued: “We have to keep these structures of opportunity for antisemitic expressions and deeds more closely in mind earlier on and not allow them to become antisemitic hotspots in the first place.”

The RIAS report found 22 instances reported that referred to damage of property, twelve recorded attacks and 447 episodes of hurtful behavior, including antisemitic verbal abuse and harassment, the latter of which were documented at 35 antisemitic gatherings and demonstrations. The study also found 26 cases of antisemitic letters distributed.

A fifth of incidents was labelled as “modern” antisemitism, with typical cases involving conspiracy theories about Jewish people wielding political or economic power.

48% of the incidents reportedly related to Israel, and approximately 43% involved Holocaust denial or minimisation. Holocaust denial was found to be present in more than three-quarters of all antisemitic incidents that related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, it was reported that the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) had punished Union Berlin football club after some of its fans performed Nazi salutes and shouted antisemitic abuse towards opposing supporters during its match with Israeli team Maccabi Haifa.

During the summer, the German Government announced that it will pay €35 million to combat antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

A college in the State of Massachusetts has seen its third report of an antisemitic incident this semester.

Earlier this week, a swastika and an antisemitic slur were allegedly found in the bathroom at Mount Holyoke College, a prestigious women’s college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. 

According to Peggy Shakur, the School’s Deputy Regional Director, this is not the first instance of this happening, with two similar incidents occurring within the last semester. Ms Shakur stated that the graffiti was written in black marker on tile, but in the past, the graffiti has appeared on the bathroom’s mirror.

Sonya Stephens, President of Mount Holyoke College, said in a statement: “The college’s leadership team and I understand the harm and fear this symbol has provoked on our campus. We join you in both anger and grief and condemn in the strongest terms this provocation and all symbols of hate, which have no place on our campus.”

During the summer, a Chabad rabbi in Boston, Massachusetts was held at gunpoint and stabbed eight times outside of a synagogue and Jewish school.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

The Chabad Jewish Center in Milan, Italy has been vandalised, it was reported earlier this week. 

Photographs of the desecration which surfaced earlier this week show the premises in disarray with religious materials, including Jewish prayer shawls and the Chabad house’s Torah scroll, scattered across the floor.

Milan police reportedly stated that the criminals stole two laptops, 155 euros and some precious medals.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

Image credit: StopAntisemitism.org

Residents of Castrillo Mota de Judíos, a Spanish village in Northern Spain, discovered graffiti earlier this week in four locations, including at the entrance to the townhall, on the signpost welcoming visitors to the village, at the site of a future Sephardic centre, and on a sign marking the village’s twinning with an Israeli city.

The village, which has only about 50 residents and no Jewish inhabitants, was originally called Castrillo Motajudíos, or Jew’s Hill Fort, in 1035, when Jews sought refuge there from a nearby pogrom. In 1627, the town was renamed Castrillo Matajudíos, or Fort Kill The Jews, during the Inquisition.

In June 2015, following a referendum held by Mayor Lorenzo Rodriguez, the village’s name reverted to Castrillo Mota de Judíos, with the Mayor also undertaking efforts to restore the village’s Jewish heritage.

Some of the graffiti amended signs to the town’s old name, while the leader of the Inquisition was also praised.

Mayor Rodriguez said: “These are cowardly, intolerant and ignorant people who do not value neither heritage nor people; nor do they have respect for anyone or anything. These intolerant people are not allowed here.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

The Metropolitan Police have issued a call for witnesses and assistance in identifying suspects in last week’s antisemitic incident on Oxford Street.

The Met is investigating as a hate crime an attack on a bus that travelled down Oxford Street on 30th November carrying a group of visibly Jewish teenagers celebrating the Jewish festival of Chanukah. Videos taken by passengers on the bus appeared to show a group of men hitting the vehicle with their hands and then their shoes, spitting on it, trying to break windows and performing Nazi salutes, as well as shouting antisemitic insults and swearing. Further footage was published showing that the teenage passengers had been dancing in the street before being accosted and forced back onto the private bus.

Shneor Glitsenstein, Director of the Chabad Israeli Centre Golders Green, who was on the bus with 40 young people, said: “Let me be clear: on Monday evening we were attacked on the streets of London for being Jewish and celebrating Chanukah. While our bus contained no references to Israel, we were clearly a Jewish group. The young men who surrounded us were not engaged in political protest; this was a bigoted antisemitic attack in the heart of London, seen by dozens of others, who stood by silently.”

Police reportedly stopped the bus in Grosvenor Place to check on the welfare of the passengers.

The Met have now released images of three men to whom the force would like to speak.

Detective Inspector Kevin Eade said: “Our investigation into this appalling incident continues and we are now in a position to release three clearer images of the men we would like to speak to. Despite extensive inquiries over the past week, we are yet to make any arrests; however, I am confident that somebody will recognise the people in these images, and I would urge anyone who does to contact us immediately.”

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or the Charing Cross Hate Crime Unit on 07900 608 252, quoting reference number: 6184/29Nov. Alternatively, you can tweet @MetCC or e-mail Campaign Against Antisemitism at [email protected].

Earlier this week, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to the BBC demanding explanations over its outrageous coverage of the incident.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said “This was a heinous antisemitic attack on a group of Jewish teenagers celebrating Chanukah at the heart of our nation’s capital. We urge members of the public to help the police identify suspects and persons of interest so that the culprits can be brought to justice. If you recognise these individuals, please contact the police or us on a confidential basis.”

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 has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

Image credit: Metropolitan Police Service

It has been reported that a Chanukah display in Primrose Hill has been destroyed.

A photograph uploaded on Twitter this morning showed a Chanukiah smashed in half. Rabbi Yossi Baitz, the Chabad rabbi to Kentish-CamdenTown London, told Campaign Against Antisemitism that he placed sandbags over the base of the Chanukiah to hold it in place, which would have then been removed in order to smash over the display.

Rabbi Baitz wrote on Twitter: “Im the Rabbi who worked so hard to put this Menorah as a symbol of light. it breaks my heart to see it vandalized. I promise to put this Menorah again every Hanukkah ,we will never surrender to darkness.”

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. If anyone has any information about this incident, please contact us or call the police on 101. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts. 

A man from Birmingham has been jailed after hurling antisemitic abuse at a couple in front of two off-duty police officers.

Adam Boyle, 32, was reportedly “visibly intoxicated” when he approached the Jewish couple on 7th October. They were waiting at Victoria Station in Manchester for a train to Bury.

Two off-duty police officers were nearby and, witnessing Mr Boyle’s abuse, arrested him.

Mr Boyle was charged with racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment and was convicted. He was sentenced at Birmingham and Solihull Magistrates’ Court to 26 weeks in prison.

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.

The Anne Frank Memorial in Boise, Idaho has been vandalised again nearly one year to the day after it was last defaced.

On 1st December 2020, the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise was defaced with swastikas and antisemitic messages, an incident in which Dan Prinzing, Executive Director of the Wassmuth Centre, said was “a sad day” before questioning why “hate has become so emboldened.” 

The Memorial, dedicated in 2002, is an adjunct to Boise’s Wassmuth Centre for Human Rights, which shared photos on Facebook showing the swastikas and racist messages.

On Saturday, the memorial was once again defaced with swastikas and antisemitic messages, which included “f**k Jews” and “I [heart] Nazis”. 

Chief Ryan Lee of the Boise Police Department said: “We recognize the significance of this being the last Saturday of Hanukkah and we are reaching out to Jewish leaders in our community to let them know we will not stand for such hateful and abhorrent behavior in our city. The graffiti is in the process of being cleaned and covered up.”

Boise Mayor Lauren McLean condemned the latest incident on Twitter, saying: “The antisemitic messages contained in the graffiti found along the Greenbelt put a literal and figurative stain on our community. This will not be tolerated.

“Hate speech is reprehensible. It is not who [we] are as a city and is not part of our shared values. I invite all good people of Boise to stand with me, as I stand with our Jewish neighbors, to rebuke this hate.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts. 

Image credit: Twitter via The Algemeiner

A North London gang is reported to have verbally and physically assaulted Jewish children in two separate incidents. 

In both instances, the gang is believed to be associated with the nearby Webb Estate and is accused of harassing Jewish residents for years.

In one incident, the gang threw stones at ten-year-old Jewish boys before being stopped by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol. They then went on to vandalise a phone box. 

The incident took place on Craven Park road in Stamford Hill and was reported at around 22:40 yesterday by Stamford Hill Shomrim. If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: 4632764/21.

In a separate incident, the gang allegedly assaulted a twelve-year-old boy and screamed “take off your kippah” at him. 

This incident took place on Oldhill Street in Stamford Hill and was reported this afternoon by Stamford Hill Shomrim. If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 6959 06/12/21.

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 has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts. 

A prominent far-right streamer who described his goal as “exposing the filthy Jews” has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to stirring up racial hatred.

Richard Hesketh, 36 from Greater Manchester, posted 4,000 antisemitic videos that garnered over 5.5 million views under the name Rick Heskey on the platforms Bitchute and Goyim TV, the latter of which is a website affiliated with the “Goyim Defence League”, a group whose membership reportedly contains several neo-Nazis and is understood to be led by Jon Minadeo II, a man who Mr Hesketh had previously appeared in a video with. The group is responsible for stunts such as visiting a Chabad centre to claim that “these Jewish terrorists” were behind 9/11, and hanging a banner on a Los Angeles overpass reading “Honk if you know the Jews want a race war.” Earlier this year, Mr Minadeo II created t-shirts carrying antisemitic slogans such as the Holocaust was “a hoax”. Most recently, they hung a banner from a bridge in Austin, Texas that read “Vax the Jews”.

Mr Hesketh described his goal as “exposing the filthy Jews” and reportedly saw himself as a “Full time Jew Namer”. It is also understood that one of his social media profiles had the title: “Dedicated to Exposing the Jew”.

In one video regarding an antisemitic assault on a Jewish man in Brazil, Mr Hesketh reportedly said: “Hitler should have killed more Jews. Completely agree, I’d say he should have killed about 16 million, that should have finished them off.” Another video was titled “The Filthy Jews of York Castle”, in which Mr Hesketh visited Clifford’s Tower in York, where approximately 150 Jews were murdered in 1190. 

In October 2020, Mr Hesketh reportedly shared a video with the title: “Jews in the News- Halle Synagogue attacker 1 year on”. This came shortly after a 26-year-old Jewish man was attacked outside a synagogue in Hamburg as members of the local community celebrated the Jewish festival of Sukkot. Mr Heskey stated during this video: “If you’re gonna go into a synagogue and scare the s**t out of these rat-faced Jews it’s like, why would you take a shovel? It’s not exactly the best weapon for cleaving people. It’s good for bonging them on the head with, filthy Jew sit down.”

In August 2021, Richard Hesketh was charged with seven counts of distributing a recording of visual images or sounds stirring up racial hatred, contrary to section 21(1) Public Order Act 1986. 

On 7th September 2021, Mr Hesketh pleaded guilty to all charges and on 3rd December 2021, he was sentenced to four years in jail at Manchester Crown Court.

After the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Will Chatterton, of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “Hesketh shared as well as created hundreds of shockingly offensive videos and content on social media, which undoubtedly incited hatred towards the Jewish community. In police interview [sic] Hesketh showed no remorse and even continued to upload offensive material to his social media channels after he was released under investigation. Hesketh enjoyed viewing videos of serious attacks on Jewish people and even made comments referring to his disappointment that the attacker in one video did not kill the victim, showing just how depraved his beliefs are. Peddling this mind set across the internet is dangerous and at the same time incredibly upsetting to our communities. This case highlights that right wing terrorism will not be tolerated in any shape or form and we will do all we can to bring these offenders to justice. I am pleased that Hesketh will no longer be able to continue his campaign of abuse and I really do hope that his time in prison is spent reflecting upon his appalling behaviour.”

This sentencing comes after investigative research by the Community Security Trust (CST).

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Richard Hesketh was a prolific streamer of antisemitic material who, by his own admission, had dedicated himself to trolling Jews. His guilty plea avoids the indignity of a courtroom platform on which he might further promote his racist views, and this four-year sentence removes him from society, where he has proven that he does not belong. We commend the authorities for pursuing him and the CST for its investigative work that helped bring about this outcome.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

Image credit: Greater Manchester Police

Multiple Chanukah displays have been vandalised across three cities in Ukraine.

In the country’s capital city of Kyiv, a public menorah that was erected in the city’s northeast district of Troieshchyna was knocked down and its lamps were smashed. This incident occured last Tuesday and was reported on Facebook by Eduard Dolinksy, the Director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee.

In the eastern city of Dnipro, five teenagers have been arrested after being suspected of knocking down a large menorah on 29th November.

It was also reported that on 30th November, unidentified individuals in Nikolayev, a city in southern Ukraine near Odessa, cut the lighting strips that decorated a large menorah.

Last week, hundreds of residents of the Pennsylvania town of Lancaster turned out to support the town’s Jewish community after a chanukiah in the town-centre was vandalised.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

The co-founder of the neo-Nazi National Action terrorist group has today been jailed for ten years.

Ben Raymond, 32, was found guilty of membership of the proscribed group earlier this week at Bristol Crown Court, where he has now been sentenced.

Mr Raymond, from Swindon, helped launch the group in 2013 and reportedly coined the term “white jihad”. He is the seventeenth person to be found guilty of membership in the banned group. He was also convicted of possessing a manifesto written by the far-right terrorist Andrews Breivik, as well as a guide to homemade detonators, but was found not guilty of four counts of possessing other documents.

