A Labour Party councillor is alleged to have posted a horrific article arguing “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today.”
Belgica Guaña is alleged to have posted the article, titled “The Holocaust Hoax and the Jewish Promotion of Perversity”, on Facebook in 2016, two years before she became a councillor in Newham in London, where she is running for re-election this week.
The article says that “The so-called ‘Holocaust’ is propaganda in an ongoing war between the Jews and those with the courage to stand up to them – a war that began with the National Socialists coming to power in Germany in the 1930s and continues to this very day. The Jews do not have the means or the numbers to defeat Europeans with the force of arms so they have to rely mainly on infiltration, subversion, and economic and psychological warfare, with the Holocaust hoax being the best example of the latter.
“The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews (which is all that was actually happening), just as we would be today. Hitler and the National Socialists freed Germany from the death grip of the Jews and gave it back to the German people.”
The essay also argues that Jews use pornography to control western societies by way of the “Holocaust hoax”, and pushes the “white genocide” conspiracy theory, as well as claiming that teenage diarist Anne Frank, murdered by the Nazis at Bergen-Belsen, was a “bisexual degenerate” whose popular diary is an “obvious fraud…laced with pornographic and sexually subversive messages”.
In May 2016, Cllr Guaña reportedly shared a post that said that “The Nazi holocaust [sic] was a crime against humanity, and the Israeli Genocide against Palestinians can not be ignored or denied,” and in December 2017, Cllr Guaña is said to have shared a video of the United Nations General Assembly, writing: “If you can have a minute of silence for the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. So how much time should I ask for the more than 50 years of invasion and oppression of the Palestinian people?” Both posts are further breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
The allegation that Cllr Guaña posted the article was made in the JC, based on research by Labour Against Antisemitism.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The article allegedly shared by this councillor is a not only an abhorrent collection of antisemitic tropes, from Holocaust denial and paedophilia to comparisons of Israel with the Nazis and support for the far-right ‘Great Replacement Theory’, but it may also imply support for Jewish genocide. In view of just how horrific this post is, we are examining legal options.
“The Labour Party must urgently investigate both the veracity of the allegation and how Belgica Guaña was allowed to become and remain a councillor in spite of the post, and why she was endorsed by the Party in her bid for reelection.”
Cllr Guaña is not the only Labour candidate in the coming elections to be embroiled in controversy.
Cllr Lee Garvey, an independent candidate representing Pallister and Berwick Hills in Middlesbrough, had applied to become a member of the Labour Party, but was rejected after concerns were raised about material that he had allegedly shared online. Cllr Garvey allegedly compared Israel’s policies to the Holocaust and referenced antisemitic conspiracy theories surrounding the Rothschild family.
In a 2015 Facebook post referencing then-Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, Cllr Garvey reportedly wrote: “Just saw an interview with [Channel 4 News presenter John] snow and CaMORON where he says, we need to stop the Demonisation of Jews…Lets look at how I see it…Israel is doing to the Palestinians what they themselves suffered at the hands of the Nazi’s [sic].”
On another occasion, Cllr Garvey allegedly complained about the number of Jewish characters on television, saying: “Watch any US sitcom or show, you will find the vast majority have at least one Jewish character if not a Jewish family. Why is this when they make up JUST 2.2% of the population?? And if like me you fear the TV is just a Propaganda, it certainly makes you think [sic].”
In another alleged 2015 Facebook post, Cllr Garvey is claimed to have referenced classic antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Rothschild family, writing: “I also take the sleeping enhancer from those drug companies I despise, use money to purchase items given to us by the Rothschild family who I regard as less than poo and I also maek most of my living in churches and we all know how I feel about them…”
Another Labour candidate, Anne Pissaridou, representing North Portslade in Brighton, has been suspended by the Party for a second time after new revelations about her social media output. She is accused of posting messages on social media downplaying antisemitism allegations in the Labour Party and reportedly appeared to condone an online attack on a Jewish party member.
A third figure caught up in controversy is former Labour MP Martin Linton. Mr Linton served as the MP for Battersea between 1997 and 2010, but is now running as a council candidate in Wandsworth’s Lavender ward. He has allegedly made a number of inflammatory statements in the past.
In 2010, while Mr Linton was Chair of Labour Friends of Palestine, he reportedly claimed that the “Israel lobby” played a malign role in marginal constituencies. During a meeting held at the House of Commons by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of al-Aqsa, Mr Linton is reported to have said that “There are long tentacles of Israel in this country who are funding election campaigns and putting money into the British political system for their own ends…When you make decisions about how you vote and how you advise constituents to vote, you must make them aware of the attempt by Israelis and by pro-Israelis to influence the election.”
In an appearance on the Islam Channel, Mr Linton said that the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group Hamas should not be called “terrorists”. That is, Mr Linton explained “the wrong word to use when you are talking about someone who is fighting a military occupation”. Mr Linton’s preferred term is “Gazan militants”, because, while the actions of individuals may be described as terroristic, the same apparently cannot be said for groups and governments.
In 2010, Mr Linton appeared on the Iranian-backed news outlet PressTV to, it has been claimed, defend Hamas terrorists in Israeli prisons. On another occasion, he appeared on PressTV to defend Raed Salah, a prolific antisemite who claims that Israel planned 9/11.
Murad Qureshi, the candidate for the ward of Little Venice in west London, is also embroiled in controversy. Mr Qureshi is alleged to have made comments about the “powerful pro-Israel lobby” in the United States, and retweeted a Twitter post which read “You can get away with offending anyone so lomng as they’re not Jewish”. In a 2013 blog post, Mr Qureshi also reportedly questioned the “legal basis” for the trial of the leading Nazi Adolf Eichmann. Mr Qureshi allegedly wrote that “I am not sure the Eichmann trial can be held up as a model of due processes [sic].” From 2016 to 2021, Mr Qureshi was Chair of Stop the War Coalition, and has been photographed alongside Hamas politicians including leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
“Here comes Jew boy…we’re going to make you go extinct”: Goyim Defence League drive around Los Angeles dressed as Nazis
It has been reported that members of an antisemitic hate group dressed in Nazi regalia were seen harassing members of the public throughout Los Angeles this past weekend.
The group was reportedly caught on camera driving in a truck painted with the acronym “GDL”, which stands for Goyim Defence League.
GDL leader and operator of the video-sharing site Goyim TV, Jon Minadeo II, is reported to have been filmed shouting “Here comes Jew boy” and “We’re going to make you go extinct” whilst dressed as an Orthodox Jew.
Despite Beverly Hills Police being called to the scene of the incident, there were reportedly no citations issued to any of the GDL members.
In addition to the antisemitic remarks and actions of the group, its truck was painted with white supremacist and antisemitic slogans and references to the “Great Replacement Theory”, an antisemitic far-right conspiracy theory that claims that Jews are secretly masterminding an invasion of non-white immigrants to western countries to make white people a minority in order to further their insidious agenda.
The Great Replacement Theory was allegedly a motivating ideological factor behind the killing of ten Black people shopping in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on 14th May by a self-described “ethno-nationalist eco-fascist national socialist”.
The GDL has been described as an antisemitic hate group whose membership reportedly contains several neo-Nazis and is understood to be led by Jon Minadeo II. The group is divided into regional branches and regularly distributes antisemitic flyers across the United States. Last year, Mr Minadeo II created t-shirts carrying antisemitic slogans such as the Holocaust was “a hoax” and more recently, they hung a banner from a bridge in Austin, Texas that read “Vax the Jews”.
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.
Italian Government condemns Lazio fans’ inflammatory behaviour
Leading figures at SS Lazio, the football club based in Rome, as well as figures from the Italian Government, have condemned racist insults aimed at a steward working in the stadium during a game with Hellas Verona, and inflammatory slogans directed at fans of Lazio’s local rivals, AS Roma.
Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, branded the Lazio fans “cowards”, while officials from Lazio condemned the appearance of the slogans.
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.
Kippah-wearing lawyer abused and spat at in Milan
A Jewish lawyer is reported to have been spat at and abused in the Italian city of Milan by four men of Middle Eastern appearance.
The victim, 30, who was wearing a kippah (skullcap) and did not wish to be named, gave an account of what happened in a private Facebook group.
He claimed that on a street in central Milan in daylight, he was accosted by a man asking if he was Jewish.
“One of the two men shouted ‘Yeudi’, which is what Jews are called in Arabic,” the victim related, adding that he was then “showered” with saliva and verbal abuse.
“They were about to be joined by another two,” he said, “so I ran.”
He said that the four men started to chase him “but soon gave up.”
“People in the street” the victim reported, “pretended not to see.”
According to a recent report, there has been a marked increase in antisemitic incidents in Italy.
Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents in Italy.
French communal outrage after another elderly Jew is allegedly thrown out of window to his death by neighbour as police rush to rule out antisemitic motive
The French Jewish community has reacted with a combination of outrage and resignation after yet another elderly French Jew was allegedly thrown out of a window to his death, with the police all too quickly ruling out an antisemitic motive.
Rene Hadjaj, a 90-year-old Jewish man, was allegedly defenestrated from an apartment block last Tuesday in Lyon. A 51-year-old neighbour, believed to have known the victim well, was arrested.
Police believe that the incident related to an argument between the two and was not connected to the victim’s Jewish identity, and have therefore ruled out an antisemitic motive. The decision has elicited outrage from parts of the French community.
