Home Secretary, it is time to clamp down
In view of current events in the Middle East, Campaign Against Antisemitism has reiterated its call on the Home Secretary to fulfil a pre-election pledge to ban the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and also to proscribe the Palestine Action group.
The Government must also finally proscribe Ansar Allah (the Houthis) and the various groups involved in the Hamas-led 7th October 2023 terrorist attack.
The Government must clamp down. Every day that the Home Secretary delays, people who endanger our country are running amok.
Iran’s IRGC is active in the UK. There have recently been arrests in London allegedly linked to the IRGC. Not so long ago an Iranian proxy was found to have three tonnes of high explosives in London. They say that they want to target Jews anywhere around the world and that means us. That means here in our country.
Sign the petition to ban the IRGC now.
Police forces and security services cannot move against IRGC operatives until they have evidence that they are actively planning an attack, which is why proscription is needed, so that they have the legal powers to move immediately to clean out the IRGC in the UK. The Government promised to do this when it came to power a year ago. The IRGC poses a mortal threat to British Jews and the Home Secretary should lay an order before Parliament today. What is the Home Secretary waiting for?
There is now a backlog of terrorist organisations that the Government is allowing to operate here without taking action. We have also asked the Home Secretary to proscribe the Houthis (Ansar Allah) — which fire on Royal Navy ships as well as seeking the death of all Jews — and the smaller Palestinian factions which participated in Hamas’ 7th October atrocities but, due to inaction by two successive Governments, still haven’t been proscribed two years later.
We need action now. The Home Secretary must give law enforcement the powers they need to keep us safe. We cannot wait another day.
Campaign Against Antisemitism calls for ban on Palestine Action
In recent days, Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to the Home Secretary calling for the proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000.
We have provided her with a detailed dossier of evidence demonstrating that the group’s activities fall, in our view, squarely within the definition of a terrorism organisation.
Palestine Action is a UK-based activist group which was formed in 2020. It has gained attention for what the organisation describes as “direct action” against companies and institutions which it considers to be linked to the Israeli Government, ranging from defence contractors to the BBC. The organisation is known for confrontational and criminal tactics, including damage to property, vandalism and the occupation of corporate or public facilities, with a latest attack just this weekend.
Since the 7th October 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas and the subsequent war between Hamas and Israel, Palestine Action has increasingly been targeting cultural and educational sites.
The group’s methods often involve the destruction of property, disruption of business operations, and threats to public safety. Palestine Action revels in these activities and writes extensively about them on its website. The organisation has also published a handbook named “The Underground Manual”, which includes instructions on everything from forming “cells”, to how to “pick a target”, and how to commit criminal damage in the most harmful way. The handbook includes instructions on what to wear, how to use a burner phone, and which tools to use to cause the greatest damage.
We urge the Home Office to act swiftly to ban Palestine Action in order to minimise any further intimidation and property damage to the Jewish community and its institutions and to other businesses and cultural establishments.
Palestine Action is at the vanguard of an activist movement that is severely disrupting the lives of British Jews and the wider public. It is time to enforce the laws of this country and bring to justice those who seek to use what we believe the law defines as terror to advance their goals.
A huge “thank you!”
Last week, we ran our annual crowdfunding campaign, and we are enormously grateful to all of you who donated. We had more donors than ever, each giving because you believe in our work.
Our volunteers and staff see this as a huge vote of confidence in the efforts that we make every single day to defend the Jewish community and fight for the tolerant and decent Britain that we all cherish.
Thank you to everyone who donated to the campaign! It is because of you that we can continue to do our vital work and fight for our future here in Britain. You have helped ensure that our voices remain strong and that we can respond with urgency, clarity, and courage wherever and whenever we are needed.
If you did not have a chance to donate but still wish to, you can do so here.
From all of us at Campaign Against Antisemitism, thank you!
The true colours of the ‘Free Palestine’ movement
Following the second violent attack by a ‘Free Palestine’ terrorist in the United States, our Chief Executive Gideon Falter explained in an op-ed for LBC how verbal calls to ‘globalise the Intifada’ and vandalism are not the final destination of this hateful movement.
When they call for Intifada, they mean it.
You can read the full op-ed here.
Campaign Against Antisemitism challenges new application from CAGE to de-proscribe Hamas
The controversial activist group CAGE International has launched an application to get Hamas de-proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.
According to CAGE, “The submission is the first of its kind to focus not only on procedural injustice, but on the systemic suppression of political speech, particularly within Britain’s Muslim communities.”