Mr Raymond remained involved in the group, even after it was banned, producing much of its material and reportedly being likened to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister. He also remained in contact with other leading figures in the group, several of whom have been jailed.

The court how he had also forged links with foreign neo-Nazi groups, including Atomwaffen Division, which the UK has also proscribed.

Sentencing him, Judge Christopher Parker QC said that Mr Raymond was the “principal propagandist” for National Action, both before and after the ban and sat “at the centre of the web” as the group fragmented in an effort to evade the ban. The judge said: “In the shadows of the internet you continued to offer guidance to regional National Action organisations on tactics, security, organisation but most importantly propaganda. From the centre of that web you intended just as much as other associates that National Action should survive following proscription.”

The judge added: “It was intended that the documents produced by you would be used to create instability within society, hatred between white people and other ethnic groups and ultimately create racial violence on which National Action could capitalise. You intended that the material should be used to recruit new members, specifically new young members…those young people were at risk of being groomed by your behaviour into committing acts of extreme racial violence.”

Mr Raymond was sentenced to eight years in prison for membership and two years, to run concurrently, for the two offences relating to possession of terrorist documents. After release, he will be subject to terrorist notification requirements.

National Action was proscribed by the British Government following repeated calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.

Mr Raymond’s alleged co-founder recently pleaded not guilty to a single charge of membership of a proscribed organisation and will stand trial next year.

They are alleged to have founded the group when they were both university students.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Ben Raymond was the co-founder of National Action, the poster child group for neo-Nazis in Britain today. He was also its master propagandist, doing what he could to broadcast its message of racist hate. The ban on National Action, secured after calls from Campaign Against Antisemitism and others, was the first step, and convictions of its members are the second. This sentence, removing someone with grotesque and dangerous views from society, is the third.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

Image credit: Counter Terrorism Policing

A man has been convicted of religiously-aggravated harassment after sending Alan Sugar a series of abusive and antisemitic letters.

Lord Sugar, the former host of The Apprentice television show, was reluctant to refer the matter to the police, but thanks officers for “helping to shine a light on the fact that this type of behaviour is simply not acceptable.”

Patrick Gomes, 70, sent three letters to one of Lord Sugar’s business premises in Loughton between October and December 2018, according to Essex Police.

Each letter was addressed to Lord Sugar and reportedly included abusive, threatening and offensive language that was also derogatory towards the Jewish faith.

Mr Gomes was arrested at his home in Leyton in March 2019, after his DNA and fingerprints were found on one of the letters. Police found additional discriminatory letters, and discovered that the address of the letters to Lord Sugar was in Mr Gomes’ address book.

Mr Gomes denied involvement but was found guilty of religiously-aggravated harassment, putting those targeted in fear of violence, on 1st December at Chelmsford Crown Court.

He did not appear at court and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on 2nd December and is being remanded in custody to await sentencing, which will take place on 23rd December.

A spokeswoman for Chelmsford Crown Court said a sentencing hearing has been listed for 23rd December.

Lord Sugar said: “I would like to pass on my sincere gratitude to the police for their assistance in this case. I have to be honest, I was reluctant to pass this matter on to the police as they are already stretched and have enough on their plates…I would like to thank them sincerely for helping to shine a light on the fact that this type of behaviour is simply not acceptable and that racism or any form of discrimination is simply not acceptable.”

Investigating officer PC Marc Arnold, of Epping Forest’s Community Policing Team, said: “Nobody should ever be subjected to this level of abuse or fear physical violence because of their faith. I’m really pleased that justice has been rightly served. There is simply no excuse for any hate crime and if this happens to you or you witness this type of behaviour, please tell us – we will not tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind and neither should you.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Lord Sugar was right to refer this matter to the police. There must be zero tolerance for antisemitic crime, but that can only happen when victims report incidents. If racism against Jews is allowed to fester, the number of victims will only grow. We commend the police for pursuing the matter, and trust that the sentence will be proportionate to the crime.”

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 has launched a new weekly podcast. New episodes of Podcast Against Antisemitism are available every Thursday and can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.

The Metropolitan Police are investigating as a hate crime an attack on a bus travelling down Oxford Street yesterday carrying a group of Jewish teenagers celebrating Chanukah.

The attack was filmed by passengers on the bus and appeared to show a group of men hitting the vehicle with their hands and then their shoes, spitting on it, trying to break windows and performing Hitler salutes.

The assailants were told that the passengers are Jewish and then hurled antisemitic insults and slogans.

The men appear to be of Middle Eastern heritage and hitting an object of antipathy with one’s shoes is common in that region.

The teenagers were on their way to a candle lighting ceremony in central London to celebrate Chanukah.

Campaign Against Antisemitism and others publicised the video and called on the police to investigate. We are also in contact with the victims.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These are shocking images of an abhorrent attack on a bus carrying Jewish passengers at the heart of London during the festival of Chanukah. We are in contact with the victims. Police must investigate and identify suspects.”

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.

The New York Police Department is looking for three women who are allegedly behind a spree of assaults on Jewish people.

According to police, the suspects slapped a three-year-old boy across the face last Friday and pulled an eighteen-year-old girl to the ground on Sunday. Shortly after, the women reportedly slapped a nine-year-old boy on the head repeatedly.

All three of the victims were said to have been visibly Jewish. 

Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or reach out via the CrimeStoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: New York Police Department

A woman in Swindon was reported to the police after neighbours saw a swastika flag hanging in her bedroom window.

One local resident said that “You couldn’t miss the flag,” adding: “It’s vile and this is such a nice area which makes it even more shocking. We’re all disgusted. That symbol means nothing but hate and evil. Why would anyone want to have it hanging on display for everyone to see through the window?”

When asked about the flag, the homeowner reportedly only said that she had “lots of flags in my home.” It was also alleged that her stepdad Derek, when told that the swastika was a racist symbol, said: “So? You want to mind your own business.”

Wiltshire Police said: “We responded to a call from a member of the public on Friday evening, who reported having seen what appeared to be a Nazi flag hung inside a room of an address in Lower Stratton, Swindon.

“Our officers attended the address that evening and gave strong words of advice to the person living there to advise that possession of the flag was not illegal, but that if it can be viewed from a public area, this could be considered a racially aggravated public order offence. The person agreed to remove it from public view.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism: “It is sickening to think that there are still people in Britain who take pleasure in hanging giant Nazi banners in their homes. This person even apparently had the audacity to display the flag for anyone looking from outside to see. She vastly underestimated the common decency of her neighbours. If it happens again, the police must issue more than just warnings.”

Hundreds of residents of the Pennsylvania town of Lancaster turned out to support the town’s Jewish community after a chanukiah in the town-centre was vandalised

The custom built steel chanukiah, which was designed by Mark Joshua Lewin, was damaged just hours after its unveiling in Penn Square.

On Sunday, the first night of Chanukah, hundreds of residents came out to support the city’s Jewish community. Messages of support and concern were also posted on social media and around the town.

A message board outside a Quaker hall read: “We stand with our Jewish neighbours: there is no room for hate in Lancaster County.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Combat Antisemitism

The co-founder of National Action has today been found guilty of membership in the proscribed neo-Nazi organisation

Ben Raymond, 32, helped launch the group in 2013, with Bristol Crown Court hearing how he coined the term “white jihad”.

Mr Raymond, from Swindon, is the seventeenth person to be found guilty of membership in the banned group. He was also convicted of possessing a manifesto written by the far-right terrorist Andrews Breivik, as well as a guide to homemade detonators, but was found not guilty of four counts of possessing other documents.

National Action was proscribed by the British Government following repeated calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.

Mr Raymond’s alleged co-founder recently pleaded not guilty to a single charge of membership of a proscribed organisation and will stand trial next year.

They are alleged to have founded the group when they were both university students.

Mr Raymond remained involved in the group, even after it was banned, producing much of its material and reportedly being likened to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister. He also remained in contact with other leading figures in the group, several of whom have been jailed.

Mr Raymond has been remanded in custody, with sentencing expected at the same court on Friday.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Ben Raymond was the co-founder of National Action, the poster child group for neo-Nazis in Britain today. He was also its master propagandist, doing what he could to broadcast its message of racist hate. The ban on National Action, secured after calls from Campaign Against Antisemitism and others, was the first step, and convictions of its members are the second. We trust that the sentence will be proportionate to the very serious charges on which Mr Raymond has been found guilty.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

Image credit: Counter Terrorism Policing

Antisemitic flyers alleging that the COVID-19 pandemic has been masterminded by Jews were distributed to Beverly Hills homes. 

The flyers were found yesterday, shortly before the Jewish community ushered in the first night of Chanukah. Written at the top reads “Every single aspect of the COVID agenda is Jewish” alongside the domain “goyim.tv”, a website affiliated with the “Goyim Defence League”, a group whose membership reportedly contains several neo-Nazis and is understood to be led by Jon Minadeo II. The group is responsible for stunts such as visiting a Chabad centre to claim that “these Jewish terrorists” were behind 9/11, and hanging a banner on a Los Angeles overpass reading “Honk if you know the Jews want a race war.” Earlier this year, Mr Minadeo II created t-shirts carrying antisemitic slogans such as the Holocaust was “a hoax”. Most recently, they hung a banner from a bridge in Austin, Texas that read “Vax the Jews”.

The Beverly Hills Police Department released a statement in which it labelled the event a “hate incident” and confirmed that an investigation was underway. The police received a call from a resident shortly after 18:00 yesterday who reported “a flyer containing hate speech.” After undertaking a search, police discovered that more flyers of the same design, enclosed inside plastic bags of rice in order to anchor them, had been distributed across other homes nearby.

The flyer was described as a single eight-and-a-half-inch by eleven-inch sheet of paper that contained “propaganda style hate speech related to the COVID pandemic and the Jewish people.”

Singer Pat Boone said that “There is no rational reason for this kind of prejudice or bigotry. It is not founded on anything that makes any sense at all,” while Beverly Hills Mayor Robert Wunderlich reportedly said: “All too often Beverly Hills has been a target for various sorts of hate crimes and we won’t tolerate it.” 

Anyone with information regarding the incident was urged to call the police at 310-550-4951.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A jury in Virginia has found that prominent white supremacists and white-supremacist organisations are liable for more than $26 million (£19.5 million) in damages from the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, in which one civil rights activist was killed and dozens were injured.

During the rally, held to oppose the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, white supremacists marched through the town carrying torches and chanting “Jews will not replace us.”

The case, seeking damages for the physical and emotional injuries caused at the rally, was brought about by the civil rights organisation “Integrity First for America”, alongside those injured in the violence as well as other town residents. The jury in the civil trial heard testimony for four weeks and took three days to deliberate.

Evidence entered in the trial known as Sines v. Kessler included social media posts, text messages and online chats between the rally organisers. According to the jury, the plaintiffs proved that the defendants – who included event organiser Jason Kessler and Richard Spencer, thought to have coined the term “alt-right” – violated a Virginia conspiracy law in advance of the event.

In her testimony, Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt said that there was “a great deal of overt antisemitism and adulation of the Third Reich.” Ms Lipstadt added that “very few things” surprised her, but she was “taken aback” by the evidence she saw.

According to reports, antisemitic slurs and hate speech were frequently heard from defendants during the trial, with defendant Michael Hill pledging during testimony that he was “a white supremacist, a racist, an antisemite, a homophobe, a xenophobe, an Islamophobe, and any other sort of ‘phobe’ that benefits my people, so help me God.’”

Commenting on the result in a statement, Integrity First for America said that the case had sent “a clear message” that “violent hate won’t go unanswered.” The statement added: “At a moment of rising extremism, major threats to our democracy, and far too little justice, the case has provided a model of accountability.”

During the 2017 violence, white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr drove his car into a crowd, killing civil rights activist Heather Heyer and injuring dozens. Mr Fields was convicted of murder in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

One of the Jewish cemeteries in Belgrade, Serbia was vandalised on Wednesday night when an axe was thrown through its chapel window.

A spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Belgrade said that the vandalism had caused serious material damage, adding that “severe physical injuries or even death” could have occurred had the chapel been occupied at the time. “This act reminds us of Kristallnacht,” they added.

On Thursday, European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin called upon Serbia’s Minister of Internal Affairs to carry out a full investigation. Rabbi Margolin said: “It is clear that whoever was responsible has no respect for the dead, never mind the living. We extend our support to our Jewish brothers and sisters in Belgrade and Serbia as a whole, who must be reeling at this attack, and feeling vulnerable.

“I have written to Serbian minister [sic] of Internal Affairs asking for a robust response to the attack, as well as a full throated condemnation, lest the antisemites that carried out this act believe that it is now open season on Jewish buildings in Serbia.”

It was also reported that Serbia’s Jewish community has faced other incidents of hostility recently, which included a campaign of repeated, antisemitic harassment against a well-known Jewish epidemiologist that involved comparisons made between him and Josef Mengele, and the infamous Nazi doctor. Demonstrations were also reportedly made outside of the epidemiologist’s home, whereby demonstrators wore yellow Stars of David.

Threats of a second Holocaust, as well as Nazi symbols, antisemitic emails, have also been made against the Community’s Facebook page.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Chabad Serbia

A far-right Italian lawmaker has apologised for referring to a Holocaust survivor by the tattoo number that was forced upon her as a teenager in Auschwitz concentration camp.