It has also provoked a feeling of resignation, as French Jewry has been here before too many times in recent years.
In 2017, Sarah Halimi, a 65-year-old Jewish woman, 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. Mr Traoré was said to have yelled “Allah Akbar,” “I killed the shaitan,” which is an Arabic word for ‘devil’ or ‘demon’, along with antisemitic vitriol. It took time for the police to recognise the antisemitic motive, but Mr Traoré was deemed unfit to stand trial because he was under the influence of drugs at the time. The judgement was highly controversial and let to protests around the world – including a rally outside the French embassy in London organised by Campaign Against Antisemitism – and a parliamentary inquiry.
In 2018, 85-year-old Mireille Knoll, a Holocaust survivor, was stabbed eleven times during a botched robbery that also saw her body set alight in an effort by the perpetrators to burn her apartment. In this instance, the authorities did accept that there was an antisemitic motive and the perpetrators were jailed.
Then, last month, after the police had judged the death of Jeremy Cohen, a 31-year-old Jewish man who was hit by a tram, to be a traffic accident, his family undertook their own investigation, including leafleting neighbours for information. Footage emerged of a gang of men attacking the visibly Jewish Mr Cohen apparently causing him to flee and resulting in his death, leading to a new investigation.
These are just some of the high-profile recent cases in France, where antisemitism has skyrocketed by 75% in the past year, from already staggeringly high figures.
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.
CAA to write to Honours Forfeiture Committee and House of Lords Appointments Commission over Naz Shah’s “dear friend” Shaista Gohir OBE
Last week, the disgraced Labour Party MP, Naz Shah, congratulated her “dear friend” Shaista Gohir OBE on her appointment to the House of Lords as a non-party political peer.
Regrettably, Ms Gohir, the founding co-Chair of the Muslim Women’s Network, has her own history of inflammatory social media activity, which we can now reveal.
Judging by her tweets, Ms Gohir believes that Israel controls US foreign policy and American political decision-making. In one tweet, she wrote: “Who controls America’s foreign policy? ISRAEL – they would be the ONLY beneficiaries of a US attack on Syria.” Another tweet read: “Will Israel influence the US vote on whether to invade Syria? Are the AMericans really on control of their own decisions? #JustAsking.”
In fact, she appears to believe that Israel “controls” the US and even has such a “hold” over world leaders that it can “get away with murder”, having written in one tweet that “US warns Israel over Palestine talks failure. I bet Israel are quaking in their boots – NOT! Don’t they control US? http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26416958” and in another tweet that “The hold Israel has over world leaders including Muslim ones is extraordinary that they continue to murder Palestinians and get away with it.”
It is not just any sort of murder that the Jewish state purportedly “gets away with”, but genocide comparable to that committed by the Nazis. She wrote: “You cannot continue to victimize someone else just because you yourself were a victim once-there has to be a limit (Edward W.Said) #israel.” According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.
Ms Gohir is a fan of the ‘right sort’ of Jews, including, it seems, those who ‘learned’ from their experience of the Holocaust. She wrote in one tweet that “It’s a shame that media does not highlight all those Jews who are against the Israeli aggression against Palestinians even in Israel” and in another tweet: “Holocaust survivors condemn Israel http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28916761.”
She finds it “Very worrying that increasingly anyone criticising Israeli govt is deliberately being accused of antisemitism to prevent debate.” This is an example of the antisemitic “Livingstone Formulation,” which holds that Jews level baseless allegations of antisemitism in order to silence criticism of Israel.
It is odd that she would utilise the Livingstone Formulation, however, given that she thought that Ken Livingstone should be suspended from the Labour Party, asking in a tweet: “Will #Corbyn take action against his best mate Ken Livingstone? #NazShah suspended despite apology but Ken not regretful & not suspended.”
It is possible, however, that that tweet was just intended to suggest that her friend Ms Shah had supposedly been unfairly treated. After all, in another tweet she wrote: “Instead of suspending @NazShahBfd the @UKLabour should do roots & branches review on #antiSemitism #sexism & homophobia in party.”
She has said some of the right things on antisemitism in the Labour Party, including a tweet with a cartoon showing Labour sweeping complaints regarding “sexism, homophobia [and] antisemitism” under the carpet.
But that could just be because, judging by various tweets, she did not like Jeremy Corbyn who, lest we forget, suspended her friend Ms Shah.
Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to the Honours Forfeiture Committee and House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Government questions election of new NUS President over alleged failure to commit to International Definition of Antisemitism
The Government has reportedly demanded an investigation into the election of the new President of the National Union of Students (NUS) over an alleged failure to commit to the International Definition of Antisemitism.
According to the JC, Universities Minister Michelle Donelan has written to Civica Election Services, which ran the recent election that was won by the controversial activist Shaima Dallali, despite her history of antisemitic tweets and other inflammatory social media posts. Prior to the election, Ms Dallali apologised for one such tweet, but later told The Guardian that it is “absolutely not true” that “I don’t like Jewish people,” nevertheless, “as a black Muslim woman, it [the allegation] is something that I expected.”
The Minister has called for an investigation by Civica on the basis that Rule 8 of NUS’s “core rules” states that any candidate for office “must have a commitment to anti-racism…and antisemitism as per the IHRA [International] definition”. In the past, Ms Dallali has campaigned against the International Definition of Antisemitism at City University London, where she also served as President of the Students’ Union.
The move comes just after the Government announced that it is sanctioning NUS, removing it from all official groups and committees and refusing to engage with it, which came following calls for such measures by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others in the Jewish community. Last month, for example, Robert Halfon MP wrote together with Campaign Against Antisemitism to the Charity Commission calling for an investigation into the union’s charitable arm. The full dossier on NUS, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, can be read here. The Government has now also added its voice to calls for an investigation by the Charity Commission. Campaign Against Antisemitism also made representations to the Government on the matter, including at a campus antisemitism summit organised by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi. In addition to Campaign Against Antisemitism, UJS, CST and others have also called for action.
The Government’s announcement came after a string of controversies surrounding NUS and its leadership, including over Jewish opposition to an appearance by the rapper Kareen Dennis, known as Lowkey, at NUS’s centenary conference. The outgoing NUS President, Larissa Kennedy, has now insisted that claims that she suggested that Jewish students who were uncomfortable with the performance could self-segregate in an area intended for those who do not like loud music are false.
After the numerous controversies, NUS announced that it was launching an independent investigation into antisemitism in the organisation, which would be at least the third in two decades after similar investigations in 2005 and 2017. NUS has now announced that the new investigation will be led by Rebecca Tuck QC.
In recent weeks, over twenty former NUS Presidents wrote a letter expressing their “serious concerns about antisemitism”, and another letter, organised by UJS and signed by over 1,000 Jewish students and allies, called for NUS to launch its ‘independent’ investigation.
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].
Alleged attack on visibly Jewish man in Melbourne leaves second Jewish man who came to victim’s aid with severe injuries
Police in Melbourne are investigating an attack on two Jewish people, leaving one with severe injuries.
One victim, Yacov Gozlan, 50, said that he saw a visibly Jewish individual being attacked. Mr Gozlan was leaving a supermarket at the time. He confronted the attacker, who was allegedly holding the victim up against a transit van.
On being asked, Mr Gozlan confirmed to the attacker that he too was Jewish, before the victim used Mr Gozlan’s intervention to run inside the supermarket. The assault then continued against Mr Gozlan himself, however, and he was allegedly punched and knocked to the ground.
Victoria Police have confirmed that they arrested a 33-year-old man at the scene of the incident. It is understood that he is cooperating, and so far no charges have been filed.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police said that they “understand incidents of antisemitism can leave communities feeling targeted, threatened, and vulnerable. We treat any reports of antisemitism seriously.”
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: Screenshot taken from The Algemeiner
Police investigation after swastika discovered at Kent State University
A swastika has been discovered painted on the front campus at Kent State University, Ohio. The University has said that it is unclear when the swastika was painted.
Both a campus Jewish organisation and the Portage County NAACP have condemned the graffiti. The University Police have taken the matter under investigation.
The University issued a statement saying that “in the aftermath of the massacre in Buffalo, New York, the graffiti serves as a reminder of the threat of extremism”.
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.
Goldsmiths’ Students’ Union refuses University’s call for antisemitism investigation after President reportedly calls Professor David Hirsh a “white supremacist”
It has been reported that the Goldsmiths, University of London Students’ Union has refused to investigate its President following allegations of antisemitism, despite being requested to do so by the University.
Sara Bafo, the President of the Students’ Union at Goldsmiths, is alleged to have tweeted: “D*vid H*rsch is a far right white supremacist. All you have to do is read his work and tweets and that’s all the confirmation needed.”
Ms Bafo’s alleged tweet was said to have been written in response to a tweet from Prof. Hirsch, a prominent and highly-respected antisemitism expert, which said: “There is an antisemitic edge to official, institutional, university campaigns to ‘decolonise’ education.”
Yesterday, a spokesperson for the University said that on 10th May, it had requested the Union to investigate whether online messages that had been posted were “antisemitic in nature,” adding: “Goldsmiths Students’ Union is an independent charity which has its own policies and processes for investigating and we expect them to follow these. Goldsmiths remains committed to supporting all members of our inclusive community and demonstrating there is no place for prejudice on our campus.”
