Now, the Jewish community and its allies can make an informed choice
Antisemitism is a major issue for so many voters in the Jewish community and among our allies. That is why, when this election was called, Campaign Against Antisemitism jumped into action.
We set out to do everything that we can to ensure that you have the facts and insight that you need to make an informed decision on this issue.
What do the parties propose to do about antisemitism?
We have reviewed the manifestos of the major national parties in relation to antisemitism, and you can read the pertinent points here. Most remarkable is that the manifestos do not in fact say very much about what the parties intend to do about antisemitism. That is why our Hustings Against Antisemitism was so important.
Last week, we hosted an urgent and unprecedented hustings, where, for the first time, senior figures from the major national political parties participated in an open event focusing exclusively on the fight against antisemitism.
Hundreds of attendees joined us for an informative and sometimes boisterous evening in North London with the Conservatives’ Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat; Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister, Alex Norris; the Liberal Democrats’ Lords Foreign Affairs Lead, Lord Purvis; and Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Ben Habib.
The scale of interest in this hustings shows how important this issue is to the Jewish community. The party representatives were left in no doubt about the strength of feeling and the scale of the task ahead for whomever forms the next Government.
These hustings leave the Jewish community better informed about the parties asking for their votes, when it comes to antisemitism. We were proud to have hosted this unique event. You can watch the whole event here.
Pledge against antisemitism
‘Our Policy team has invited all Parliamentary candidates to sign up to our pledge to adopt and abide by the International (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism, and to encourage and promote its widespread adoption and implementation, unamended and in its entirety, to the exclusion of any other definition or modifying document. It is so important to engage incoming MPs now and show them the issues that matter to us.
We are pleased to report that hundreds of candidates have signed so far, from a wide range of parties.
If you want to encourage your local candidates to sign, please ask them to e-mail [email protected].
Candidates exposed
Our Political and Government Investigations Unit has spent the past few weeks rapidly researching thousands of candidates from across political parties. Those findings have made the front pages and impacted the national conversation.
These include significant revelations about the Green Party, the Workers Party of Britain – whose candidates have allegedly said things like “Zionists are rap**ts…Zionists kill kids and then play victim…Zionists are trying to legalise peados,” and “world financial institutions are controlled by Jews” – and now Reform UK.
We have exposed a number of Reform candidates who have propagated conspiracies from Rothschilds and Israel controlling American presidents to antisemitism-denial, comparisons of the Jewish state to Nazis and the great replacement theory. The revelations were also mentioned on Sky News and on Channel 4 News.
We have also exposed a number of Independent candidates, including some who are members of the Alba Party. We are currently working with the media in Scotland regarding the Scottish National Party.
The Conservatives and Labour have also not escaped controversy.
Fight for our future
Thanks to so many of you who donated to our crowdfunder last week, we have the funds to defend the Jewish community and Fight for our Future. If you have not yet had a chance to donate, there is still time.
Campaign Against Antisemitism is a grassroots organisation that you built. It is only with your support that we are able to do what we do, including pursuing the three major cases that we announced last week. Thank you.
Help the March Against Antisemitism win an award!
The branding and graphics for our March Against Antisemitism last November, produced in collaboration with the design, brand and digital agency Creative Clinic, have been shortlisted for two awards which are decided by votes by the general public. We warmly congratulate our friends at Creative Clinic.
At a time of high levels of antisemitism, the shortlisting itself is noteworthy. With your help, the designs can now scoop one or two awards.
You can vote for each of the two categories by clicking on the links below (you can vote in each separately). You may need to register in order to vote.
- To vote for the Effectiveness Award, please click here.
- To vote for the Social Good Award, please click here.
When the General Election was called, we jumped into action. To ensure that those who are concerned about surging antisemitism are able to make an informed choice, we resolved to:
- Expose candidates and parties with troubling records;
- Review the parties’ manifestos in relation to antisemitism and;
- Arrange a hustings for senior party representatives to explain their positions.
In addition, we pledged to begin engaging with all candidates and would-be MPs on antisemitism, and we have begun devising new policy proposals for incoming ministers. The election may be this week, but, regardless of who forms the next Government, our policy work begins anew.