Liliana Segre, who received the tattoo when she was thirteen years old, has been an outspoken supporter of COVID-19 health measures. It was on this point that Fabio Meroni, a member of the city council of Lissone who represents the far-right party Northern League, criticised her in a Facebook post, whereupon he referred to her using the number of her tattoo, stating: “All that was missing [in the vaccine debate] was…75190.”

Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.

The far-right figure was condemned for his comments by both political and religious figures alike. Lissone councilors from the center-left Partito Democratico urged Mr Meroni to apologise, stating that equating the process of vaccination with Nazis was “vulgar” and would “offend all people with historical awareness and a sense of humanity.”

Mr Meroni responded by saying that he used “that number instead of her name to avoid getting banned from Facebook.” 

Walker Meghnagi, President of Milan’s Jewish community, said that it was “intolerable” for a public figure to use such “vile terms” against “those who have suffered the horror of the racial laws on their own skin.”

After receiving substantial backlash for his comments, Mr Meroni wrote that “in this climate of hatred, unfortunately, I too got involved and I tried to express my thoughts in a totally wrong way,” later adding: “I want to apologise to Senator Liliana Segre, it was not my intention in any way to offend you and if one day I will have the honor of being able to speak to you, I will personally explain my thoughts.”

The initial post has since been removed from Facebook. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A far-right influencer who reportedly stormed the US Capitol earlier this year has now been charged with damaging a Chanukah display in Arizona. 

Tim Gionet, who is also known as “Baked Alaska” and has been accused of harbouring neo-Nazi views, faces charges of criminal damage and attempted criminal damage after allegedly vandalising the Chanukah display at the Arizona Capitol building in Phoenix in December 2020.

One of the organisers of the Chanukah presentation at Wesley Bolin Plaza stated that video footage shows Mr Gionet tearing a sign off the festive display. Arizona’s Rabbi Levi Levertov said that he viewed the incident as “an attack on an entire community.”  

Mr Gionet also faces charges over allegedly storming the US Capitol during the riot on 6th January, and is also awaiting sentencing after he was convicted of assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing in an incident in which authorities state that he shot pepper spray at an employee at a bar in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

An Ohio man who spat on his Jewish neighbours and told them that Adolf Hitler should have gassed them has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. 

The man has also been ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 and one year of supervised release for criminally interfering with the right to fair housing. 

Court documents reveal how on 7th November 2020, Douglas G. Schifer, 66, broke his neighbours’ windows, spat on them, and hurled antisemitic abuse and threats towards them.

Mr Schifer was quoted as saying: “All you f***ing people, it’s no wonder Hitler burned you people in ovens,” “f***ing Hitler should have gassed you,” and “Jews burn, you belong in ovens.” He also threatened to shoot both his neighbours and their dog.

Mr Schifer’s trial was held in July, where he pleaded guilty in federal court to criminally interfering with the right to fair housing.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A Jewish child was attacked by a local gang in Stamford Hill.

The twelve-year-old victim was grabbed by the neck and kicked.

The gang is believed to be associated with the nearby Webb Estate and is accused of harassing Jewish residents for years.

The attack took place at 18:05 on 18th November on Leadale 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 8336 18/11/2021.

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.

A Jewish child was threatened with a knife in Stamford Hill yesterday.

The twelve-year-old victim was riding his bicycle to school and was accosted by a 65-year-old man who said to him: “I will take out a knife to you, if you pass by again.”

The incident took place at 08:05 on 24th November on Leadale 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 310 17/11/2021.

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.

The four men charged in connection with the alleged antisemitic abuse shouted from a ‘Free Palestine’ convoy in North London in May have appeared in court today.

Mohammed Iftikhar Hanif, 27; Jawaad Hussain, 24; Asif Ali, 25; and Adil Mota, 26, all from Blackburn, all appeared remotely at Wood Green Crown Court today and pleaded not guilty to charges of using threatening, abusive or insulting words, or behaviour, with intent, likely to stir up racial hatred.

The charges relate to the convoy on 16th May, participants in which were caught on video allegedly shouting through a megaphone “F*** the Jews…rape their daughters” as they drove through Jewish neighbourhoods waving the flag of the Palestinian Authority, during fighting between Hamas and Israel.

The incident took place a stone’s throw from a synagogue in West Hampstead and continued into St John’s Wood. The convoy had previously and provocatively passed through other Jewish neighbourhoods as well, including Hendon and Golders Green.

The abuse was condemned by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Service admitted that they had failed so badly to monitor the convoy that it took hours to find the car in question, which was identified from photographs taken by a Jewish member of the public who had the presence of mind to capture images of the vehicles’ licence plates. Later that day, the four arrests were made.

The charges are punishable by up to three years in prison.

Today’s trial preparation and plea hearing will be followed by a further remote hearing on 11th February 2022.

Last week, the Home Secretary announced a full ban on the antisemitic genocidal terrorist Hamas in the UK, following calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and allies.

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.

Swastikas that were spray-painted on a road in Lehigh Acres, Florida remained there for weeks before being removed, it has been reported

The Nazi symbols are understood to have been painted over on Friday, though not before being discovered by local residents.

One resident stated that what bothered him the most was “that someone with that sort of attitude would even be in this area.” 

It was also pointed out that the symbols were “down the road” from one of the local school bus stops.

Gerald Reisdorf, another member of the community, said: “I guess they maybe want to send a message. ‘What message?’ I don’t know. You know, to me, it’s childish.

“I’m old enough to know what the second world war is about… all of that stuff, you know. And I thought that was behind us.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A man in Manhattan had his kippah grabbed from his head by an unidentified male who also made an antisemitic comment, it was reported on Friday.

According to the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit, when asked to give back the kippah, the assailant allegedly threw it at the 34-year-old victim. Police said the attacker and the victim did not know each other. 

In a tweet that referred to a “disgusting” act, Mayor Bill De Blasio wrote: “Get the message: if you commit an act of antisemitism in our city you will face the consequences.” 

Alongside an image of the suspect issued by police, Mayor De Blasio added: “If you have any information on this disgusting act, contact the NYPD immediately.” 

A local website cited statistics from the NYPD noting that up until 31st October 2021, hate crimes against New York City’s Jewish residents had increased by 48 percent since 2020, with 164 attacks compared to 111. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

Image credit: New York Police Department

Antisemitic flyers were found at a church in Westfield, New Jersey.

The flyers at the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church reportedly threatened harm.

Ethan Prosnit, the senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El of Westfield, said: “The Westfield Clergy Association met and discussed the flyers and I thank my clergy partners who brought the antisemitic literature to the authorities.

“I am proud to be in a community where my faith partners take antisemitism seriously and where we work together to make our town a place that honours diversity.”

Swastikas have been found in public spaces in Westfield in the past.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Google

Jewish ladies were chased on Clapton Common by a gang of thirteen-year-olds shouting about suicide and reportedly implying “threats to kill”.

The gang is believed to be associated with the nearby Webb Estate and is accused of harassing Jewish residents for years.

The incident took place at around 19:00 on 16th November on Clapton Common 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: CAD56 17/11/2021.

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.

It has been reported that a Jewish man was verbally abused before the offender exposed himself and began chasing the victim. 

The suspect reportedly yelled “f**k Jews” before exposing himself to the Jewish man and chasing him “some distance, all the time the offender was holding his exposed private parts.”

The incident took place in Clapton Common and was reported yesterday 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: 4628541/21

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.

Three men have been arrested so far in connection with the shocking “death to Jews” march in Poland last week.

The rally took place last Thursday ­– Poland’s Independence Day ­– in Kalisz, in the centre of the country. Participants marched to the market square chanting “death to enemies of the fatherland.”

Demonstrators also burned a copy of the General Charter of Jewish Liberties, also known as the Statute of Kalisz or the Kalisz Privilege, a medieval document that granted the Jewish community rights and protection in Polish lands.

Upon the burning, Wojciech Olszanski, a far-right activist who organised the march and is also known as Aleksander Jablonowski, said: “We are abolishing Jewish rights in this land!” and “Death to the enemies of Poland!” The crowd responded with chants of “Death! Death! Death!”

Mr Olszanski also declared: “LGBT, pederasts and Zionists are the enemies of Poland.”

Although Government and local officials condemned the far-right rally, in which hundreds participated, and a counter-protest called “Kalisz — free from fascism” was held on Sunday, concerns were raised as to why it took several days for arrests to be made.

Mr Olszanski was arrested, as was Piotr Rybak, who burned an effigy of a Jew. In 2019, he reportedly went to Auschwitz on the anniversary of the death camp’s liberation and said: “It’s time to fight against Jewry and free Poland from them!”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This abhorrent neo-Nazi rally is a repulsive testament to the persistence of far-right antisemitism. The promotion of such grotesque views at this march, held on Poland’s Independence Day, does a disservice to Polish patriotism. How this march was approved in the first place, despite the record of its participants, raises serious questions, but we welcome the condemnations of the rally by Polish authorities and the arrests of its ringleaders. They must now suffer the full legal consequences of their actions.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

An investigation has been launched by Ottawa police’s hate crime unit after a courthouse has been defaced with swastika graffiti. 

The sign outside the courthouse was also defaced with the letters ‘SS’, the abbreviation of Schutzstaffel, which was the leading paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

Graffiti was also reportedly found daubed on Ottawa City Hall. Police have said that they were called to the area of Laurier Avenue West and Elgin Street yesterday at around 8:20.

B’nai Brith Canada called the incident “disturbing” and called for a Holocaust Remembrance across Canada “to combat Jew-hate in educational systems.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A group of people allegedly attacked a man in Brooklyn in what police have described as an antisemitic incident.

The 25-year-old victim was walking in the vicinity of Empire Boulevard and Albany Avenue in the heavily-Jewish neighbourhood of Crown Heights at around 20:00 on 11th November. The victim reported to police that he had been punched in the face by an assailant who had made antisemitic remarks.

The suspect has been described as a male with dark complexion, around nineteen years old, 5”10 and approximately 140lbs.

A group of five people wearing hoodies and face coverings were also apparently seen walking on the pavement nearby. It is not clear whether the group was involved in the attack.

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident as aggravated harassment.

The ADL has offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

There has been a surge of attacks on Jews in Brooklyn that have involved antisemitic epithets, including the hurling of a projectile at a man from a moving car, the beating of a man outside a nightclub, and a pregnant woman having a drink thrown in her face ­– all in just the past few weeks.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

An eleven-year-old Jewish boy was allegedly attacked in France by two fourteen-year-olds in what is believed to be an antisemitic attack.

The incident took place in Essonnes, just south of Paris, in September, but has only now been revealed by Le Parisien.

According to a court account, the victim was walking home from school with his classmates when he was approached by the two suspects, who asked him if he was Jewish. When he said yes, they reportedly began to beat and choke him while verbally abusing him.

One of the assailants allegedly said: “Dirty Jew, we are going to suffocate you with gas as they did before to the Jews,” before putting his hand on the victim’s mouth. They told the victim to “surrender” before slamming him to the ground and performing Nazi salutes.

The abuse reportedly continued every day for a week until the victim told his parents. It is understood that the suspects will be charged with crimes related to antisemitic violence.

It is believed that one of the suspects claimed during questioning that he did not know what a Nazi salute was, while the other suspect did admit to understanding the gesture. One of their lawyers suggested that the pair had been influenced by a violent video game.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A woman shouted “f***ing Jew, dirty Jew!” at a Jewish driver before throwing a stone at the car.

The incident took place at 13:40 on 15th November on Filey Avenue in Stamford Hill, and was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

Police are interested to speak to a female driver of a black Nissan Juke, with registration DV17 HPE.

If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD4632 15/11/21.

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.

A man has pleaded guilty to wearing t-shirts in support of two banned antisemitic genocidal terrorist groups.

Feras Al Jayoosi, 34 and of Swindon, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today to four counts of wearing an article supporting a proscribed organisation.

One t-shirt reportedly worn by Mr Al Jayoosi supported the Izz al-Din al Qassem Brigades, which is the so-called “military wing” of the Hamas terrorist group. Hamas’ so-called “political wing” is not currently proscribed in the UK, although Campaign Against Antisemitism and others are urging the Home Secretary to proscribe Hamas in full, given that the supposed distinction between the “wings” is bogus and creates a dangerous loophole in Britain.

The other t-shirt supported the banned Islamic Jihad group.

Mr Al Jayoosi was accused of wearing the shirts at Barbury Castle in Wiltshire on 30th May and then in the heavily-Jewish north London neighbourhood of Golders Green on 8th June and 9th June this year.

Mr Al Jayoosi was released on conditional bail. Sentencing is expected on 17th December.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This was yet another brazen display of support for the Hamas terrorist organisation, which seeks the genocide of all Jews worldwide. We welcome this verdict but the police have one hand tied behind their backs in dealing with this threat due to a legal loophole that the Government has yet to close. It is high time that the Government heeded our warnings by proscribing the entirety of Hamas instead of one notionally-distinct part of it.”

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.

Yacine Mihoub, 32, has been convicted of stabbing 85-year-old Mireille Knoll eleven times and has been sentenced to life in prison.

Ms Knoll, a Holocaust survivor, was murdered during a botched robbery in March 2018 that also saw her body set alight in an effort by the perpetrators to burn her apartment.

Alex Carrimbacus, 25, who was Mr Mihoub’s accomplice, was jailed for fifteen years for robbery motivated by antisemitism.

Ms Knoll had fled Paris in 1942 at nine years old with her mother, escaping to Portugal. They narrowly avoided the Vélodrome d’Hiver, or “Vél d’Hiv”, the largest roundup of French Jews during the Holocaust where over 13,000 men, women, and children were arrested with the majority being deported to Auschwitz. Less than 100 people returned.