In response to the request for the investigation, Ms Bafo tweeted that the University “has tried to get the SU trustee board to investigate me for a tweet I made in response to a Zionist Goldsmiths academic’s explicit racist history & his delegitimisation of ‘Decolonisation’ campaigns,” adding: “This was a dirty tactic from the institution to silence me further as I was leaving.”
Larissa Kennedy, President of the embattled National Union of Students (NUS), came to the defence of Ms Bafo, describing the call for an investigation as a “disgusting move” before labelling it “concerted suppression” and offering “Masses of solidarity to @SaraBafo1”.
However, it has been reported this afternoon that the request for the investigation has been denied on grounds of “free speech”.
Ed Nedjari, Head of the Student’s Union, reportedly said: “Goldsmiths Student Union is an independent charity that believes in justice and inclusivity, as well as freedom of expression. In her tweets, Sara was expressing her opinion about David Hirsh, formed via the experience of attending his lectures as a Black Muslim student.
“Sara’s term as SU President has ended. For that reason – but most importantly, because her comments are protected as free speech – we won’t be investigating this matter retrospectively.”
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].
Britain’s youngest terrorist sentenced but avoids custody order
A fourteen-year-old from Darlington has been sentenced after pleading guilty to terror charges, which made him the youngest person to be convicted on terror offences.
The schoolboy previously admitted three counts of possessing information useful to a terrorist, specifically manuals for making explosives, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He was also reportedly active on racist online forums and, according to the prosecution, he regularly used “racist, antisemitic and anti-Islamic language” and made contact with other far-right radicals online.
The boy, who cannot be named, was arrested last year when he was thirteen in an investigation into extreme right-wing terrorism.
He was sentenced at Newton Aycliffe Youth Court by Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring to complete a “high-intensity” referral order for twelve months. The judge believed that a custody order could undo the “rehabilitative” progress that the child, who has learning difficulties, has made.
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
Mountaineer who called Jews “kikes” has his name stripped from prestigious climbing award
A former Harvard University philosophy professor and mountaineer who referred to Jews as “kikes” has had his name removed from a mountaineering award named in his honour.
Since his death in 1983, Robert L. M. Underhill had been honoured by the American Alpine Club (AAC), which gave out the annual Robert and Miriam Underhill Award in his memory.
However, following a complaint to the AAC’s Chief Executive filed by a Jewish climber, Brad Rassler, the AAC has decided to change the name of the award after being made aware of Underhill’s history of inflammatory comments about Jews.
In one letter, Underhill told a friend that Jews were “kikes” who did not possess the physical and mental strength needed for mountaineering, and that they were trying to “invade” what should otherwise be a Jew-free sport.
Though the AAC does not question Underhill’s climbing abilities, which included first ascents in both Europe and the Americas, the AAC has announced that it is no longer appropriate to name the award after him.
Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.
Race to become Labour Party candidate for Wakefield by-election marred by antisemitism allegations
The race to become the Labour Party’s candidate in the coming Wakefield by-election has been marred by antisemitism allegations.
One shortlisted candidate, Kate Dearden, has reported that she has endured taunts from far-left activists that she is a “Zionist”. Ms Dearden, an official for the trade union Community, has worked in the past with the Union of Jewish Students and the Labour Party’s Jewish affiliate.
The taunts reportedly included “Kate seems to have supported Zionists (UJS/JLM),” while another post said: “Dinner with the Zionists is it? How can you be a socialist party when you have kicked out the Socialists. In fact this little vote has collapsed because you are all a farce.” Yet another post read: “Soo surprised to see Starmer’s choice is a Zionist supporter…”
Another prospective candidate, Jack Hemmingway, is alleged to have downplayed antisemitism within the Labour Party, called for the reinstatement of Jeremy Corbyn after the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commision’s (EHRC) report about antisemitism in the Party under Mr Corbyn’s leadership, and liked online posts by controversial figures George Galloway and Salma Yaqoob.
On Twitter, Mr Hemmingway defended himself, claiming that his comment arguing that Labour was not institutionally antisemitic came before the outcome of the EHRC report, the findings of which he accepts.
Neither Ms Dearden nor Mr Hemmingway were selected as the Party’s candidate.
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
“Hope you die in another Holocaust, f***ing Jews”, group of Jews told in Hendon
A group of Jews were told “Hope you die in another Holocaust, f***ing Jews” after leaving a restaurant in Hendon yesterday.
Two Caucasian men directed a series of expletive-laden antisemitic insults in the direction of the group as the victims walked up Church Lane yesterday evening.
One of the group told Campaign Against Antisemitism: “What a pitiful way to end our enjoyable evening. The abusers didn’t even appear to be drunk, only hateful. Saddest of all was how unremarkable it felt – a sad reminder of how common this sort of unreported and under-the-radar antisemitism still is in the UK.”
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.
Image credit: Google
Maryland Jewish Community Centre evacuated after bomb threat
A bomb threat has forced the evacuation of the Jewish Community Centre in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Though the agency described the threat as “non-credible”, it comes at a time of heightened tensions, as similar threats have been made against Jewish Community Centres in Albany and Long Island, New York.
The Centre’s CEO, Barak Hermann, and Board Chair, Laura Rubenstein, wrote a joint statement to the community, which stated that “This past weekend our country again saw mass threats and killings at a supermarket in upstate New York, a flea market in Texas, and a church in California, to sadly just name a few. These tragic mass killings are rooted in hate and racism and resulted in innocent lives being lost and hurt and families and communities tragically impacted. The threat we and other JCCs have received are full of antisemitic language and causes frustration and anxiety.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.
Image credit: Google
Teenage trio break into house and graffiti swastika and the word “Jews”
It has been reported that a house in Elstree that is currently undergoing renovation has been broken into and graffitied with a swastika and the word “Jews”.
Apparently, neighbours informed the owner of the property about the presence of a group of teenagers who had broken into the house on Park Crescent. The owner told them to leave and noticed the graffiti once they had left.
Hertfordshire Constabulary say that they have detained and arrested three males, two aged 17 and one 16, on suspicion of racial or religiously aggravated burglary. The suspects have reportedly been released pending further enquiries by the police.
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
Alex Davies convicted of membership of neo-Nazi terrorist group, National Action
Alex Davies, 27, has been convicted today of membership of the neo-Nazi terrorist group, National Action.
Mr Davies, of Swansea, was found guilty by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of being a member of the proscribed group, which he founded in 2013, between 17th December 2016 and 27th September 2017.
National Action was proscribed by the British Government following repeated calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.
Following the ban, Mr Davies was involved in the development of a “continuity” organisation, designed to continue the work of the banned group and initially called the Southern Activist Network, later renamed NS131. That group was also banned as an alias of National Action nine months after the proscription of its predecessor organisation.
During the trial, Mr Davies explained his ideology, saying that “If we were to take power, our aim is to have an overwhelmingly white Britain as it more or less has been for centuries. It’s only in the past 50/60/70 years we have had mass immigration. It would be to return to the status quo of before the Second World War.” He was asked if he would repatriate Jewish families with British heritage dating back centuries and replied: “Yes, that’s how repatriation would work.”
The court also heard that he was photographed in 2016 performing a Nazi salute in the Buchenwald death camp execution chamber, and said that he did not believe that the Holocaust occurred. He said that he felt “badly” about the photograph, and, regarding the Holocaust, insisted: “I do not believe there was a systematic extermination of Jews. I can’t be a national socialist if the Holocaust occurred, I cannot support an ideology that supports genocide. I have the same moral compass as anyone else, I believe murder is wrong and I cannot support something that engaged in systematic genocide of people because they are Jewish.”
The jury heard that Mr Davies contacted prospective members on the secure messaging platform Wire, explaining that the group had a “revolutionary Nationalist Socialist ideology”, but needed to “be able to ‘swim’ among the general population without trouble.”
Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson told Winchester Crown Court that National Action was banned after it “terrorised” towns including Liverpool, Newcastle, York, Swansea and Darlington, during which its members could be heard “screaming Nazi-era proclamations through megaphones”, including one occasion in York where Mr Davies reportedly spoke in front of a banner that read “Refugees not welcome: Hitler was right.”
Judge Mark Dennis QC anticipated that it was “inevitable” that Mr Davies would be given a custodial sentence at a hearing at the Old Bailey on 7th June.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We commend the jury for convicting this Holocaust-denier and neo-Nazi leader. Alex Davies is the epitome of a youth wasted, devoted as it was to ignorance and malice. Neo-Nazis have no place in British society. 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 Davies 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
West Ham fans charged with racially aggravated harassment of visibly Jewish man on Ryanair flight appear in court
Two West Ham supporters appeared in court today charged with racially aggravated harassment of a visibly Jewish man on a Ryanair flight last year.
Lee Carey, 55, and Jak Bruce, 31, who appeared via video link before Judge Loram QC at Chelmsford Crown Court, were arrested in connection with an incident on a flight to Eindhoven in November 2021 in which numerous West Ham supporters were videoed chanting an antisemitic song, apparently at a Hasidic passenger.
The group was filmed to be chanting “I’ve got a foreskin haven’t you, f***ing Jew”, as they flew to a match between their team and KRC Genk in Belgium.
Last week, the defendants sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction under the Civil Aviation Act and therefore could not hear the case. The court has now requested submissions from Ryanair, with hearings scheduled for the coming weeks with a view to holding the trial in February next year.
West Ham confirmed last year that it had banned two supporters for life, although it is not known if those fans are the defendants in this case.
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.