Given that the previous application, made by Hamas itself, made a similar argument, it is unclear why this new application is a ‘first-of-its-kind’, although granted it is better PR to claim that.
We have examined the application, which purports to “challenge the legality of the proscription on the grounds that it violates freedom of expression”.
The application includes several case studies, which CAGE uses to highlight how the proscription of Hamas – an antisemitic genocidal terrorist group that has murdered well in excess of a thousand Jews – apparently inhibits one’s right to freedom of expression.
So, which cases does CAGE cite in its application?
Here are some examples:
“The President of a Palestine Society at a prominent University circulated the headline ‘resistance fighters launch surprise attack against Israel’ as part of a weekly digest to update their audience of Palestine related news.”
❌ Why are people who murdered over a thousand people, raped women and burned families alive referred to merely as ‘resistance fighters’?
“M is a non-British student of Palestinian descent studying law…She was asked by a news journalist from a well-known publication to give a comment. She said: ‘We are so full of pride. We are really, really full of joy at what happened’ following the 7th October attack.”
❌ Hamas and fellow terrorist organisations murdered some 1,200 people and took over 250 hostage. Why is that something to be joyful about?
“Dr F [an NHS consultant] showed considerable support…for the right of the Palestinian people to resist. She publicly called for the de-proscription of Hamas.”
❌ That does not sound like an NHS consultant that a Jewish person would be comfortable consulting.
“S retweeted a drawing of Yahya Sinwar with the caption ‘hero’ without knowing who Yahya Sinwar was.”
❌ So S’s defence is that they are an idiot?
“A young man…allegedly uploaded videos said to be of Hamas to his social media page.”
❌ There is enough material on the internet that the young man could upload without resorting to terrorist content.
The Home Office stated that an academic “shared a document on a WhatsApp group chat, titled ‘Our Narrative – Operation Al Aqsa Flood’, published by Hamas’ media office”.
❌ Most ordinary people would be concerned that a teacher of their children is sharing material literally produced by a terrorist organisation and purporting to explain their rationale for murdering over a thousand people.
A non-British NHS doctor “reposted footage of music festivalgoers running from Hamas and commented: ‘If it was your home, you would stay and fight 🙂.’” In another post, she said: “Israel was never a country…Also, there are no civilians in Israel.”
❌ Yet another NHS clinician. Hundreds were murdered at that festival. Mocking young people running for their lives from murderous terrorists and suggesting that doing so is demonstrative of some political view is monstrous. This doctor needs to work on their bedside manner – but not at the NHS. The former Home Secretary would appear to have been right to say that her continued presence in the UK was not conducive to the public good.
A school boy wore a badge to his school which read: “Victory to the Intifada.”
❌ The intifada was a campaign of murderous Palestinian terrorism, including suicide bombings, that killed more than 1,000 Jews. Hamas was one of the leading terror groups involved.
These are curious illustrations for CAGE to rely on in its application. They are hardly the sort of opinions anyone should want in our hospitals, schools and campuses.
We have already provided a submission to the Home Secretary in response to the original application.
We will not allow Hamas to be de-proscribed in this country, and we will go to court if necessary.
“Jews aren’t welcome here” duo sentenced to prison
In November 2024, two men shouted “Jews aren’t welcome here” at four people leaving Marble Arch Synagogue.
Now, Hussein Altamimi and Ali Alanzi have been sentenced to prison at Isleworth Crown Court after being found guilty of four offences of religiously aggravated fear or provocation of violence and religiously aggravated assault. Both attackers were also found guilty of assaulting an emergency worker.
During the incident, when one of the victims began recording what was happening on her phone, Mr Altamimi struck her arm, causing her phone to fall from her hand. Mr Alanzi then threw a cup of alcohol at the victims.
The men were detained by synagogue security until the police arrived. During the arrest, Mr Alanzi assaulted a police officer.
Mr Alanzi was sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment, plus an additional twelve weeks from the activation of a suspended sentence. Mr Altamimi was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment.
If you have been a victim of an attack and need assistance getting justice, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
Meanwhile, Oghenochuko Ojiri, who has appeared on BBC’s Bargain Hunt, has been sentenced to two years and six months’ in prison.