Her murder was deemed an antisemitic incident with President Emanuel Macron stating that her killer “assassinated an innocent and vulnerable woman because she was Jewish.”

The court said that the attack was fuelled by a “context of antisemitism” and “prejudices” about the purported wealth of Jewish people which had led Mr Mihoub to believe that his victim had “hidden treasures” at her home.

Mr Carrimbacus claimed that he had heard Mr Mihoub shout “Allahu Akhbar,” the Islamic cry for “God is great”, at the scene, with both men blaming the other for the murder.

Ms Knoll lived next door to Mr Mihoub’s mother and had acted as a surrogate grandmother to her killer when he was a child.

Mr Mihoub’s mother, Zoulikha Khellaf, was also on trial after she was charged with cleaning the knife used to murder Ms Knoll. Ms Khellaf was found guilty of destroying objects and cleaning the murder weapon and was sentenced to three years in prison, including one year under electronic surveillance.

Tens of thousands of people were joined by Government officials in a recent silent march in memory of Ms Knoll.

The killing of Ms Knoll took place only one year after the murder of Sarah Halimi, which also occurred in Paris. Ms Halimi was a 65-year-old Jewish woman who was murdered by her 27-year-old Muslim neighbour, Kobili Traoré, after he tortured her before pushing her out of a window to her death. The Jewish community in France was carefully watching the trial of Ms Knoll’s murder after France’s Court of Cassation ruled earlier this year that Ms Halimi’s killer could not be held to stand trial due to being high on cannabis whilst committing the murder.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “After the disgraceful miscarriage of justice in the Sarah Halimi case, a life sentence for the murderer of Mirelle Knoll and prison terms for his accomplice and mother come as a relief, as does the court’s recognition of the role of antisemitism in the killing. The antisemitic murder of a Holocaust survivor is a monstrous illustration of the scale of Jew-hatred in France. It is no credit to the French judicial system that, given the Halimi precedent, this verdict and sentence were even in question. We hope that Ms Knoll’s family can now begin to mourn her. May her memory be for a blessing.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Facebook

It has been reported that a Jewish couple attending a maternity appointment at the Whittington Hospital in Upper Holloway, North London were verbally and physically assaulted.

A man allegedly swore at them before yelling: “Move away from CCTV so I can break your bones and open you up.” The man reportedly then threw a full two-litre bottle at the pregnant woman.

The incident was reported earlier today 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: CAD2741 09/11/21.

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.

A teenager has been arrested after reportedly waving a machete in front of a Jewish school in Lyon, France.

The act was said to have taken place outside of the College/Lycee Juive de Lyon in Lyon’s suburb of Villeurbanne on Thursday. It was also reported that the teenager threw marbles at the school’s students and called them “dirty Jews”. 

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association, said that the event demonstrated the fact that “the need for education against antisemitism must begin early,” adding that “For this boy, it was too late.” 

Currently in France, the trial over the 2018 murder of a Holocaust survivor is underway in Paris’ Court of Assizes.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

An arson attack on a synagogue in Austin, Texas has prompted a resolution by the City Council to condemn antisemitism and seek ways to combat hate. 

The attack on Austin’s Congregation Beth Israel on the night of 31st October was the latest in a series of incidents in the Texas city. In its response to the incidents, the Austin City Council passed a resolution condemning “all hateful speech and violent action that…promotes racism or discrimination, or harms the Jewish community.”

Speaking at the council session, Council Member Alison Alter said recent events were “simply further evidence of the challenges” the city faced. “The reality is that the hate is here, and we need to up our game, to lead our community, and to devote focus and attention so hate does not take root in our community.”

The resolution directs the Austin City Manager to work with local groups, including the ADL, “to review and then identify and implement improvements to the City’s response to hate.”

These improvements should include training for city staff to educate “participants in how hate manifests; how to effectively respond to incidents of hate; and how social media is used to propagate hate.”

Damage to the synagogue was so severe that its rabbi, Steve Folberg, and President, Lori Adelman, said in a message to congregants that it would take “weeks rather than days” to get their “sanctuary fit for occupancy” leading them to seek temporary accommodation for services.

A few days after the incident, some 500 people, including clergy and political leaders, gathered at the oldest synagogue in Texas – the B’nai Abraham – to condemn antisemitism. Rabbi Folberg and Ms Adelman said the rally and “expressions of solidarity” had been a source of strength for all  those “facing the practical and emotional demands of beginning to heal our community from this attack.”

In a media release, the Austin Fire Department issued stills from a security video of the arson suspect and his vehicle. The release said that the suspect had driven into the synagogue car park in a black SUV and approached the building carrying a five-gallon gasoline can. He then returned to his vehicle. The FBI is also now investigating the incident.

A series of antisemitic incidents in Austin have included the vandalising of a local high school with Nazi symbols, a banner hung from an overpass reading “Vax the Jews,” and the display of antisemitic posters on a local street.

Two of the incidents were allegedly committed by a local hate group calling itself the Goyim Defence League”, a group whose membership reportedly contains several neo-Nazis and is understood to be led by Jon Minadeo II. The group is responsible for stunts such as visiting a Chabad centre to claim that “these Jewish terrorists” were behind 9/11, and hanging a banner on a Los Angeles overpass reading “Honk if you know the Jews want a race war.” Earlier this year, Mr Minadeo II created t-shirts carrying antisemitic slogans such as the Holocaust was “a hoax”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

Two men have been arrested after a video surfaced earlier this week of West Ham fans chanting an antisemitic song at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match.

The West Ham supporters were on a Ryanair flight to Belgium where their club was playing KRC Genk. On the flight out, fans were filmed chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic fellow passenger.

Two men have now been arrested in connection with the incident. Essex Police released a statement on 5th November in which they confirmed that a 55-year-old man was arrested at Stansted Airport just before 16:00 on Friday. The man was arrested as he stepped off the plane from Belgium and was taken in to an Essex Police Station for questioning.

Essex Police Chief Superintendent Tom Simons, who is leading the investigation, later said: “Essex Police will not tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind. Having been made aware of the incident this morning, officers worked quickly to secure an arrest at the earliest possible opportunity.”

It has since emerged that a second arrest has been made. Essex Police announced that a 26-year-old man was arrested yesterday at approximately 16:30 as he stepped off a flight from the Netherlands. The 26-year-old was also taken in for questioning and has been released on police bail until 1st December. The police confirmed that the man was arrested on suspicion of Section 4A Public Order (racially or religiously aggravated).

Regarding the incident on the flight, a West Ham spokesperson has said in a statement: “West Ham United is appalled by the contents of the video circulating on social media and condemn the behaviour of the individuals involved. The club is liaising with the airline and relevant authorities to identify the individuals. We continue to be unequivocal in our stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Any individuals identified will be issued with an indefinite ban from the club. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the football club and we do not welcome any individuals who do not share those values.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to Ryanair asking what was done to protect the Jewish victim of the antisemitic chanting by the West Ham fans and how the airline will help the club identify and ban these supporters for life.

West Ham and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has called on Ryanair to help West Ham FC identify and ban fans who were filmed chanting an antisemitic song at a Hasidic passenger on a flight to a match.

The West Ham supporters were on a flight to Belgium where their club was playing KRC Genk. On the flight out, fans were filmed chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew” at a Hasidic fellow passenger.

This is not the first time that West Ham fans have been documented singing this antisemitic chant, or indeed engaging in other antisemitic abuse. Almost every year there is an incident related to antisemitism involving individual supporters or groups of fans of West Ham.

In 2016, two fans were convicted under the Crime and Disorder Act of racially aggravated harassment alarm and distress for singing antisemitic football songs on a train in 2015. British Transport Police issued an appeal for witnesses, which Campaign Against Antisemitism and others circulated widely.

In 2017, a Jewish man and his non-Jewish female companion were subjected to horrific antisemitic abuse by fans of West Ham on the London Underground.

In 2019, the club banned one supporter for life after video footage emerged apparently showing fans singing antisemitic chants in a game early in the 2018-19 football season.

Also that year, West Ham pledged to ban for life any fans that it identifies from a video in which football thugs can be heard chanting on public transport: “We’ll be running around Tottenham with our willies hanging out, singing ‘I’ve got a foreskin, haven’t you, f***ing Jew’.” Tottenham Hotspur has traditionally enjoyed the support of a large number of Jewish football fans.

Earlier this year, West Ham’s message on Facebook wishing the Jewish community a happy new year was inundated with negative – and in some cases explicitly antisemitic – responses, which the club has yet to take down.

Regarding this latest incident on the flight, a West Ham spokesperson has said in a statement: “West Ham United is appalled by the contents of the video circulating on social media and condemn the behaviour of the individuals involved. The club is liaising with the airline and relevant authorities to identify the individuals. We continue to be unequivocal in our stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Any individuals identified will be issued with an indefinite ban from the club. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the football club and we do not welcome any individuals who do not share those values.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is not the first time a minority of West Ham supporters have engaged in grotesque antisemitic abuse. Ryanair must explain what its crew did to protect the Jewish victim and disclose whether it has alerted the police. The airline must also assist West Ham to identify the supporters so that the club can fulfil its pledge to ban these fans for life. Football clubs have long said the right things about kicking racism out of the football, and here is an opportunity to translate those promises into action.”

West Ham and the Premier League have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

The Metropolitan Police Service released a statement yesterday in which they said that a man in his early 40s has been arrested in relation to a series of swastikas spray-painted near a North London synagogue and the surrounding area on Saturday.

Police have said that at this time that they are not looking for any other individuals in connection with the vandalism.

A 16-year-old boy was initially detained soon after 20:00 on Saturday by officers responding to reports received only 20 minutes earlier of a male seen spraying swastikas on walls near Belsize Square Synagogue. A police statement said that they have subsequently found numerous swastikas sprayed on walls in the surrounding area and that they are investigating whether the same suspect is responsible.

However, it was announced earlier this week that the teenager had been released without charge and was ruled out of the investigation. 

It was also reported to Campaign Against Antisemitism that sightings of similar swastikas have occurred on Fairfax Road and Daleham Gardens.

Jewish families on Ashtead Road were terrorised by a group of youths, who threw bricks and kicked front doors, breaking the locks.

The incident took place on 1st November 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: CAD7817 01/11/2021.

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

A Jewish child was racially abused by a woman in Stamford Hill.

The victim was walking on Portland when a woman, described as black and wearing a yellow blanket, shouted at him: “I am sorry to say you guys are the worst! F****** Jew!” She reportedly continued to point at him and shout expletives as he ran home, shocked traumatised.

The incident took place at 19:30 on 28th October 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: CAD7476 01/11/21.

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.

A suspect has been arrested after the phrase “f**k Jews” was spray painted outside a yeshiva in Gateshead on Saturday.

The individual was apprehended on the same day by yeshiva security before police arrived. It was reported that two similar incidents occurred in the area within the last month.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly after 00:30 on Saturday (30th October) Police received a report a male had sprayed antisemitic graffiti near the Swallow Hotel, on Gladstone Terrace, Gateshead. An investigation into the incident has been launched and officers are treating the incident as a hate crime.

“Enquiries remain ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact police via the Tell us Something page, or by calling 101 quoting crime number 120031T/21.”

A Jewish man returning from synagogue was hit in the head with glass bottle, which reportedly broke, leaving him covered in a yellow liquid.

The attack took place on Rossington Street in Stamford Hill in the evening of 30th October 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: 4628710/21.

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.

Swastikas bearing a similar resemblance to the ones found near a North London synagogue a few days ago have been discovered nearby.  

On Saturday, the Metropolitan Police Service appealed for witnesses after officers arrested a teenage on suspicion of religiously aggravated criminal damage after swastikas were spray painted near a synagogue.

The 16-year-old boy was detained soon after 20:00 today by officers responding to reports received only 20 minutes earlier of a male seen spraying swastikas on walls near Belsize Square Synagogue. A police statement said that they have subsequently found numerous swastikas sprayed on walls in the surrounding area and that they are investigating whether the same suspect is responsible.

Appealing for witnesses, the Metropolitan Police Service said that “Anyone who witnessed the offences taking place or who has other information and has not yet spoken to police should call 101, giving the reference 6604/30OCT.”

Now, more swastikas have been discovered not far from Belsize Park Synagogue. It has been reported to us that sightings of similar swastikas have occurred on Fairfax Road and Daleham Gardens.

Graffiti that reads “(((Zionist hivemin)))” has been daubed on a residential building in East London.

The multiple brackets, also known as an “echo”, are used by some far-right groups in order to inform others that someone is Jewish. In response, many Jewish social media users have adopted the echo as a means of reclamation. 

The word “hivemin” is believed to be an incorrect spelling of “hivemind”, referring to a collective way of thinking.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “On the afternoon of Wednesday, 27th October police were made aware of antisemitic graffiti on a residential property in Durant Street, E2. Officers have asked the local authority to remove the graffiti. Enquiries are ongoing.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit. 

Image credit: Google

The Metropolitan Police Service has appealed for witnesses after officers arrested a teenage on suspicion of religiously aggravated criminal damage after swastikas were spray painted near a synagogue.

The 16-year-old boy was detained soon after 20:00 today by officers responding to reports received only 20 minutes earlier of a male seen spraying swastikas on walls near Belsize Square Synagogue. A police statement said that they have subsequently found numerous swastikas sprayed on walls in the surrounding area and that they are investigating whether the same suspect is responsible.