Burnley supporters arrested after appearing to perform Nazi salutes during match with Tottenham Hotspur
Three supporters of Burnley Football Club have been arrested after video footage emerged of them appearing to perform Nazi salutes during the Lancashire club’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur on 15th May.
The video footage appears to show one man in a baseball raising his arm with a flat palm while another mimics someone crying by rubbing his eyes with clenched fists.
Tottenham Hotspur have a reputation for being a “Jewish” club and fans often find themselves the targets of antisemitic abuse by opposing fans, whether or not they are Jewish.
Tottenham Hotspur’s official Twitter confirmed the arrests and stated that the club will be helping the police with their investigation, saying: “The Club can confirm two visiting supporters have been identified and arrested following discriminatory gestures at today’s match. We shall be supporting the police with their investigation.”
In a statement, Burnley said that “This is now a police investigation and, collectively, we will work with Tottenham Hotspur, Met Police and Lancs Police on this matter.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.
Teenager allegedly indoctrinated by far-right literature plans bombing of German school, while Jewish cemetery also attacked
German police are investigating two allegedly antisemitic incidents.
A 16-year-old suspect was arrested by federal officers on suspicion of planning to bomb a high school in Essen. When the police raided the teenager’s home, they found explosives and antisemitic, far-right literature.
Police in Cologne, meanwhile, are investigating a suspected arson attack at a Jewish cemetery.
It has been reported that an unidentified person poured a flammable substance around the burial site in the western Cologne suburb of Bocklemünd. The police are investigating whether the incident had antisemitic intent.
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.
As Black Americans grieve, details emerge of terrorist’s conspiracy-fuelled hatred of Black and Jewish communities
While America mourns for the ten people killed and three injured, eleven of whom were Black, reportedly at the hands of self-described “ethno-nationalist eco-fascist national socialist” Payton Gendron on 14th May, many have turned their attention to the shooter’s 180-page-long manifesto.
The document details the alleged Buffalo supermarket killer’s interest in what is known as the “Great Replacement Theory”. This antisemitic far-right conspiracy theory claims that Jews are the secret masterminds behind a planned “invasion” of non-white immigrants into western countries with the aim of making white people a minority to further an insidious, but largely unclear, agenda.
The theory’s origins are said to date back to early-20th century France, but it was formalised and popularised more recently, by the writer Renaud Camus in his 2011 essay “Le Grand Remplacement” (“The Great Replacement”).
Over time, the theory was adopted by white supremacists who professed hatred for Jews and other non-whites, with one prominent example including those behind the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The theory has also influenced terrorist murderers like neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Breivik, Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, and Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant, from whose manifesto the alleged Buffalo shooter’s writings are reported to have borrowed heavily.
One Twitter user stated that Mr Gendron’s manifesto included a “scientific”-style chart distinguishing between different types of supposedly Jewish faces based on animals and mythical creatures, including hawks, trolls, goblins, demons, “nightmare” creatures and rats. It is illustrated with famous faces, including former Labour Party MP Luciana Berger, actor Ron Perlman, billionaire financier and activist George Soros, and philosopher Max Horkheimer, whose writings often feature in far-right conspiracy theories about “cultural Marxism”.
The gunman apparently explained that, although the primary problem in the United States is supposed Jewish influence, he chose to attack immigrants and Black people to stop them from having any more impact on the country.
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.
Jordanian media outlet repeats classic antisemitic tropes about Jewish power and greed
It has been reported that the state-backed Jordanian daily newspaper, Al-Rai, has published a number of articles with inflammatory content, including Holocaust denial.
The articles reportedly purport to “corroborate” the recent false claims by Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, that Adolf Hitler was of Jewish origin, with one article claiming to provide concrete historical evidence that Hitler was Jewish. One of the articles also claims that the fact that Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish suggests that Jews are willing to become Nazis.
The articles also state that Israel exaggerates the scope of the Holocaust, using it to extort Western governments for money, that Zionists collaborated with the Nazis, and that there is a sinister “global Zionist” conspiracy, led by the Rothschild banking family, to export terrorism around the world.
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.
Licoricia of Winchester statue apparently vandalised
A statue of the thirteenth-century Jewish businesswoman, Licoricia of Winchester, appears to have been vandalised.
The statue, a to-scale depiction of Licoricia and her son, Asher, which was unveiled at the Winchester Discovery Centre in February this year, appears to have been attacked. Photographs show that the varnish around Asher’s eye, nose and mouth have been peeled.
It is not currently clear how the damage was caused, with some sources suggesting that the surface may have been damaged by a fizzy drink, while others fear that it may be some other corrosive substance.
Licoricia of Winchester was a Jewish businesswoman and community leader who has been described as “the most important Jewish woman in medieval England”. She married her second husband, David of Oxford, known as the richest Jewish person in England at the time, in 1242, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London for surety when he died two years later. She spent the next three decades financing figures throughout southern England. She is also said to have had a close relationship with King Henry III.
She was found murdered in 1277 in her house in Winchester’s Jewry Street in 1277, thirteen years before King Edward I expelled the Jews from England.
Three men were arrested for Licoricia’s murder, but none of them were convicted, and the murder went unsolved.
Tony Stoller, a trustee of the Licoricia of Winchester Appeal, said: “There is indeed some minor damage to the statue, although there is no reason to think it is targeted vandalism. We’re examining how best it can be repaired, which ought to be straightforward. There is no suggestion whatever that it may be the result of any antisemitic action.”
The story of Licoricia of Winchester was covered in episode 14 of Podcast Against Antisemitism.
Government sanctions NUS, saying “enough is enough” over antisemitism scandals, following calls by CAA and others
Following a string of controversies surrounding the National Union of Students (NUS) and its leadership, the Government has decided to sanction the organisation, removing it from all official groups and committees and refusing to engage with it. The move follows calls for the measures by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.
A Government announcement said that “NUS will be removed from all Department for Education groups and replaced with alternative student representation…The Department for Education has also confirmed that the NUS will not receive any government funding…The allegations of antisemitism, which have been well-documented and span several years, have prompted a feeling of insecurity amongst Jewish students across the country and a worry systemic antisemitism within the organisation is not being properly addressed.”
The news comes despite NUS promising to ‘independently’ investigate itself in the wake of numerous antisemitism scandals. In one recent scandal, the rapper Kareem Dennis, known as Lowkey, was due to headline NUS’s centenary conference. After initially dismissing the concerns of Jewish students and telling them to stand in a segregation away from Mr Dennis, the union came under media scrutiny and eventually Mr Dennis withdrew from the event.
This scandal was immediately followed by the election of Shaima Dallali as NUS’s new President, despite her history of antisemitic tweets and other inflammatory social media posts. Prior to the election, she apologised for one such tweet, but later told The Guardian that it is “absolutely not true” that “I don’t like Jewish people,” nevertheless, “as a black Muslim woman, it [the allegation] is something that I expected.”
In a tweet about the new sanctions, Michelle Donelan, Minister of State for Higher Education, wrote: “Enough is enough. I’ve prepared a package of sanctions against NUS following concerning incidents over many years. Disappointed it has come to this but proud to stand up for Jewish students. NUS will not have a seat at the table until we see real change.”
In a tweet backing his colleague, Nadhim Zahawi, Secretary of State for Education, wrote: “Jewish students need to have confidence that they are being represented, and student bodies must speak fairly for everyone. This will remain until issues are suitably addressed.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The Government has taken a firm stand shoulder to shoulder with Jewish students and the Jewish community at large after years of antisemitism scandals at NUS. We have found the Government to be very receptive to the concerns that we and others have expressed and these sanctions are precisely the measures that we had hoped to see implemented. We will now see whether these sanctions jolt NUS into action, or consign it to irrelevance. Student organisations are supposed to be filled with voices of hope, not bigotry. Those at NUS who have allowed matters to degenerate this far should be deeply ashamed that it has come to this.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism and others had been calling for the measures. Last month, Robert Halfon MP wrote together with Campaign Against Antisemitism to the Charity Commission calling for an investigation into the union’s charitable arm. The full dossier on NUS, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, can be read here. The Government has now also added its voice to calls for an investigation by the Charity Commission.
Campaign Against Antisemitism also made representations to the Government on the matter, including at a campus antisemitism summit organised by Mr Zahawi. In addition to Campaign Against Antisemitism, UJS, CST and others have also called for action.
In recent weeks, over twenty former NUS Presidents wrote a letter expressing their “serious concerns about antisemitism”, and another letter, organised by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) and signed by over 1,000 Jewish students and allies, called for NUS to launch its ‘independent’ investigation.
In a statement NUS repeated its assurance that it would undertake its own investigation and lamented that “the universities minister [sic] has press released that they will be disengaging with NUS rather than seeking to engage with us directly.”
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].
CAA reports to police Newham councillor alleged to have posted horrific article arguing “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has reported to the police a Newham councillor alleged to have posted a horrific article arguing that “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today.”
We have also reported the councillor to Newham Council.
Belgica Guaña is alleged to have posted the article, titled “The Holocaust Hoax and the Jewish Promotion of Perversity”, on Facebook in 2016, two years before she became a councillor in Newham in London, where she was re-elected last week.
The article says that “The so-called ‘Holocaust’ is propaganda in an ongoing war between the Jews and those with the courage to stand up to them – a war that began with the National Socialists coming to power in Germany in the 1930s and continues to this very day. The Jews do not have the means or the numbers to defeat Europeans with the force of arms so they have to rely mainly on infiltration, subversion, and economic and psychological warfare, with the Holocaust hoax being the best example of the latter.