Last month, Mr Ojiri pleaded guilty to eight offences of failing to disclose information during the course of business in the regulated sector when knowing, suspecting or having reasonable grounds for suspecting that another person has committed or attempted to commit an offence under Sections 15-18 of the Terrorism Act 2000, contrary to Section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The offences relate to the sale of several works of art to Nazem Ahmad, who is a suspected financier of Hizballah, a proscribed terrorist organisation. Mr Ahmad was sanctioned by the UK in 2023. The sales totalled nearly £140,000.
For some of the transactions, paperwork used names that were not Mr Ahmad’s, despite the sales being to him.
Messages recovered from Mr Ojiri’s phone showed him discussing money-laundering regulation with a colleague.
We welcome this verdict. Financing of antisemitic terrorist organisations has no place in the arts world.
James O’Brien and Jeremy Bowen
“Trump, in some ways, has already gone further than Kristallnacht.” So said LBC presenter James O’Brien on a recent morning show in reference to immigration enforcement riots in Los Angeles. You can listen to the full segment here.
Regardless of one’s feelings about current events in California, there is no comparison to be made to Kristallnacht.
The Nazi violence on Kristallnacht was one-way. There were no riots or mounted defences of the Jews. An estimated 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses were destroyed by the Nazi Government-backed vandals, and 91 Jews were murdered (although some scholars claim the number is much higher).
Within days, 30,000 Jewish men were rounded up and sent to concentration camps in what was effectively a dry run for what would become the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were slaughtered. Whatever may be happening in Los Angeles, it isn’t that.
This sort of hysterical commentary and implicit Holocaust distortion and trivialisation does nothing for the public’s understanding of the Holocaust and does real damage to the contemporary fight against antisemitism, which is more urgent than ever.
Constantly reaching for Holocaust analogies for every instance of violence or unrest not only confuses public understanding; it also cheapens history and disrespects victims.
Our suggestion to Mr O’Brien is that when he hears the words “shut up mate” in his head, it’s probably best to heed them.
Elsewhere, former UK Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Sumption is quoted by the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen as suggesting that the Jewish state is acting like the Jews’ historical persecutors and is committing a genocide.
The undisguised implication is that Israel is acting like Nazis.
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.
This is absolutely repugnant from one of Britain’s veteran jurists. What hope can British Jews have in our justice system when senior figures like Lord Sumption espouse views like these?
Of course it is always possible, though in this instance unlikely, that he has been misquoted by Mr Bowen, whose reporting has always left a great deal to be desired and whose abysmal reputation in the Jewish community speaks for itself.
But here we have one of the BBC’s most senior ‘journalists’ and one of the nation’s former highest judges egging each other on to vilify the Jewish state in ever more insulting terms.
Those who shamefully reference the history of Jewish persecution should worry less about urging the Jews to remember the past than doing so themselves.
Meanwhile, the BBC has issued a belated apology for publishing a video that claimed observant Jews spit on Christians in a “holiday ritual”.
On 5th October 2023, BBC Arabic published an article titled “Sukkot: Spitting and Assault on Christians and Harassment of Muslims on the Jewish Holiday,” with a video, in which it was claimed that observant Jews celebrate Sukkot (the festival of Tabernacles) in Israel by spitting on Christians.
It took the BBC nineteen months to issue an apology to our friends at CAMERA.
We have pointed out before that it is no longer clear if BBC Arabic is actually a genuine news channel or something else entirely.
We continue to call on the BBC to hold an independent investigation into its Middle East coverage, which any other institution engulfed in this many scandals would have done long ago.
Until then, the licence fee should be suspended. You can sign our petition here.
Friends of Palestine Society at Birmingham University suspended
The Friends of Palestine Society at the University of Birmingham has reportedly been suspended by the Guild of Students, following a protest last month.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has obtained footage of the protest, which took place on 15th May. The footage appears to show students chanting: “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.”
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, which was adopted by the University in 2020, “Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology” is an example of antisemitism.
Further footage shows protesters chanting: “Israel is a terror state.”
According to a statement on the Society’s Instagram account, it intends to appeal the decision.
A Jewish student at the University told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “I am pleased with the Guild of Students’ decision. Hearing these kinds of slogans on campus made me feel unsafe and uneasy. Jewish students should not have to face such intimidatory protests at an institution that is supposed to be a place of learning. I hope other universities will look at this case, impose similar measures, and take a clear stand against those who seek to intimidate Jews.”
This decision vindicates Jewish students at the University of Birmingham. This protest was yet another example of just how bad the situation is for Jews on campus right now.
Universities and student societies across Britain should follow this decision and take concrete steps to protect their students, who should be able to come to campus without fear for their safety.
If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].