Appealing for witnesses, the Metropolitan Police Service said that “Anyone who witnessed the offences taking place or who has other information and has not yet spoken to police should call 101, giving the reference 6604/30OCT.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is a deeply disturbing crime and we commend the Metropolitan Police Service for its swift and effective response. We will follow this case with interest.”

It has been reported that the far-right group Patriotic Alternative has posted flyers through Jewish homes in Borehamwood calling for the ban of kosher and halal meat. 

Patriotic Alternative 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.

It is led by the former head of the youth wing of the BNP, Mark Collett, who is reported to have dabbled in Holocaust denial, collaborated with the infamous American antisemite David Duke, and espoused antisemitic and racist views.

Police have reportedly increased patrols in the area. A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “We are aware a number of residents in Borehamwood have received leaflets through their doors that have caused distress and offence,” said a force spokesperson. While no crimes have been committed, this has been recorded as a hate incident and we would like to reassure you that we take such matters very seriously. As a result, you will be seeing additional police patrols in the area.”

Leader of the Hertsmere Labour group, councillor Jeremy Newmark, said: “[The leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups] share my view that there is no room for Patriotic Alternative in Hertsmere. They will not be allowed to get a foodhold round here.”

Earlier this year, the far-right group was found to be using the social media platform Telegram to create neo-Nazi channels dedicated to sharing vile messages, antisemitic conspiracy theories and images glorifying Hitler. A report into Patriotic Alternative published last summer found that several members of the group engaged in Holocaust denial.    

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

The trial over the 2018 murder of a Holocaust survivor began yesterday in Paris’ Court of Assizes.

Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor, fled Paris in 1942 at nine years old with her mother, escaping to Portugal. They narrowly avoided the Vélodrome d’Hiver, or “Vél d’Hiv”, the largest roundup of French Jews during the Holocaust where over 13,000 men, women, and children were arrested with the majority being deported to Auschwitz. Less than 100 people returned. 

On 23rd March, 2018, Ms Knoll was killed after being stabbed eleven times in her Paris apartment. Her body was found partially burned after those responsible for her murder then attempted to set her apartment on fire. The murder was deemed an antisemitic incident with President Emanuel Macron stating that her killer “assassinated an innocent and vulnerable woman because she was Jewish.”

The two accused of her murder are 32-year-old Yacine Mihoub and 25-year-old Alex Carrimbacus. It has been reported that Ms Knoll lived in the same building as Mr Mihoub and his family and knew the defendant since he was a child. Mr Mihoub, who reportedly made unannounced visits regularly to Ms Knoll, was said to have arrived with Mr Carrimbacus at Ms Knoll’s apartment where the two accused began drinking her port wine. It was during this visit that Ms Knoll was stabbed eleven times. The pair, who reportedly met in prison, have contrasting accounts of what occurred, though neither deny that they were both present at the scene of the murder. 

Mr Carrimbacus told investigators that Mr Mihoub approached him about a “money scheme” and “talked about Jews’ money” and “their wealth”, prompting magistrates to treat the killing as an antisemitic hate crime. Mr Carrimbacus alleges that Mr Mihoub angrily accused Ms Knoll of providing information to the police which resulted in his last prison sentence before slitting her throat and yelling “Allahu Akhbar,” the Islamic cry for “God is great.” However, Mr Mihoub claims that it was Mr Carrimbacus who killed Ms Knoll before robbing the apartment. Both men claim that the other started the fire after the killing. Investigators told media outlets on Tuesday that the men had a propensity “to lie” and “to manipulate”, rendering neither account particularly credible. 

In November 2020, an appeal made by the accused to the Paris Court of Appeal to drop the charge of antisemitism was rejected after the court believed that Mr Carrimbacus’s claim that he overheard Mr Mihoub lecturing Ms Knoll about “the financial means of the Jews, their good situation,” with Ms Knoll answering that “not all Jews have a good situation,” to be “plausible”. Court documents described the incident as the culpable homicide of someone “they knew to be vulnerable owing to her physical condition, and which in addition was carried out because of her Jewish faith.”

The court also acknowledged Mr Mihoub’s “ambivalence vis-à-vis Islamist terrorism which notably advocates antisemitism.” Following the murder, a police investigation found that Mr Mihoub regularly visited websites featuring content that promoted Islamism and antisemitism, and was already known to authorities for praising Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, the brothers behind the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting.

Mr Mihoub’s mother, Zoulikha Khellaf, is also on trial after she was charged with cleaning the knife used to murder Ms Knoll. 

Mr Carrimbacus’ lawyer, Karim Laouafi, argued that the charge of antisemitism should only be brought against Mr Mihoub, stating that “these elements are not present in Alex Carrimbacus. If the crime is antisemitic, that cannot be blamed on him.”

Charles Consigny, Mr Mihoub’s defence, responded by asserting that Mr Carrimbacus’ accusations of antisemitism against Mr Mihoub were lies. “It only exists because Carrimbacus invented a motive, and the prosecutors weren’t brave enough to drop it in the face of public pressure,” Mr Consigny said yesterday.

The Knoll family’s lawyer, Gilles-William Goldnadel, said yesterday that both of the accused should face “severe punishment for this horrible crime.” Speaking to reports as he entered the court, Mr Goldnadel said “We will need a miracle for the truth to come out of their mouths,” adding that Ms Knoll’s murder was a clear case of “antisemitism motivated by financial gain.”

In an interview, Ms Knoll’s son Alain said “I haven’t cried since my mother died, and I hope that when the murderers have been convicted, I will finally be able to cry…I want to know who stabbed my mother’s body eleven times. You must really hate in order to be able to do that, and this hatred can only be antisemitism.”

His brother Daniel added: “These people are not part of the community of humankind. They are monsters, they must be considered as monsters. Can we talk to monsters? I think it’s going to be next to impossible to talk to them.”

The killing of Ms Knoll took place only one year after the murder of Sarah Halimi, also occuring in Paris. Ms Halimi was a 65-year-old Jewish woman who was murdered by her 27-year-old Muslim neighbour, Kobili Traoré, after he tortured her before pushing her out of a window to her death. The Jewish community in France is said to be carefully watching the trial of Ms Knoll’s murder after France’s Court of Cassation ruled earlier this year that Sarah Halimi’s killer could not be held to stand trial due to being high on cannabis whilst committing the murder. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

Image credit: Facebook

Jewish residents in Paris have received hate mail that said “Dirty Jews Out”.

The incident reportedly took place last week in the French capital’s suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis where two Jewish neighbours in the same apartment block received the same letter.

The National Vigilance Bureau for Countering Antisemitism (BNCVA), an organisation in Paris that assists the victims of antisemitic attacks, released a statement in which they implored local police to “arrest the antisemitic delinquents who want to eject the Jewish citizens of France.” 

It continued: “[The Jewish residents of Seine-Saint-Denis are the] victims of fire bombings of synagogues and Jewish schools, of attacks on Jews in stadiums or in the street, in schools and universities, often in cities with a leftist or Communist leadership that ostentatiously supports the boycott of Israel, or even Islamist terrorists.” It added that many Jewish people in the area had left in recent years.

Just days before this incident, Jewish residents of Seine-Saint-Denis were subjected to having newspaper articles covered with antisemitic scrawlings posted through their letterboxes. These included racist tropes of “Jewish power” and the allegation that Jewish people use the memory of the Holocaust to further their own agenda.  

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.  

Image credit: BNCVA via The Algemeiner

An online Sabbath service held by Manchester Reform Synagogue was zoombombed with Nazi imagery on Friday night.

Zoombombing is when people join a Zoom video call with the intention of derailing it. This usually involves spewing antisemitic, racist, or otherwise hateful rhetoric.

The synagogue’s rabbi, Robyn Ashworth-Steen, said that “Halfway through the service, during some prayers, [the offenders] unmuted, started to shout, and put on the screen a swastika and some other awful racist images. They were kicked out straight away but it was clear through the service that they were trying to get in.”

Rabbi Ashworth-Steen added on social media that while the community was shaken, they took comfort in its strength, writing: “We realise our collective strength. Then we get to the aleynu [sic] prayer and understand it is on us to fight racism and fascism within us and on our streets – for all minorities and persecuted people. Then we return to the Shabbat bride, the gift of rest and know we will emerge renewed. Shabbat shalom all.”

An anonymous attendee at the service told Campaign Against Antisemitism that they found the incident “very unsettling”.

“The service was like any other and when singing along to ‘Yom Zeh l’Yisrael’, a particularly upbeat, joyous tune, a German flag with a large swastika in the middle suddenly appeared on screen,” she said, and went on to say that while the act of antisemitism was dealt with extremely quickly, lasting approximately three seconds, it meant that the rest of the service, as well as the morning service the next day, felt uncomfortable. 

It is notable that Manchester Reform Synagogue was featured in the television series Ridley Road, a programme that tells the story of Jewish activists fighting against fascism in 1960s Britain. The attendee said that the fact that the zoombombers chose that synagogue in particular to target made the incident “feel a little too close to home.” 

She added: “The only positive I can take is that the service was online so no one was physically hurt.”

Greater Manchester Police reportedly confirmed that while there have not been any arrests yet, inquiries were still being conducted.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has previously reported on the phenomenon of ‘Zoom bombing’ and has urged communal institutions to take precautions to safeguard against antisemitic disruption of online events. 

The Hon. Piers Portman, the youngest living son of the 9th Viscount Portman and heir to 110 acres of West End real estate, has today been sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay over £20,000 after being found guilty last month of calling Gideon Falter, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chief Executive, “Jewish scum” in a confrontation at a courthouse in 2018.

Passing sentence at Southwark Crown Court, His Honour Judge Gregory Perrins said that Mr Portman has “strongly-held antisemitic beliefs”, and that he had “deliberately targeted Mr Falter because of his role in prosecuting Alison Chabloz.” Ms Chabloz is an antisemite who has been repeatedly imprisoned following work by Campaign Against Antisemitism.

In scathing sentencing remarks, HHJ Perrins told Mr Portman: “You said you’re an honourable British gentleman. You’re anything but.”

HHJ Perrins then imprisoned him for four months, with the possibility of release on licence after two months, and ordered him to pay a £10,000 fine, make an additional £10,000 compensatory payment to the victim, Mr Falter, and pay court costs. Mr Falter is donating the entire £10,000 to Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Mr Portman, 50, was prosecuted after approaching Mr Falter, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chief Executive, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 14th June 2018 following the sentencing of Alison Chabloz, a notorious Holocaust denier and antisemite. Campaign Against Antisemitism had brought a private prosecution against Ms Chabloz which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) took over, and which ultimately led to a conviction and landmark legal precedent. Mr Falter had testified against Ms Chabloz, who has since been repeatedly sent to prison over her antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust and claiming that Holocaust survivors had invented their suffering for financial gain.

Mr Portman followed Mr Falter out of the courtroom and confronted him in the lobby of the court building, where an enraged Mr Portman came close to Mr Falter and said: “I’m Piers Portman. I have written to you before. Come after me, you Jewish scum. Come and persecute me. Come and get me.”

Mr Portman was referring to a 1,527-word e-mailed screed previously sent to Campaign Against Antisemitism in which he denounced his former wife and her divorce lawyer, Baroness Fiona Shackleton each as a “greedy, grasping and lying manipulator of the system that happens to be Jewish.” He accused his former wife of “playing the Talmud inspired ‘Tyrant posing as a victim.’” Noting in the e-mail that he had a “Harrow Public School education”, Mr Portman defended the term “Holohoax”, writing that “I fail to see how the fabricated word has anything to do with hating anyone. Surely it is merely an expression created by people that believe they have been lied to,” and questioning how the terms “Jew” and “Jewboy” could be antisemitic.

He concluded his e-mail by taunting Campaign Against Antisemitism to “Come and pick on me…come and have a do with me…come and perform your charity on me.”

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “I am extremely reassured by this sentence, which sends a very clear message to antisemites that even the wealthiest and most privileged cannot escape British justice. I have been awarded £10,000 in compensation which I am donating to Campaign Against Antisemitism to help us ensure that anti-Jewish racists like Mr Portman face the consequences of their actions.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism wishes again to thank the Community Security Trust (CST) for providing specialist protection officers to keep our personnel safe at the trial.

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: Piers Portman, right, leaves Southwark Crown Court with conspiracy theorist Matthew Delooze

A man convicted of physically assaulting a Jewish woman has today been let off with a conditional discharge.

On 18th March, Keith Gowers, 59, of Tottenham, followed Beilla Reis down Manor Road in Stamford Hill at approximately 18:30 before placing a black pillowcase over her head and punching her several times in the face and torso. Ms Reis, 20, was 27 weeks’ pregnant at the time. She had her glasses broken and suffered a cut lip and thumb. Mr Gowers then fled the scene, leaving behind the pillowcase, while Ms Reis was taken to hospital.

The attack was initially reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, and Mr Gowers was arrested on 22nd March.

Mr Gowers appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 10th September 2021 where he admitted one count of assault by beating.

District Crown Prosecutor Varinder Hayre, from the north London Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was an unprovoked and shocking attack on a woman who was six months pregnant at the time. It is fortunate that her unborn child suffered no serious harm. The victim had never encountered Keith Gowers before and was left incredibly shaken.”

Speaking outside the court, Mr Gowers’ solicitor Jose Grayson said: “Although people at the time thought it was an antisemitic attack, it has been accepted by the Crown it was not racially motivated.”

Deputy Judge Richard Hawgood said: “It is obviously a very deeply unpleasant and serious matter. It is about as serious as a common assault allegation can be. All options will be considered by the court, including a custodial sentence.”