“The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews (which is all that was actually happening), just as we would be today. Hitler and the National Socialists freed Germany from the death grip of the Jews and gave it back to the German people.”
The essay also argues that Jews use pornography to control western societies by way of the “Holocaust hoax”, and pushes the “white genocide” conspiracy theory, as well as claiming that teenage diarist Anne Frank, murdered by the Nazis at Bergen-Belsen, was a “bisexual degenerate” whose popular diary is an “obvious fraud…laced with pornographic and sexually subversive messages”.
In May 2016, Cllr Guaña reportedly shared a post that said that “The Nazi holocaust [sic] was a crime against humanity, and the Israeli Genocide against Palestinians can not be ignored or denied,” and in December 2017, Cllr Guaña is said to have shared a video of the United Nations General Assembly, writing: “If you can have a minute of silence for the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. So how much time should I ask for the more than 50 years of invasion and oppression of the Palestinian people?” Both posts are further breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism. Other inflammatory material is also alleged to have been posted by Cllr Guaña, both before and during her term in office.
The allegation that Cllr Guaña posted the article was made in the JC, based on research by Labour Against Antisemitism. Cllr Guaña was suspended by the Labour Party on the eve of the local elections last week, reportedly a week after Labour Against Antisemitism submitted its complaint to the Party but, notably, immediately after the allegations were published in the JC.
The Labour group at Newham Council has repeatedly been the subject of controversy in relation to antisemitism allegations. In 2020, a leaked report reportedly detailed a complaint by the Council’s only Jewish member about a “culture of accepted antisemitism”, and then last year the Chair of Labour in Newham was reportedly to be investigated over alleged antisemitism, just days after his deputy was suspended over alleged antisemitic social media activity.
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.
Antisemitism on display at thousands-strong anti-Israel march through London, but support drops to low ebb
A slew of controversial and antisemitic signs and chants were present on the streets of London yesterday during an anti-Israel rally that was organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), but numbers seem to have declined considerably since the last large-scale mobilisation of protesters.
An evidence gathering team from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit was present at the rally, which started outside the BBC’s headquarters, and ended at 10 Downing Street. Our team gathered evidence of numerous antisemitic placards, with a significant proportion equating Israel with Nazi Germany.
One placard read: “Well done Isr*el [sic] Hitler would be proud”, “Say no to fascism say no to Zionism”, and “If genocide wasn’t tolerated in 1945 why do we allow it in 2022?”.
Other signs read: “In Palestine 86% of Jews have no legitimate rights to be there. Palestine From the river to the sea” and “Zionism is racism.”
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” and “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” are both examples of antisemitism.
The rally also featured disturbing chants, including “Victory to the intifada” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
An intifada is a rebellion or uprising, but the Palestinian intifadas were characterised by acts of terrorism targeting Jews. The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” appears to refer to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, and therefore only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a state of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the Definition.
This is not the first time that a PSC rally has been riddled with antisemitism. An investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst supporters of the PSC.
The rally featured several speakers that included Labour Party MPs Zarah Sultana and John McDonnell, Sinn Féin MP Francie Molloy, and Andrew Murray, the Chief of Staff to the Unite union.
Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, did not attend in person but wrote a speech to be read out on his behalf. However, his older brother, the anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist Piers Corbyn, did make an appearance.
The rally’s organisers claimed that 10,000 to 15,000 people attended, but our estimate was a fraction of that number.
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.
“Never in my life has anything like this happened to me”: Israeli tourists on a trip to Jordan prevented from entering the country after border officials disrespect their tefillin
It has been reported that a group of Israeli tourists attempting to visit Jordan were prevented from entering the country because the border guards found Jewish religious items in their baggage.
During a security check at the border, the group of seven men, part of a larger group of approximately forty insurance agents on a two-day trip to Jordan, were apparently asked to open their suitcases. When they did so, officials found their tefillin (phylacteries) before taking their passports and taking them into another room.
The border guards reportedly said that the group were not allowed to take their tefillin sets into Jordan because they were religious signs and the Jews could be victimised for wearing them.
Tense negotiations followed for two hours, in which the border guards allegedly refused to grasp the significance of the items.
After this, the tourists decided not to join the rest of the larger group and returned to Israel.
Amit, one of the group, said: “Never in my life has anything like this happened to me anywhere I have travelled around the world. It’s bizarre to do something like that to you because of your beliefs. I have been putting on tefillin since by bar mitzvah, for 28 years every morning. If they were doing it to a Christian or a Muslim person, then I’m sure there would have been a whole story and a mess over it.”
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.
West Mercia police won’t investigate Nick Griffin over tweet showing grotesque Jewish spider urging forward horde of zombies to destroy civilisation as it is not “racially offensive language”
West Mercia Police have declined our request to investigate the former leader of the BNP after assessing that his tweet suggesting a giant grotesque spider with a star of David on its head urging forward a horde of barbarians – whom he appeared to say should “burn in hell” – to destroy civilisation did not qualify as “racially offensive language”.
Nick Griffin posted the tweet on 6th December 2021 before deleting it. In it, he wrote: “If anyone had told me 5 years ago that I’d post this, I’d have said they’d gone mad. But now the world has gone mad (thanks to its current masters) so this is where I have to stand. All other differences must be left aside until the #GreenResetters burn in hell.”
The text accompanied an image of a giant grotesque spider with a star of David on its head urging forward a horde of zombies waving flags and banners in favour of LGBT rights, Black Lives Matter, feminism and equality – essentially representing different minority groups apparently under the influence of the Jews – against a Saracen and Christian crusader, presumably representing Western and Islamic civilisations. The clear message is that Christianity and Islam must unite to repel Jewish subversion of civilisation.
The tweet from the notorious figure was originally reported to Gloucestershire Police and then transferred to West Mercia Police, which declined to investigate, logging the case merely as a “hate incident” rather than a crime, despite the explanations that we provided for the numerous antisemitic tropes in the image, ranging from Jewish power to parasiticism and Jewish inhumanity to the corrupting influence of the Jews.
Nevertheless, the police force appears consistently to have looked only at the text of the tweet, explaining that “for an offence to be made out under section 127(a) of the 2003 [Communications] Act the accused must intend for the words to be grossly offensive to whom they relate or must be aware that they may be taken as such. The post was not considered grossly offensive, although it was not pleasant, and would shock and offend, however, there was no use of racially offensive language in the post and it was not directed at one particular group or person.” The police repeatedly failed to address the image in their assessments. Had they done so, they would surely have found that the provisions of the act were made out.
We are considering further legal options.
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “The notion that a giant grotesque spider with a star of David on its head urging forward a horde of liberal zombies and minority groups to destroy civilisation did not qualify as ‘racially offensive language’, and the claim that the tweet ‘was not directed at one particular group or person’ are plainly absurd. Rather than double down on their errors, West Mercia Police should have engaged with our analysis properly. Had they done so, they would have concluded that this tweet from a prominent and notorious racist merited investigation. It is left to us to explore other legal options.”
CAA writes to Leeds University over its website linking to Twitter account with numerous tweets that breach of International Definition of Antisemitism
Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to the University of Leeds to point out that its website links to a Twitter account with numerous tweets that breach the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Ray Bush, who holds the Emeritus Professor of African Studies and Development Politics, has a profile page on the University’s website that links to his Twitter account.
Last year, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to the University regarding Prof. Bush, who was then a Professor of African Studies and Development Politics. Prof. Bush appeared to have tweeted from the Twitter handle “@raymondobush” a large number of tweets that breach the Definition.
There were three types of breaches.
First, the tweets stated that Israel’s existence itself is unacceptable, using the exact language of the Definition in referring to Jewish self-determination as “a racist endeavour”. The Definition states that “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is antisemitic. This claim was repeated on numerous occasions:
Second, the tweets breached the Definition by comparing Israelis and Zionists to Nazis. According to the Definition: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is antisemitic. For example, the following was tweeted:
Third, the tweets contravened the Definition by claiming that concerns about institutional antisemitism in the Labour Party, which were vindicated by the report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, were due to a campaign run by the “Israeli embassy.” The tweets thus supported one of the oldest tropes used to justify acts of antisemitism: the discredited myth of a Jewish conspiracy in which Jews are disloyal and act as a fifth column against the interests of their home countries. The Definition states that: “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as a collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions” is antisemitic. This was done in tweets including:
The University acknowledged receipt of our letter and pledged to revert to us, but not only did the institution fail to do so, but there is no evidence that any investigation into Prof. Bush and the Twitter account bearing his name ever took place. In the meantime, Prof. Bush has retired, and now holds the prestigious position of Emeritus Professor, which means that he is still connected to the University, and the University’s website links to his offending Twitter account.
Neither the University of Leeds nor Prof. Bush responded to requests for comment when approached in April.
As we recently observed, the University’s apparent failure to take any meaningful action against a professor with a record of tweets that breach the Definition laid bare the emptiness of its adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Not only did the University of Leeds apparently fail to take any meaningful action against a professor whose twitter handle appeared to post tweets in breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism, which the University has adopted, but the offending twitter handle is still linked to by the University’s website page. It is bad enough not to apply the Definition when a complaint is made, but it is altogether worse for the University’s official platforms to link to material in breach of the Definition. It is difficult to see how the adoption was anything but a tick-box exercise.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism by universities.