Mr Gowers was sentenced today at Thames Magistrates’ Court to two years’ conditional discharge and an indefinite restraining order not to contact the victim by any means and not to go within 200 metres of the victim at any location. He was also ordered to pay a £22 victim surcharge.

The former secretary who worked at Stutthof concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland has gone on trial for murder.  

Irmgard Furchner, 96, is accused of contributing to the deaths of 11,412 people between the years 1943 and 1945, during which time she worked as a secretary at the camp. Due to the fact that she started working there as an 18-year-old, Ms Furchner is being tried in a juvenile court.

The court in Itzehoe, a town in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, was read the indictment which accused Ms Furchner of working as the Chief Secretary to Paul Werner-Hoppe, a high-ranking Nazi official and the camp’s Commander, and “was contributory to the entire killing operation” at the camp.

The prosecution also stated that Ms Furchner would have assisted with the transport lists of detainees who would have been sent to Auschwitz concentration camp to be murdered, as well as radio messages and the dictation of Mr Hoppe’s orders and correspondence. Due to the compact layout of Stutthof, Ms Furchner’s key administrative position, and the unavoidable noises and smells caused by the murder of the victims in gas chambers, the defendant would have “been aware of all happenings”, the court heard. 

Wolfgang Molkentin, defending, stated that Ms Furchner “does not deny the crimes of the Shoah…neither does she deny the terrible acts that took place as has once again been made clear to us all in the indictment. She simply rejects the charge around which this trial ultimately revolves, that she was personally guilty of a crime.”

Judge Dominik Groß has permitted the filming of the trial for historical reasons, a request that ordinarily might not have been granted, but has chosen to do so on the basis that it is “one of the worldwide last criminal trials related to crimes of the Nazi era”.

In September, Ms Furchner attempted to escape before the beginning of her trial. After missing the start of her trial, court spokesperson Frederike Milhoffer stated that an arrest warrant had been issued, stating: “She left her home early in the morning in a taxi in the direction of a metro station.” Mr Milhoffer announced hours later that she had been found and detained.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.  

A swastika has been found carved into a tree outside the office of an Orthodox Jew in Southend in Essex.

The Nazi symbol was cut into the bark overnight on 19th/20th October on a tree on Station Road.

Police are investigating. If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Campaign Against Antisemitism at [email protected] or on 0330 822 0321, quoting reference number: Ref 483 20/10/21.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2020 showed that three in five British Jews believe that the authorities, in general, are not doing enough to address and punish antisemitism.

A Jewish man in the State of Texas who was sentenced to death by a judge who he believes to be antisemitic has won a new trial.

Randy Halprin, 44, was serving a 30-year prison sentence for child abuse and on 13th December 2000, along with six other inmates, escaped a maximum-security prison in South Texas, prompting a six-week manhunt. During this time, the men killed a police officer, and six of the seven surviving convicts were sentenced to death by Judge Vickers “Vic” Cunningham. Mr Halprin was sentenced in 2003 and was set to be executed on 10th October 2019. 

However, Mr Halprin argued that he did not shoot his gun at the police officer and was given an unfair trial due to Judge Cunningham’s alleged racism, and claimed that Judge Cunningham called him a “f**kin’ Jew” and “k*ke.”

Mr Halprin won a stay in Dallas County from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals where in June, Judge Lela Lawrence Mays heard out Mr Halprin’s argument and this week, granted Mr Halprin a new trial. She wrote: “Judge Vickers Cunningham possessed antisemitic prejudice against Halprin which violated Halprin’s constitutional right to a trial in a fair tribunal equal protection, and free exercise of religion.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.  

A teenage neo-Nazi has been jailed for eleven years after using the social media platform Telegram to plot terrorist acts.

Matthew Cronjager, 18, was found guilty of preparing for acts of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications on Telegram after it emerged that he had planned to kill his former friend, who is Asian, for allegedly sleeping with white women.

The Old Bailey heard that Mr Cronjager had attempted to obtain a 3D-printed gun or a sawn-off shotgun to commit the murder. The court also heard that Mr Cronjager had joined a right-wing terror cell, positioning himself as the “boss”, and created an online library to disseminate right-wing propaganda and explosives-making manuals. Mr Cronjager posted messages on a Telegram group called “The British Hand”, where he was unknowingly talking with an undercover policeman. 

Last year, we reported that teenage members of The British Hand were using Telegram to recruit and promote propaganda. The group uses a skull and crossbones logo combined with rifles over a Union Jack as its logo and launched in July 2020 on the popular social media platform, Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. The official account has been shut down multiple times, but members continue to use their personal accounts to disseminate the group’s message. Once recruited, the members join an encrypted Telegram chat room where, as of last year, it was believed that there were fifteen core members in their teenage years or early twenties.

It was said that Mr Cronjager wanted a “revolution” to carry out fascist beliefs, and wanted to become the leader of the UK division of an extreme right-wing group. During his arrest on 29th December 2020, police discovered a large amount of material that indicated his dedication to an “extreme right-wing cause”.

During his trial, Mr Cronjager initially tried to deny that he ever harboured far-right views by claiming that he was an undercover member of the anti-fascist group Antifa, but later admitted that he did at one point hold the views of which he was accused, for which he claimed to be “ashamed and disgusted”.

Judge Mark Lucraft noted that Mr Cronjager was “bright and intelligent”, which made the messages that he sent “all the more troubling”. Judge Lucraft sentenced the teenager to a total of eleven years and four months in youth detention, adding: “In my view you are someone who played a leading role in terrorist activity where the preparations were not far advanced.”

Concerns have previously been raised over the alleged increase in neo-Nazi content on Telegram. Earlier this year, the far-right group Patriotic Alternative was found to have created neo-Nazi channels dedicated to sharing vile messages, antisemitic conspiracy theories, and images glorifying Hitler.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

Image credit: Counter Terrorism Policing North East

There have been at least two attacks on Jewish children in Stamford Hill in just the past few days.

In the evening of 16th October, a sixteen-year-old Jewish child was chased down the road by a woman who then assaulted him with a beer glass while laughing. The incident took place on Egerton Road in the heavily-Jewish neighbourhood (CAD8103 18/10/21).

Then, in the evening of 18th October, a Jewish child had an egg thrown at him on a number 67 bus before the two adult assailants threatened him, saying, “We will still get you.” They then chased him off the bus until he reached a local shop for refuge (CAD8270 19/10/21).

Both incidents were 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 the relevant reference number.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Perhaps the most egregious part of the surge in antisemitic crime in Britain is that children are not being spared. The cowards who targeted these young people must be identified and prosecuted to the full. If zero tolerance means anything, it must mean that attacks on children are met with the full force of the law.”

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

A man shouted “Jesus killer” at a Jewish driver parking his car in Golders Green.

The victim, who wears a kippah, was parking his car near Sainsbury’s in Golders Green. He unknowingly parked with his wheels slightly crossing into the disabled parking bay and began crossing the road. As he was crossing, he heard a man shouting, “Look where he’s parked” and “Book him” to a nearby traffic warden. The victim turned to walk back towards his car, realising his error, and said, “I’ll move it.”

The man, however, continued shouting at him. The victim asked: “What’s it got to do with you?”. At that point, the man shouted “Jesus killer” at him and continued ranting and swearing, even after the victim threatened to call the police.

The victim moved his car to another spot over the road and continued with his shopping. Although not intimidated himself, the victim later reported the incident, which took place at 11:30 on 17th October, to Shomrim North West London, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

The assailant was described as white and in his twenties or early thirties and about 185cm in height. He reportedly looked homeless and was later seen begging.

If you have any more information, please contact Campaign Against Antisemitism at [email protected].

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Traffic disputes are unpleasant at the best of times, but there is no place for racist insults like ‘Jesus killer’. For all the appropriate emphasis on contemporary manifestations of antisemitism, age-old tropes like Jewish deicide also still retain currency. It is regrettable that the traffic warden took no action during the incident.”

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.

A neo-Nazi group has reportedly taken credit for projecting the phrase “the Holocaust was a scam” onto a Swedish synagogue last week.

According to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the neo-Nazi group Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) has taken credit for projecting the incident onto the synagogue in Malmö at the same time that the city was holding its International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.

At the conference last week, world leaders called for further measures to tackle antisemitism and Holocaust denial at the conference. Some of the speakers included the Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

According to the NRM’s own website, the phrase was also projected onto other buildings which reportedly included Södervärn’s water tower and the building belonging to the Sydsvenskan newspaper. It appears as though the website domain belonging to the NRM was also projected onto the buildings. 

The NRM uploaded several photos of the vandalised buildings to its website, stating that the projection was caused by a “National Socialist laser”, and wrote: “The fictional Holocaust is the global weapon of the globalists, which they use to disgrace, oppress and truly destroy our people. The Nordic resistance movement has been fighting the globalists since our founding in 1997 and therefore it is a matter of course that we protest against the Holocaust.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “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 an example of antisemitism.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. 

In April, NRM flyers were found at a Jewish cemetery in Aalborg, Denmark that was vandalised during the Jewish festival of Passover. Last year, the NRM launched a series of focused campaigns against Jewish communities in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland throughout the week leading up to Yom Kippur.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: NRM

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

Police forces across the country record hate crimes against Jews as religious hate crimes, and these records show that in the year 2020/21, 1,288 hate crimes were committed against Jews, making Jews the target in 20% – more than one in five – of the total number of religious hate crimes.

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

However, when one accounts for the miniscule size of the Jewish population, it emerges that Jews are statistically more than four times more likely to be the targets of hate crimes than any other religious group, with some 489 hate crimes per 100,000 of the Jewish population in 2020/21.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Once again, Home Office figures show that Jews are far more likely to be victims of hate crimes than any other religious group. Contrast this with the pitiful number of prosecutions for antisemitic hate crimes, and it throws into high relief the failure of the Crown Prosecution Service to take proportionate action against racism directed at the Jewish community. With England and Wales’ minuscule Jewish community suffering an average of more than three hate crimes every single day, identifying, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators is absolutely urgent.”

It has been reported that a woman doused a Brooklyn Yeshiva in gasoline and set it on fire.

The alleged incident happened last night at 19:27 at the Yeshiva of Flatbush on Avenue J. Camera footage released by police shows a woman, dressed in black, carrying a red gasoline canister.

A security guard inside the school claims to have witnessed the woman then set fire to the gasoline before fleeing. The guard then extinguished the fire with water before calling the police. 

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime and are searching for the woman. 

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.  

Swastika graffiti has been discovered in the North London area of Mill Hill East, it was reported today. 

A photograph uploaded to Twitter shows two swastikas that have been daubed onto the pavement outside of a bus shelter.

It was also reported earlier this week that antisemitic graffiti was found in a toilet on a construction site in Hertfordshire. The photograph shows a swastika next to the words “f**k off yid c**ts.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

Image credit: Danny Cohen

Church authorities managing a Brandenburg cemetery have admitted to a “terrible mistake” after the ashes of a prominent neo-Nazi were buried in the grave of a Jewish-born musicologist.

Henry Hafenmayer, a 48-year-old Holocaust denier who died of an undisclosed illness, was well-known among German neo-Nazis, some of whom attended his funeral. During his life, Hafenmayer served a prison sentence for penning a series of antisemitic screeds to public bodies in which he branded the Holocaust a “lie”, which is a criminal offence in Germany where Holocaust denial falls foul of a law against “incitement of the people”.

Hafenmayer’s ashes were buried in a grave that used to hold the remains of Prof. Max Friedländer, a specialist in German Lieder who taught at Harvard University in the 1910s. Though Friedländer converted to Protestantism, he was born to a Jewish family, a fact not lost on the far-right activists who attended Hafenmayer’s funeral. Among those attending the funeral was Horst Mahler, a founder of the Baader-Meinhof terrorist group who later became a neo-Nazi.

The cemetery management explained that when a gravesite’s lease is not renewed after a “rest period” of ten to twenty years, the remains are removed and burial plots are reclaimed for new burials, but Friedländer’s headstone was still there because it was a listed monument.

In a statement, Christian Stäblein, a bishop at the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia, said: “The burial of a Holocaust denier in the grave of Max Friedländer is a terrible mistake and a harrowing process in view of our history. We have to see immediately whether and what we can undo.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia

A twelve-year-old girl was assaulted by a woman with a buggy in Stamford Hill.

The incident took place at 16:15 on Clapton Common on 7th October 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: CAD8531 07/10/2020.

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

The car belonging to the rabbi at Chabad at Santa Monica College (SMC) was defaced with a swastika and other antisemitic sentiments.

Last Thursday, Rabbi Eli M. Levitansky’s car was vandalised with the Nazi symbol as well as a Star of David next to the words “is illegal”. Rabbi Levitansky spoke of how the vandalism was “a shock” and that “it obviously was a targeted crime” as his was the only car that was defaced.

In response to the vandalism, Rabbi Levitansky took to the Chabad’s Facebook page to encourage people to carry out a mitzvah (a good deed stemming from religious observance). “The idea was really to give this message that, in such an event, the best response is to combat it with action and with positivity,” Levitansky said, adding: “People have written that they will be lighting Shabbat candles because of this, or they will be doing charity because of this, things of that nature. That is very, very heartwarming to see…it’s not just an outpouring of support, which is nice to see, but it’s an outpouring with the next step, with action taken.”

Michael Tuitasi, Vice President of Student Affairs, said that he was “sickened” by the “horrible, hateful incident”, calling Rabbi Levitansky “a great mentor to the Jewish students at Santa Monica College and whom I consider an integral part of the extended college community.” “While the incident did not occur at the college, it is felt by our community and strongly condemned.”