If any students are concerned about antisemitism on campus or need assistance, they can call us on 0330 822 0321, or e-mail [email protected].
Expelled Labour member and controversial filmmaker Ken Loach reportedly set to headline Unite union event for political recruits
Ken Loach has reportedly been advertised as the keynote speaker at an event organised by a leading union for its top political recruits.
The controversial filmmaker, who was expelled by the Labour Party last year, has been invited to headline the Unite Political School, an annual event in Durham in July.
Mr Loach is billed as a “great socialist filmmaker” for the two-day conference of guest speakers, group activities and panels.
Mr Loach’s voice was among the loudest of those who attempt to dismiss Labour’s antisemitism crisis as non-existent and a right-wing smear campaign. He claimed that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was subjected to a “torrent of abuse” that was “off the scale” and that regardless of what he did, the “campaign” of antisemitism accusations was “going to run and run”. He described the BBC’s Panorama investigation into Labour antisemitism as “disgusting because it raised the horror of racism against Jews in the most atrocious propagandistic way, with crude journalism…and it bought the propaganda from people who were intent on destroying Corbyn.”
He was also reportedly behind a motion passed by Bath Labour Party branding the Panorama programme a “dishonest hatchet job with potentially undemocratic consequences” and asserting that it “disgraced the name of Panorama and exposed the bias endemic within the BBC.” John Ware, the programme’s reporter, is apparently considering legal action against Mr Loach for his comments.
In 2017, Mr Loach caused outrage when, during an interview with the BBC, he refused to denounce Holocaust denial. The International Definition of Antisemitism states that “denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust)” is a manifestation of antisemitism. Although Mr Loach later sought to clarify his remarks, he has continued to make inflammatory and provocative statements about Labour’s antisemitism scandal.
While speaking at a meeting of the Kingswood Constituency Labour Party, Mr Loach advocated the removal from the Party of those Labour MPs, some of whom are Jewish, who have taken a principled stand against antisemitism. Shortly after that incident, the Labour Party announced that it would no longer use Mr Loach as a producer of their election broadcasts.
Student sues Temple University in Philadelphia for allegedly taking no action over her complaints about her roommate’s antisemitism
It has been reported that a student at Temple University in Philadelphia is suing the University after she claimed that administrators did not do enough after she made her complaint about her roommate’s antisemitism.
Sasha Westrick, 18, alleges that Temple rejected her complaints about her roommate’s alleged repeated antisemitic outbursts. They included abuse over the social media platform Snapchat, in which Ms Westrick was sent an image of herself with the caption “I hate Jews” underneath.
Ms Westrick was given the alleged perpetrator as a roommate during the autumn 2021 semester because they were both on the rowing team. However, their relationship quickly soured, with the roommate allegedly mocking Ms Westrick for the way she was dressed before attending a Shabbat dinner. The roommate then asked Ms Westrick for money on the grounds that all Jews are wealthy. It is also alleged that Westrick’s other roommate participated in the antisemitic bullying.
Though the University acknowledged in a written statement that the roommate did indeed make antisemitic remarks, Ms Westrick claims that the administration did nothing to help her.
Ms Westrick’s lawyer, Robert Mozenter, said in a press release that his client was “being bullied by two of her roommates and crew teammates and Temple University did nothing to help her and eventually used the University’s own policies and procedures to make Sasha’s situation worse.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Temple University said: “Temple University is aware of the lawsuit filed by Sasha Westrick. We disagree with the manner in which much of the information in the complaint is presented and characterised. We will respond at the appropriate time through the legal process. While the University does not ordinarily comment on pending litigation, we can say that Temple fully investigated, reviewed and addressed this matter pursuant to University policies, and appropriate remedies were implemented.”
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.
Painter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors turns her experiences of antisemitism into art
Sharon Schurder, a London-based painter who uses her experiences of antisemitism as inspiration for her artwork, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where she provided insight into her creative process.
Ms Schurder revealed how she experienced antisemitism on more than one occasion whilst taking public transport, which led her to feel unsafe to the degree that she felt no other option but to take taxis to work.
“I’m Orthodox, so I had a little siddur with me, so it’s pretty obvious that I was Jewish. And someone tried to send me a picture through AirDrop…I didn’t open it because it was just a guy behind me laughing away so I kind of knew it was going to be something. And he was saying stuff, like ‘blah blah blah, Jewish, blah blah blah’.”
Ms Schurder added that on another journey, someone yelled “you’re killing babies” at her, and in a separate incident whilst waiting on a platform at Borehamwood and Elstree train station, a man screamed at Ms Schurder and her children: “Go chat with Netanyahu…you don’t belong here.”
“I’m a grandchild of Holocaust survivors,” Ms Schurder revealed, “so I’m probably always cognisant of ‘are we really welcome, are we really wanted?’
“It’s London, that can’t be happening, that you can’t just travel normally on public transport. It was unnecessary and terrifying.”
When asked about the process behind turning her experiences into art, Ms Schurder said: “My aim in every painting is to make people look at that painting and make them stop and think….that activism, trying to be pumped into the paint.
“There is a lot of meaning behind it. In my art, it’s very value-based…for me, it’s a lot about combatting antisemitism with a very strong Jewish pride.”
Throughout the interview, Ms Schurder touched upon a wide variety of topics which included discussing her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who also painted, the story of how she began painting, and what it was like being featured in British Vogue.
The podcast with Ms Schurder can be listened to here, or watched in its entirety here.
Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.
CAA and CoE’s Diocese of Manchester launch our Love Thy Neighbour teachers’ guides, as featured on BBC Teach
Campaign Against Antisemitism, together with the Church of England’s Diocese of Manchester, launched our Love Thy Neighbour teachers’ guides, which are featured on BBC Teach.
The launch of the free resource yesterday at Canon Slade School in Bolton was hosted by the school’s Rachel Braithwaite, and was attended by local teachers as well as Terry Hart, the Adviser for Religious Education and Christian Distinctiveness for the Diocese Of Manchester; Revd. Canon Steve Williams, the Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews and the Bishop of Manchester’s Interfaith Adviser; Russell Conn, the President of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region; and David Arnold, a former President of the Council and Holocaust educator.
The guides deal with antisemitism, providing historical background, a useful introduction to the Holocaust and also addressing newer manifestations of anti-Jewish racism that children and adolescents are likely to encounter online, as well as discussing prejudice and hatred more generally.
This free KS2/KS3 resource is designed to enable teachers to plan lessons and assemblies on the topic with ease, with versions of the guide specifically tailored to Church of England schools, Roman Catholic schools and non-denominational schools, while fulfilling numerous required learning objectives in the national curriculum.
You can download the guides here or visit BBC Teach here
Judith Hayman, Outreach Presenter at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “For years I have visited schools, talking about Judaism, the Holocaust and antisemitism, and about race hatred and prejudice more generally, and have spoken to about 30,000 school pupils. But there is only one of me, and there are over 40,000 schools in England and Wales. Through CAA and with the help of my friend Canon Steve Williams, we are now able to bring this critical topic to thousands of pupils, taught by their own teachers. With a record rise in antisemitic incidents right now, these lessons are more urgent than ever.”
Binyomin Gilbert, Programme Manager at Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Centuries after the blood libel, Jewish people are still more than four times likelier to be the targets of hate crime than any other faith group in England. To tackle antisemitism, it is not enough to be reactive; we have to be proactive in our education and our cross-communal relations. Jewish educators cannot conquer this problem alone, which is why we have created these extraordinary teachers’ guides, to empower teachers to play this vital role.”
The guides have received considerable praise:
Revd Canon Steve Williams, the Bishop of Manchester’s Interfaith Adviser, said: “With effective illustrations, and well-researched stories, this material offers memorable encounters that will open minds, change perceptions and help the pupils to identify and tackle discrimination and prejudice today – as well as spotting the deadly seeds of what these develop into.”
Anita Peleg, the Chair of Trustees, Generation 2 Generation Holocaust Education Charity, said: “Love thy Neighbour is an extremely useful guide to antisemitism, I am sure it will be helpful not only to History and R.E. teachers when teaching about the Holocaust but also for those involved in Citizenship education and promoting the need for empathy and understanding of others.”
Alastair Ross, A Religious Education adviser in Tameside, said: “Classroom resources are very welcome and help to provide information and examples that support teachers in delivering challenging and accurate lessons. This is a sensitive area and good factual understanding is a key foundation.”
Paul Bastin, a Year 5 Teacher, said: “This high quality, contemporary, fact heavy resource is the ideal way to introduce and/or consolidate learning on this highly emotive subject.”
Revd Nathan Eddy, the Interim Director of the Council of Christians and Jews, said: “Antisemitism is on the rise, and it is changing in truly alarming ways. This resource features a range of voices, Christian, Jewish and other faiths, and is an excellent tool to combat this prejudice — and others. Highly recommended.”
Ivan Lewis describes suggestion that Labour’s result in Bury South proves Party has repaired relationship with Jewish community as “dangerous and misleading”
Ivan Lewis, the former Labour Party MP who left the Party during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, has labelled suggestions that Labour’s result in Bury South proves that the Party has repaired its relationship with the Jewish community as “dangerous and misleading”, describing those who suggest otherwise as being “totally out of touch with reality.”
Mr Lewis, a former MP for Bury South who quit Labour and endorsed the Conservatives in the 2019 General Election, called on voters not to support the Conservatives in the local elections last week due to numerous controversies surrounding the local association. Campaign Against Antisemitism helped to publicise these controversies and has written to the Conservative Party calling for an urgent investigation.
In a Facebook post outlining his interpretation of the local election results, Mr Lewis wrote: “I am pleased that Bury Labour Group retained control of the council. I hope this sends the strongest possible message to Bury Conservatives about tackling the antisemitism in their ranks…Finally, there are some who are suggesting that Labour’s result in Bury South proves the Party has repaired its relationship with the Jewish community and the fear of antisemitism has dissipated. They are totally out of touch with reality and run the risk of sending a dangerous and misleading message to the national Party.
“A significant proportion, possibly a majority of Jewish voters who voted Labour in Prestwich, Whitefield, Radcliffe and Unsworth in the council elections or abstained from voting remain very concerned at the prospect of a Labour Government. They have not yet been persuaded that the Labour Party has left the antisemitism of the Corbyn years behind…They do not dispute Keir Starmer has made serious efforts to improve the situation but continue to mistrust the Party’s instincts and worry about those activists who still deny the scale of the antisemitism problem in the Corbyn years.
“These voters voted Labour or abstained in the council elections because of their support for local candidates, concern at antisemitism in the local Tory party and in the full knowledge their vote would not lead to a change of Government…”
Mr Lewis’ sentiments echo an analysis conducted by Campaign Against Antisemitism of the local election results in the heavily-Jewish borough of Barnet in London. Sir Keir Starmer and other Labour figures claimed that the results in Barnet indicated that the Party has regained the Jewish community’s trust, but our analysis demonstrated that the evidence did not in fact support this contention. Indeed, polling for our Antisemitism Barometer last year showed that an overwhelming majority of Jewish voters — 81% — still believed that the Labour Party is too tolerant of antisemitism. While it is not in doubt that the Labour Party under Sir Keir’s leadership is in a more promising place vis-à-vis antisemitism than it was under his predecessor, it is indisputable that there remains a great deal of work to be done.
Our analysis was protested by some Labour activists, who also pointed to Bury to defend their interpretation of the results. Mr Lewis’ intervention may make those claims even more difficult to sustain.
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Sussex woman finds swastika carved into tree
A member of the public in Heathfield, Sussex, has approached Campaign Against Antisemitism after her reports of a swastika carved onto a tree only a few metres from her house have allegedly gone unanswered.
The incident, which occurred in a quiet residential area, was reported to Sussex Police on 14th October 2021, but no suspects have yet been found.
If you have any more information, please contact Sussex Police using crime reference number 11401310.
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.
Portland-based journalist arrested in connection with synagogue vandalism, as reported by his own publication
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a series of incidents of vandalism at synagogues in Portland, Oregon, including the arson attack and vandalism of Congregation Beth Israel.
Michael Bivins, who is said to have worked as a reporter on political extremism for liberal publications including a local weekly independent newspaper, has been charged with one count of arson and three counts of criminal mischief.
The charges relate to one incident in which a rock was thrown through a window at Congregation Shir Tikvah on 30th April and a fire and graffiti at Congregation Beth Israel on May 2nd and 4th, in which the words “Die Juden” (either “the Jews” in German, or “die Jews” in a combination of English and German) were found spray-painted on an outside wall.
It has been reported that the source of information about Mr Bivins’s arrest was the Willamette Week, the same weekly independent newspaper where he has published many of his articles about the treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters and counter-protesters and radical left-wing and right-wing groups by police in Portland.
Mr Bivins was arrested after entering a local television station and asking to speak to a reporter there.
Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Michael Cahana said that these incidents emphasise how important it is for members of the public and the press to report even apparently minor incidents, writing in a letter to synagogue members that “This series of events, which has shaken our community, is an important reminder that even incidents which seem random and unrelated or too minor to bother with should be properly reported. We are all responsible for one another.”
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.
Lufthansa apologises after apparently barring all Jewish passengers from flight due to mask dispute with some Jewish passengers
Lufthansa has apologised after apparently barring all visibly Jewish passengers from a flight due to a mask dispute with a few passengers who happened to be Jewish.
It was reported that there was a dispute between staff managing the boarding of flight LH1334 from Frankfurt to Budapest on 4th May and some visibly Jewish passengers, reportedly over the wearing of masks. The pilot then apparently decided that no visibly Jewish passengers were to be allowed on to the flight, regardless of whether they were part of the same group or were prepared to wear a mask.
A video was recorded appearing to show a member of the airline’s ground staff explaining to a passenger that he was being prevented from boarding because he was Jewish.
The Jewish passengers were predominantly American and many had flown from New York in order to visit the grave of a Hasidic rabbi. Around 100 passengers were affected.
The German airline apologised and said that it was investigating the incident, which has caused an uproar in the Jewish world.
In a statement, the airline said: “Lufthansa regrets the circumstances surrounding the decision to exclude the affected passengers from the flight, for which Lufthansa sincerely apologises. While Lufthansa is still reviewing the facts and circumstances of that day, we regret that the large group was denied boarding rather than limiting it to the non-compliant guests. We apologise to all the passengers unable to travel on this flight, not only for the inconvenience, but also for the offense caused and personal impact.
“Lufthansa and its employees stand behind the goal of connecting people and cultures worldwide. Diversity and equal opportunity are core values for our company and our corporate culture. What transpired is not consistent with Lufthansa’s policies or values. We have zero tolerance for racism, antisemitism and discrimination of any type. We will be engaging with the affected passengers to better understand their concerns and openly discuss how we may improve our customer service.”
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.
“What’s wrong with you people?” Tesco staffer allegedly asks prominent Jewish community figure in supermarket row
A prominent Jewish community figure has alleged that a Tesco staffer asked him “What’s wrong with you people?” in a row in a supermarket.
On 5th May, the victim, who is visibly Jewish, reached into the kosher fridge at the Brent Cross branch of Tesco and alleges that a male staffer who appeared to be in his 50s began shouting in an aggressive manner. The worker was on his knees vacuuming the lower half of the fridge, while wearing large headphones. He is alleged to have suddenly stood up, removed his headphones, turned off the machine, and shouted: “What’s wrong with you people, can’t you see I’m working here. Are you stupid or dumb?” and other comments.
It is believed that he was annoyed that the victim had reached into the fridge while he was working, despite a barrier apparently being located in the centre of the aisle rather than at the fridge.
The victim said in a low tone: “I only wanted the houmous,” and asked, “Why are you getting so aggressive?” as he walked away. The staffer allegedly continued to shout as customers looked on. He allegedly said: “You people know all about what you did to Jesus.”
The victim asked: “Is that supposed to be an antisemitic comment?” The staffer allegedly replied: “Oh grow up, just grow up.”
Another staffer reportedly gently moved the victim away from the fridge and said that it was not right what his colleague had said. Another young female employee, however, allegedly shouted at the victim: “Yea, look at him, he is so aggressive, just look at him.”
The victim asked for her name but she allegedly shouted: “I’m not giving it to you,” and walked away.
A complaint has been filed with Tesco’s head office, but although the victim was reportedly assured that the store manager would contact him within 24 hours, he says that he did not hear anything. He subsequently filed a complaint with the police.
If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101, quoting reference number: 2411374/22, CAB 3923 09-05-22.
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.
Image credit: David Howard
CAA writes to Conservative Party over disturbing pattern of incidents in Bury
Campaign Against Antisemitism has this week written to the Conservative Party in relation to a disturbing pattern of incidents in the Bury North and South Conservative Association, which we and others have publicised in recent weeks.
On 17th February, it was reported that a Jewish councillor, Jordan Lewis, was deselected by the local association and was thereby unable to run with the endorsement of the Conservative Party. Ordinarily, in and of itself this would not have been a matter of concern, were it not for the pattern of incidents in the association that was to come. He was replaced by Shahbaz Mahmood Arif in the new Bury West ward, more on whom below.
On 31st March, it was reported that Dr Shadman Zaman, a prospective Conservative candidate in Besses ward, was asked to remove messages sympathetic to Jewish victims of terrorism of Israel. Although the local association claimed that it wanted to keep the election “local” and said in a statement that “Dr Shadman Zaman was not confirmed as a Besses ward candidate because of his failure to comply with instructions regarding electoral law and Party guidance and not because of any of his expressed views,” again, in view of the pattern of incidents, this defence was not entirely as believable to the Jewish community as it might otherwise have been.
On 12th April, it was reported, Sham Raja Akhtar, a Conservative candidate for Sedgley ward, had his endorsement by the Party revoked after numerous historic and inflammatory social media posts were uncovered, including one allegedly comparing Israeli footballers to “assassins”. However, it was claimed that Mr Raja subsequently represented the Conservatives at a hustings as late as 23rd April.
On 13th April, it was reported that Shafqat Mahmood, a Conservative candidate for Redvales ward, also had his endorsement by the Party revoked after historic and inflammatory social media posts were uncovered, including one saying that “Jews r at it again” in reference to a fake news item from a Pakistani propagandist outlet about an Israeli national supposedly being involved with ISIS. The baseless and offensive notion that Jews or the Jewish state created ISIS or direct it is an antisemitic trope that has developed over the past decade. According to a report, Mr Mahmood, who had backed George Galloway’s Workers’ Party in the Batley and Spen by-election last year, had allegedly also shared a social media post which labelled Sir Keir Starmer a “Zionist”. As the Home Affairs Select Committee has made clear, “‘Zionism’ as a concept remains a valid topic for academic and political debate, both within and outside Israel. The word ‘Zionist’ (or worse, ‘Zio’) as a term of abuse, however, has no place in a civilised society. It has been tarnished by its repeated use in antisemitic and aggressive contexts.”