Mr Tuitasi also said that SMC is creating “a space for students who may have been impacted by this incident” and urged students to contact the SMC Center for Wellness and & Wellbeing.

“At Santa Monica College, there is no room for hate. SMC stands firmly against antisemitism just as the college stands against all forms of discrimination and hate. While we cannot control hateful actions that take place away from Santa Monica College, this college is dedicated to creating a safe environment for all our students, and denounces hate speech or actions,” Mr Tuitasi said. He went on to call Rabbi Levitansky’s response to the vandalism “inspiring.” “Instead of letting this act of darkness take him away from efforts to do good during the Jewish holidays, he has redoubled his efforts to help the community come together and spread light.”

In July, a swastika was found spray-painted onto the pavement next to a car belonging to the Jewish son of Holocaust survivors.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: StopAntisemitism.org

Tejinder Lohia, who subjected members of the Jewish community to a “torrent of racist abuse” which included “Kill you Jews, F**k Jews” and invoking Adolf Hitler’s name, has pleaded guilty to multiple offences.

The alleged incident took place on Clapton Common and was reported on 10th September by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.

Mr Lohia was charged with one count of using threatening/abusive/insulting words with intent to cause fear of/provoke unlawful violence, two counts of racially/religiously aggravated fear/provocation of violence by words, and three counts of possession of a controlled Class A drug (cocaine).

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced last week at Thames Magistrates Court to a twelve-week prison term, suspended for twelve months, and unpaid work and alcohol treatment.

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

Image credit: Stamford Hill Shomrim

A Jewish man leaving a synagogue in Clapton Common was punched in the face, it was reported on Friday.

It was also alleged that the attacker filmed the incident. 

The 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 3799 07/10/21

In April, a rabbi was assaulted in Clapton Common by a man yelling “Dirty Jew, I am going to kill you!”

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

A man accused of Holocaust denial and pedophilia has reportedly been found with a stash of Nazi memorabilia worth £2.5 million in Brazil. 

The Nazi items were allegedly discovered in a raid of the man’s home when police served him with an arrest warrant. The man has been accused of raping a minor and abusing other children at his home in western Rio de Janeiro.

The man was also charged with illegal possession of a weapon and racial discrimination.

The items reportedly included Nazi uniforms, images of Adolf Hitler, periodicals, Nazi insignia, flags and medals of the Third Reich at his home, as well as guns and ammunition from the era.

Luis Armond, the lead detective on the case, said that the individual is “a smart guy and articulate, but he’s a Holocaust denier, he’s homophobic, he’s a pedophile and he says he hunts homosexuals.” He added: “I’m no doctor, but he seems to me an insane psychopath. This is something that is totally unusual and shocking.”

Following the raid, police are said to be investigating the suspect’s connection to a number of far-right groups.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

The Argentinian Jewish community has resolved to appeal last week’s judicial decision to dismiss the case against former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over her alleged role in a cover-up of Iran’s involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre.

The terror attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AIMA) building in Buenos Aires on 18th July 1994 killed 85 people and wounded hundreds.

Last Thursday, a judge in the Argentine capital dismissed the case against Ms Kirchner, who is a former President and is currently serving as Vice President in the administration of President Alberto Fernandez, her former chief of staff.

In 2018, a federal judge ruled that Kirchner, the former foreign minister and other aides would be tried in connection with a 2013 agreement with Iran that whitewashed the Islamic Republic’s involvement in the bombing.

The existence of the pact was exposed by Alberto Nisman, the federal prosecutor leading the AMIA investigation who was found murdered in his Buenos Aires apartment in January 2015 just before he filed a formal complaint against the Kirchner government over the agreement. Ms Kirchner falsely portrayed his death as a suicide, and questions have long lingered over whether any of the defendants might have been implicated in the assassination.

The head of the Argentine umbrella Jewish organisation DAIA said that “We continue to demand justice and the bringing of the accused to trial,” and pledged that DAIA would appeal the decision.

The Jewish community has long been frustrated and intimidated in its search for justice in the bombing.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A new poll has suggested that almost half of the British public believes that the police have a problem with antisemitism.

Left Foot Forward commissioned Savanta: ComRes to ask the public to what extent they thought that the police in general have a problem with antisemitism. 46 percent of respondents said that they did believe that the police have a problem with antisemitism, compared with 29 precent who said that they did not. A quarter of respondents said that they did not know.

Seventeen percent of respondents said that they thought that the police had a “significant” problem with antisemitism.

Geographically, 56 percent of Londoners – the highest proportion of any region – believed that police had a problem with antisemitism, with over half of respondents agreeing in Scotland, Wales and the North West.

Six in ten 2019 Labour and Liberal Democrat voters also agreed, compared to just over four in ten (42 percent) of Conservative voters.

Whilst concern about antisemitism in the police is high, concerns about problems with racism, sexism and class bias are even higher.

A spokesperson for the Home Office reportedly said: “We are clear that any form of prejudice in policing is unacceptable and the Government remains committed with police leaders to address these issues and keep our communities safe. Allegations of racism including antisemitism should be treated extremely seriously by the police and any allegations of misconduct aggravated by discrimination must be referred immediately to the IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct]. We are working closely with the police to deliver the diverse police workforce that our communities need.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s latest Antisemitism Barometer showed that 40 percent of British Jews do not believe that the police do enough to protect them. Still, the police are the most trusted branch of the criminal justice system among British Jews, with the courts and Crown Prosecution Service coming in for greater criticism.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These are sobering figures that tally extraordinarily closely with how the Jewish community itself feels about the police. Our research has shown that four in ten British Jews do not believe that the police do enough to protect them. Jewish confidence in the police is not helped by revelations of police officers affiliated to neo-Nazi groups or who participate in racist WhatsApp groups. Nor is it boosted by questionable policy decisions, such as the Met’s refusal to prohibit a second ‘Free Palestine’ convoy to drive through London earlier this year, even after the first convoy was involved in wholesale harassment of Jewish neighbourhoods and numerous antisemitic hate crimes.

“This poll shows that, while the Jewish community is indebted to our police forces for the immense good that they do, our concerns with shortcomings in British policing are registering with the wider public. We hope that this will lead to the changes we need.”

Recently, an officer in the Metropolitan Police was convicted and imprisoned for being a member of the banned neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action, while the Met is also investigating multiple police officers over their participation in antisemitic protests whilst in uniform.

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

Tower Hamlets and the Metropolitan Police are investigating an antisemitic sign in the window of a private residence on council property after being alerted by Campaign Against Antisemitism.

The sign, which read “Wake Up! We are living in a psychopathic Zionist military police state. Smash the Jewish white supremacist Nazis”, was displayed in the window on the corner of Virginia Road and Columbia Road and was reported to us by a member of the public.

We alerted the local council, which is investigating, as well as the Met police (reference number BCA-110897-21-0101-IR). If you have any more information, please contact us at [email protected] or the police on 101, quoting the reference number above.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Antisemitic incitement cannot be tolerated and we will always take action when victims and witnesses bring incidents to our attention. We welcome the investigations by Tower Hamlets and the Met Police into this distressing sign and expect its prompt removal.”

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

Four men from Blackburn have entered pleas of not guilty after being charged in connection with the alleged antisemitic abuse shouted from a ‘Free Palestine’ convoy in North London in May.

Appearing yesterday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Mohammed Iftikhar Hanif, 27; Jawaad Hussain, 24; Asif Ali, 25; and Adil Mota, 26, all from Blackburn, pleaded not guilty to charges of using threatening, abusive or insulting words, or behaviour, with intent, likely to stir up racial hatred.

The charges relate to the convoy on 16th May, participants in which were caught on video allegedly shouting through a megaphone “F*** the Jews…rape their daughters” as they drove through Jewish neighbourhoods waving the flag of the Palestinian Authority, during fighting between Hamas and Israel.

The incident took place a stone’s throw from a synagogue in West Hampstead and continued into St John’s Wood. The convoy had previously and provocatively passed through other Jewish neighbourhoods as well, including Hendon and Golders Green.

The abuse was condemned by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Service admitted that they had failed so badly to monitor the convoy that it took hours to find the car in question, which was identified from photographs taken by a Jewish member of the public who had the presence of mind to capture images of the vehicles’ licence plates. Later that day, the four arrests were made.

The charges are punishable by up to three years in prison.

It is understood that Mr Mota’s lawyer told the court that his client was travelling as part of the convoy but was not involved in the alleged incident. 

All four defendants were released without bail conditions, with the trial scheduled for 3rd November at Wood Green Crown Court.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to the Home Secretary calling on her to proscribe Hamas in full in the UK, and has urged all MPs to do the same.

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

Nazi stickers with razor blades placed underneath have been found in Kent at a bus stop near a primary school.

The stickers were discovered at the Dunton Green bus stop on 22nd September.

The Vice-Principal of nearby Dartford Technology College wrote to parents to warn them of the stickers, saying: “The school has received a message from Kent County Council regarding an abhorrent incident of vandalism, whereby extremist and racist stickers were attached to a bus stop that was very close to a primary school. The worrying aggravating factor was that razor blades were slipped underneath the stickers, creating an injury risk when removing stickers.”

Sightings of other stickers were reportedly made on 5th September in Chatham and on 8th September on Henry Street. Kent Police said that the stickers in Chatham did not have razor blades behind them. 

Inspector Matt Atkinson from Sevenoaks’ Community Safety Unit said: “This is disturbing behaviour and while I do not want to cause people to panic, I do want to raise awareness of this issue. Publicly promoting offensive, hate-filled notices is not acceptable in itself but adding razor blades to potentially seriously harm somebody is despicable.”

“If anyone has information as to who placed these stickers in this location or sees anything similar of concern please do report it via 101 and do not attempt to remove them,” he added.

In June, a sticker belonging to the neo-Nazi group, British National Socialist Movement, was found on a lamppost near Manchester’s Charedi Jewish community.

Last year, members of the proscribed National Action group were sentenced to prison, having engaged, amongst other activities, in far-right stickering and recruitment campaigns. Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to monitor and report on far-right stickering campaigns.

Image credit: Google

Antisemitic graffiti, including Holocaust denial slogans, has reportedly been discovered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

Auschwitz concentration camp, one of the most notorious concentration camps where over a million people were murdered, was officially converted into a museum and memorial site in 1947.

The museum released a statement on Twitter yesterday which said that “signs of vandalism” were discovered on “nine wooden barracks in Sector Blla of the Auschwitz II-Birkenau site: spray-painted inscriptions in English and German, some of them antisemitic in nature.”

It continued: “Two references to the Old Testament, often used by antisemites, and denial slogans draw special attention.”

The museum described the vandalism as “an outrageous attack on the symbol of one of the greatest tragedies in human history and an extremely painful blow to the memory of all the victims of the German Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.”

The statement added that video footage was being reviewed and that police are investigating the incident.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

The trial has been set for a suspect in a series of alleged assaults in Stamford Hill in August.

Abdullah Qureshi, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, was charged last month at Thames Magistrates’ Court with one count of racially or religiously aggravated wounding or grievous bodily harm, four counts of racially or religiously aggravated common assault and one count of racially or religious aggravated criminal damage.

The charges relate to five incidents on 18th August investigated by Metropolitan Police’s Central East Command Unit. Groups including Campaign Against Antisemitism and Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, put out witness appeals following the incidents, as three of the five alleged incidents were caught on video.

In one incident at 18:41, 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. It is understood that two further incidents have been alleged.

A trial for Mr Quershi has been scheduled for 18th January at Stratford Magistrates’ Court.

It is understood that, in lieu of remand, Mr Quershi is prohibited from travelling into the M25.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These attacks were not ‘random’ in the usual sense: these victims were chosen because they are Jews. We applaud the police for their swift investigation and expect the authorities to ensure that justice is done for the victims of these violent hate crimes.”

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

A man reportedly rode his bicycle into a group of visibly Jewish children aged three to fourteen before punching one in the face.

The attack took place on 3rd October at Woodbury Grove near Finsbury Park 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 4729 03/10/21.

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

Image credit: Google

A Jewish woman has been left in terror after a brick was thrown through her kitchen window.

The attack took place at 14:00 on 1st October on Heathland 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: CAD3316 01/10/21.

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

The Attorney General has asked the Court of Appeal to review the “unduly lenient” sentence given to a student who downloaded nearly 70,000 neo-Nazi and bomb-making documents but who was spared jail and told to read English literature instead.

Ben John, 21, was convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court on 11th August of possessing information likely to be useful for preparing an act of terror – a charge that carries a maximum jail sentence of fifteen years. The prosecution even told the court that the former De Montfort University student, who had collated 67,788 documents which contained a large quantity of National Socialist, white supremacist and antisemitic material, as well as information relating to a Satanic organisation, had previously failed to heed warnings by counter-terrorism officers.

Lincolnshire Police had also said that Mr John “had become part of the Extreme Right Wing (XRW) online, and was studying Criminology with Psychology in Leicester when he was arrested”.

Nevertheless, Judge Timothy Spencer QC said that he believed that Mr John’s crime was likely to be an isolated incident and “an act of teenage folly”. He labelled Mr John as a “lonely individual with few if any true friends” who was “highly susceptible” to recruitment by others more prone to action. Judge Spencer went on to say that he was “not of the view that harm was likely to have been caused”.

Speaking directly to Mr John, Judge Spencer asked him: “Have you read Dickens? Austen? Start with Pride and Prejudice and Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.” The judge told the defendant to “think about Hardy. Think about Trollope”, before adding: “On 4th January you will tell me what you have read and I will test you on it. I will test you and if I think you are [lying to] me you will suffer. I will be watching you, Ben John, every step of the way. If you let me down you know what will happen.” The judge said of the defendant that “he has by the skin of his teeth avoided imprisonment.”

Mr John was instructed to return to Judge Spencer every four months in order to be tested on his reading. In addition, he was handed a two-year jail sentence suspended for two years plus a further year on licence, monitored by the probation service. Mr John was also given a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order requiring him to stay in touch with the police and let them monitor his online activity and up to 30 days on a Healthy Identity Intervention programme.

However, Campaign Against Antisemitism and other concerned groups were incredulous that Mr John had been spared jail and was “let off with a mere suspended sentence and some English homework.” We added that “for all the novels that the judge has ordered Mr John to peruse as he enjoys his unearned freedom, it was notable that Crime and Punishment was not among them. Perhaps the judge himself ought to review that classic as he reflects on the risk that his sentence poses to the public.”

Now, however, Attorney General Suella Braverman has intervened, using her power to request that the Court of Appeal review the sentence.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said: “I can confirm that the Attorney General has referred Ben John’s sentence to the Court of Appeal as she agrees that it appears unduly lenient. It is now for the Court to decide whether to increase the sentence.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

A sixteen-year-old has been suspected of assaulting a 60-year-old man at a vigil against antisemitism in Hamburg, Germany.

During the “Hamburg for Israel and against antisemitism” vigil, which took place on 18th September near the city’s central train station, a group of three or four people approached the participants and one of them – a male believed to be between the ages of eighteen and 25 – began yelling abuse.

When participants asked the offender to stop, he punched the victim in the face. Although police chased the group, they managed to flee on e-scooters.

After the attack, the victim was reportedly in hospital for six days with a broken cheekbone and nasal bone. Photos show the victim with a swollen eye and bloody face. In an interview, the victim was seen having to wear an eyepatch.

The teenage suspect identified by police as Aram A., who reportedly acted in a film about Holocaust survivors in which he played the role of a bully who harasses a Jewish boy, is being investigated for causing bodily harm.

Hamburg State Security was said to have identified Aram A. using video footage and then located him at his home in Berlin. Aram A.’s mother reportedly stated that her family was “against Israel” but that “what [her] son did is wrong”.

Stefan Hensel, Hamburg’s Commissioner on Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism, said: “The rapid search success of the authorities is a reassuring signal after the disturbing images of the attack on the Hamburg vigil participant. The current case shows once again that even projects with the best intentions are no remedy against antisemitism. We see this incident as an appeal to intensify our work even further. In the long run, it will only be crowned with a consistent investigation of antisemitic crimes and criminal prosecution.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

The man who shot and killed a 60-year-old woman in a California synagogue was sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of parole yesterday.

In July, John T. Earnest, the man who killed 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye in the Chabad of Poway Synagogue shooting in April 2019, pled guilty to the charges of murder and attempted murder in a plea agreement that saw him avoid the death penalty.

Mr Earnest, who was nineteen at the time of the shooting, was said to have entered the synagogue with an AR-15 style rifle and opened fire on the 54 congregants inside, killing Ms Gilbert-Kaye and injuring three others, including an eight-year-old girl and the congregation’s founder, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who lost a finger.

During the shooting, Mr Earnest’s rifle jammed, at which point several members of the congregation ran towards him, chasing him out of the synagogue. He was understood to have fled before calling the police himself to confess that he had committed a shooting at a synagogue because he believed that Jews were trying to “destroy all white people,” and was subsequently apprehended approximately two miles from the synagogue.  

Mr Earnest also confessed to committing arson at the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque in March 2019 “for the purpose of terrorising Muslim worshippers,” it was revealed in a news release from the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Addressing Mr Earnest’s motivation behind the Poway Synagogue shooting, the news release said that Mr Earnest “admitted that he committed those crimes because of his bias and hatred of Jews.”

At yesterday’s sentencing at San Diego’s Superior Court, testimonies from the attack’s victims and witnesses were given before Judge Peter Deddeh read Mr Earnest’s sentence. Mr Earnest’s lawyer stated that Mr Earnest wished to make a statement, though this request was denied by Judge Deddeh who said: “I’m not going to let him use this as a platform to add to his celebrity.”

Mr Earnest is set to be sentenced in December for committing the arson at the Dar-ul-Arqam Mosque.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Recently, swastika graffiti has been discovered around Manistee, Michigan.

After reports last week that swastikas were found painted on roads in Manistee’s Filer Township, a Manistee resident reported that similar graffiti was found in downtown Manistee.

Another resident, Rhonda Greene, stated that she discovered several swastikas downtown by Manistee’s Riverwalk. In an email, Ms Greene wrote: “My husband and I have removed multiple swastikas from the Riverwalk in the last few weeks. I have video of myself rubbing out one that was drawn in chalk near the U.S. 31 Bridge on 17th September, and we have also done the same on several other occasions at various points along the Riverwalk (and in the downtown district).”

Paul Bosschem also testified to witnessing the hateful symbol displayed around Manistee, stating: “I removed two of them at Veterans Memorial Park when I was power washing the stone and concrete. They were in chalk and came off with no problem. I just thought (it was) kids messing around. I did not report it to anyone.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A driver’s alleged attempt to run over Jews observing the Jewish festival of Sukkot has prompted a police investigation, it was reported this week.

The reported incident took place last week at Congregation Shaarei Tefila, a synagogue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. Magen Am, a security team who were working with the event, said that a man walking a dog appeared to be canvassing the area which made congregants feel uncomfortable. The security team immediately reported the individual to the Los Angeles Police Department. It was said that according to witnesses, the man threatened: “I’m a real Muslim. I’ll show you what real terrorism looks like!”

When approached by Magen Am, the individual reportedly made derogatory comments about Jews, which elevated the team’s suspicions. The man then “returned with his vehicle approximately twenty minutes later and attempted to run over Jews at the event”, and “slammed the gas to full throttle down an alley full of people”. It was said that “People had to jump out of the way or they would have been run over” and according to witnesses, it appeared as though the suspect tried to target a woman and her teenage daughter. The car reportedly then stopped before the metal gates and screamed “F**k the Jews” before fleeing the scene.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Google

Antisemitic graffiti has been discovered spray-painted on an IKEA store in Melbourne, Australia.

The shop, located in the suburb of Richmond, was reportedly defaced last Thursday with the words “No Jew Jab for Oz” and, on another wall, “No Jew Jab”.

It was noticed by a Jewish woman who reported the vandalism to Victoria Police. Richmond Council painted over the graffiti.

The Anti-Defamation Commission observed the “poisonous alliance” between anti-vaccination networks and antisemitic groups that are “feeding off each other’s conspiracy theories and wacky narratives.”

Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Anti-Defamation Commission

The French courts have given eight defendants who have been convicted of antisemitic harassment a two-month suspended prison sentence.

April Benayoum, who won the title of Miss Provence 2020 and was the runner-up in the Miss France 2021 contest, received antisemitic abuse online after it was revealed that her father was Israeli, including one tweet which read: “Hitler forgot to exterminate you, Miss Provence.”

It was reported that on Wednesday at Paris Criminal Court, most of the defendants appeared to show remorse for their actions. Ahmet I., one of the defendants, reportedly said: “I am ashamed to be here, to be seen as an antisemite or a racist. I apologise to Ms. Benayoum for having made remarks like that.” Another defendant, Rayanne M., allegedly said that he was “ashamed that people have this image of me as an antisemite.”

Mr Benayoum said that she accepted their apologies, but added that “Forgiving will be more difficult, this is something that hurt me a lot and spoiled an exceptional adventure.”

Mr Benayoum reportedly received an outpouring of support, including from the French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, who said that he was “deeply shocked by the shower of antisemitic insults against Miss Provence”, adding: “Shame on their authors.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: The Algemeiner Journal via Twitter

Prosecutors have filed hate crime charges against two suspects in connection with an attack earlier this year on a group of Jewish diners at Sushi Fumi, a kosher restaurant in Los Angeles.

Xavier Pabon, 30, and Samer Jayylusi, 36, are accused of participating in a group of eight people who approached the restaurant and abused Jewish patrons, leading to violence. They have each been charged with one count of assault with a hate crime enhancement.

Video footage of the 18th May incident, which took place during the conflict between Hamas and Israel, showed a group of men, mostly in black, in a car waving Palestinian Authority flags and yelling at diners outside the restaurant. They are later seen outside of the restaurant attacking the diners, reportedly having yelled antisemitic slurs. The attackers were said to have also thrown bottles and pepper sprayed a member of the public who tried to defend the Jewish diners, causing them to go to hospital.

According to one witness, “Those people [the attackers] know who lives in this area, that there is a big Jewish community, that’s why they arrived here, they were looking for Jews to attack. They were demanding to know who is Jewish and were very aggressive. I’m still shaken by what had happened.”

They went on to say that the incident was “worse than what the clip is showing. You can’t hear the profanity and antisemitic slurs they were using. Here were guys who were minding their own business, not bothering anyone, and they were attacked just for being Jewish. I am disgusted. I’ve lived in L.A. all my life and never encountered anything like this. I’m now fearful to identify myself as a Jew. I can’t believe this is happening here, I don’t feel safe anymore.”

A brother of one of the victims wrote about the experience on Facebook. He wrote: “Tonight was the scariest night of my life…two of my brothers’ friends identified themselves as Jewish and got beaten down as a result. I’m pretty speechless at the moment but all I can say is be very careful out there if you are Jewish. Not many people have our back or truly understand this situation we are facing. People will forever be blindsided by the media and unfortunately it’s out of our control.”

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said: “A hate crime is a crime against all of us. My office is committed to doing all we can to make Los Angeles County a place where our diversity is embraced and protected.”

When elected last year, Mr Gascón had announced an end to sentencing enhancements, but after a backlash he reversed the policy for crimes against victims whom he deemed extremely vulnerable, including hate crimes.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

A 60-year-old man was injured at a vigil against antisemitism in Hamburg, Germany, after a group of youths insulted the participants with antisemitic abuse.

During the “Hamburg for Israel and against antisemitism” vigil, which took place last Saturday near the city’s central train station, a group of three or four people approached the participants and one of them – a male believed to be between the ages of 18 and 25 – began yelling abuse.

When participants asked the offender to stop, he punched the victim in the face, necessitating treatment in a hospital.

Although police chased the group, they managed to flee on e-scooters. Police are appealing for witnesses and information.

Stefan Hensel, Hamburg’s Commissioner on Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism, said: “Violence driven by hatred of Israel and Jews is a disgrace to our city. This heinous attack must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The act shows once again that so-called Israel-related antisemitism is increasingly turning into real violence. The perpetrators must be caught as soon as possible and brought to justice.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

An alleged co-founder of the proscribed neo-Nazi National Action group has denied seven terror offences.

Ben Raymond, 32, appeared at Bristol Crown Court to enter a plea of not guilty against the charge of membership of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 11 of the Terrorism Act.

National Action was banned in the UK in 2016 following pressure by Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Mr Raymond also pleaded not guilty to six counts of possessing a document or record of use to a terrorist contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act.

The material allegedly includes documents titled “Ethnic Cleaning Operations”, “2083 – European Declaration of Independence by Anders Breivik”, “Homemade Detonators by Ragnar Benson”, “TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook”, “Homemade Molotov Cocktail” and “Cluster Bomb”.

Mr Raymond’s trial is expected to begin on 1st November and last for three to four weeks, with the defendant released on conditional bail until then.

Last year, members of the proscribed National Action group were sentenced to prison, having engaged, amongst other activities, in far-right stickering and recruitment campaigns.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years.

A conspiracy theorist has admitted defacing seventeen bus stops in London with graffiti, including the words “Jews and gays are aliens”.

Nicholas Lalchan, 47, has admitted criminal damage, causing £100 worth of damage to each stop and to the windows of an accountancy firm. However, he denied any religious or racial motivation, in spite of what he wrote on the bus stops in heavily-Jewish neighbourhoods such as Finchley, Hendon and Edgware.

The prosecutor told jurors that the graffiti “encouraged people to make searches on the internet” which would lead them to “think badly” of Jewish people. He added that “they were seen by Jewish people and non-Jewish people who were distressed by what they saw and reported it to the police.”

A still image of the vandal was recognised by a community support officer and he was arrested at his home in Edmonton. A search of his home reportedly revealed leaflets, pens and a memory stick holding material referencing Jewish people and conspiracy theories.

When he was charged, Mr Lalchan allegedly said: “New world order. The fourth Reich. We will see.”

Mr Lalchan was charged with racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage and with possessing a marker pen with intent to cause criminal damage and stirring up racial hatred, and his trial continues at Aldersgate House in the City of London, a Nightingale court opened to speed up the backlog of cases caused by the pandemic.

Police have opened an investigation after vandals daubed a swastika on a sign outside of Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.

In addition, the words “CV 19”, a reference to the coronavirus pandemic, and “NHS liers [sic]” in blue paint were also spray-painted.

Multiple signs have reportedly been vandalised, prompting a staff member at the hospital to comment that “It’s actually really upsetting and demoralising to be accused of being a Nazi or ‘liers’ after the last eighteen months which have been so physically and mentally taxing.

“The fact that this is the first thing you see when coming into our hospital makes my stomach turn and made me want to turn around and go back home.”

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said that “Enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible. Anybody found to have been involved will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.”

Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.

Image credit: Google