Also on 13th April, it was revealed that Mr Arif, the Conservative candidate for Bury West ward who had replaced Mr Lewis, had allegedly shared an inflammatory article from the controversial far-left website, The Canary, about how Sir Keir Starmer was in receipt of donations from a “pro-Israel lobbyist” and that such “pro-Israel” figures who were backing Sir Keir had been opponents of Jeremy Corbyn. The undercurrent of the claims were – as was by that time common on the far-left – that those who had opposed Mr Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party had done so in service to Israel or in order to silence his opposition to Israel, a type of antisemitic trope known as the ‘Livingstone Formulation’, which was highlighted in the EHRC’s investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party.
At around the same time, concerns were raised about Mazhar Aslam, another Conservative candidate in Sedgley, over his past social media activity. The Party accepted his apology and stood by him.
The foregoing does not represent the first time that the local association has been rocked by allegations of antisemitism. Last year, Cllr Robert (Bob) Caserta was found to have breached the Code of Conduct for Councillors and Other Voting Representatives four times over comments apparently made during an interview to recruit a senior officer at the Council in July 2019. During that interview, Cllr Caserta was alleged to have referred to “grot spots” in Sedgley and said that it would be difficult to communicate with residents “unless you are able to speak Hebrew”. He had the whip removed but was reinstated by the Party. He was not a candidate in Bury in the 2022 local elections.
The recent incidents have raised urgent questions about the local association’s vetting processes, how it handles the revocation of endorsements, and whether the association has tolerated or indulged in prejudice towards Jewish people among its membership or has sought to exploit perceptions of such prejudice in any target electorate.
We have called on the Conservatives to investigate the local association as a matter of urgency.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Image credit: Google
High school baseball players taunted with antisemitic slurs during away game
School administrators and local law enforcement in Franklin, Massachusetts, are investigating antisemitic slurs allegedly hurled during a high school baseball game.
On 5th May, the team from Sharon High School travelled to Franklin High School, about fifteen miles away and 42 miles south west of Boston, only to be greeted by fans from the home side shouting antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs at them.
It has been reported that counselling services are being offered to the victims.
Joe Scozzaro, the Principal of Sharon High, said “Our baseball players reported to their coach after the game that Franklin High spectators were out at the left-field fence heckling our outfielders during the game using antisemitic, racist and homophobic epithets, including various vulgarities.”
In a letter sent out to families, the Franklin High Principal, Joshua Hanna, wrote “We denounce such behaviour and are outraged. Our hearts go out to the Sharon community. There’s no place for such behaviour in our schools and at school events. This behaviour is highly inconsistent with our core values in the inclusive culture we are committed to creating at Franklin High 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.
Labour candidate for Camden council reveals she was subjected to “levels of antisemitism I’ve never had before” during recent local election campaign
It has been reported that a Jewish candidate standing for the Labour Party in the London Borough of Camden was the target of antisemitic intimidation in the run-up to the recent local elections.
Izzy Lenga, who successfully stood for Labour in Camden’s South Hampstead ward, has revealed that she faced “levels of antisemitism I’ve never had before” after she was made the target of a poster campaign that called for people to not vote for her because she supported “apartheid”.
The harassment campaign is reported to have been based on accounts on anti-Israel websites like The Electronic Intifada dating back to 2014 about how Ms Lenga, a well-known young activist and leader in the Jewish community, once took part in a basic training course in Israel organised by the IDF. Ms Lenga also took part in the BBC Panorama documentary about antisemitism in the Labour Party during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
Posters publicising this information were plastered on walls and bus stops throughout the South Hampstead Ward in the weeks leading up to the election on 5th May.
The police do not believe that the people responsible for the 2014 articles had any role in the poster campaign, and have arrested a suspect believed to have been involved in the making or distributing of the posters because they apparently repeatedly misspelt the word “apartheid” in the same way each time.
A Metropolitan Police statement said: “We can confirm that a 39-year-old man was arrested on Friday, 29th April on suspicion of a Section 19 offence under the Public Order Act 1986. He was taken to a north London police station and was subsequently released on bail to return on a date in mid-June. Enquiries are ongoing. The arrest relates to two incidents where offensive materials were distributed in the South Hampstead area.”
Cllr Lenga was nevertheless elected as a councillor with the second highest vote in the South Hampstead ward.
Upon being elected, Cllr Lenga tweeted: “I’ve not spoken about it too much, but it’s been a really rough few months. I’ve faced levels of antisemitism I’ve never had before, and am eternally grateful for all those who’ve offered support.”
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.
Church of England officially apologises for medieval antisemitic Church ruling, eight centuries after it was passed
The Church of England has apologised for its “shameful actions” against Jews, eight centuries after Church leaders developed a series of antisemitic laws.
After announcing that the Church intended to issue the apology a year ago, on Sunday 8th May, Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford hosted an event featuring key members of the Church hierarchy to commemorate the 1222 Synod of Oxford.
Sunday marked the 800th anniversary of the Synod. Known as the “Magna Carta” of English canon law – the system of laws enforced by the Church hierarchy to regulate its internal and external organisation – the Synod put into place a number of antisemitic doctrines. It forbade social interactions between Jews and Christians, forced the Jews to pay a specific tax, and made them wear a badge to identify them.
This last condition reflects Canon 68 of the Roman Catholic Church’s Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1213. Named Ut Iudaei discernatur a christianis in habitu (“That Jews should be distinguished from Christians in their dress”) mandated that Jews should wear distinctive items of clothing “so that no Christian shall come to marry them ignorant of who they are”.
Twenty eight similar statutes were put in place in various countries throughout medieval and early modern Europe, including the 1274 Statute of Jewry in England, which forced Jews above the age of seven to year a yellow badge on their outer clothing. During the Second World War, the Jews of Nazi-occupied Europe were forced to wear yellow Star of David badges to ostracise them and prepare them for extermination.
Though the Church of England did not exist until the early 16th century, Anglican leaders maintain that the apology is an important step in repairing its relationship with the Jewish community.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was not able to attend the service in person – representatives went in his stead – but he wrote on Twitter that it was a chance to “remember, repent and rebuild,” adding “Let us pray it inspires Christians today to reject contemporary forms of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, and to appreciate and receive the gift of our Jewish neighbours.”
Speaking at a reception following the service, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said it was “deeply appreciated by our Jewish community,” called for the strengthening of Jewish-Christian relations, and said: “Let us not forget that we are still on a journey. There is still so much that needs to be done.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism works to raise awareness of antisemitism among all faith and minority communities. We have also launched a series of antisemitism lesson plan guides for teachers, including specific guides for Church of England schools.
Jewish home has phone line cut twice, allegedly by neighbour who referred to “those bloody Jews”
A Jewish home in Stamford Hill has had its phone line cut twice, allegedly by a neighbour reported to have referred to “those bloody Jews”.
The victim was reportedly threatened by her neighbour on Firsby Road that her internet would be cut off. The neighbour is reported to have referred also to “bad Jews”.
A BT Openreach engineer came to fix the victim’s internet after the first time that it was cut, and the neighbour reportedly came out to cut it a second time while the engineer was still in attendance.
The victim is suffering from complications from COVID-19 and needs the internet to update the clinic on a regular basis.
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: CRIS 4611794/22.
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
Jewish family left in shock after man knocks on front door screaming “Get out of the country F**** Jews, you have taken my house!”
A Jewish family has been left in shock after a man knocked on the front door of their home screaming “Get out of the country F**** Jews, you have taken my house!”
The assailant was described as a Caucasian male.
The incident took place on Darenth Road in Stamford Hill on 31st March 2021 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: CAD6798 31/04/21
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.
Image credit: Google
Nebraska adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism
The Governor of the State of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, has announced that the State will adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Jewish settlement in Nebraska started shortly after it became an organised territory in 1854. As of 2020, there were reported to be 76,300 Jews living in Nebraska, making up 0.5% of a total population of 1.9 million.
Governor Ricketts said that “We’ve seen a disturbing rise in antisemitism across the country. Here in Nebraska, we’re not immune to it. Someone painted a swastika on a synagogue in Lincoln. We see this rise in antisemitism and must be aggressive in combatting it. We must let people know we stand against hate.”
Nebraska becomes the 27th state to adopt the Definition. This comes after last week’s news that the State of Alaska adopted the Definition after a proclamation by Governor Mike Dunleavy.
Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.
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
Nazi flags flown outside Disney World
Video footage uploaded to Twitter shows people flying Nazi flags outside of Disney World in Florida.
The clip, uploaded on Saturday by StopAntisemitism.org, garnered the attention of thousands online, in addition to that of Jewish groups and institutions.
In a statement, the Florida Holocaust Museum said: “It’s a sad day for humanity when even Disney World – the ‘happiest place on earth’ – is not immune to blatant antisemitism.
“Displays of Nazi imagery are repugnant, and this demonstration was clearly meant to offend and provoke. No family should be confronted with threatening symbols of hate, least of all on vacation.”
In January, the National Socialist Movement chanted “The Jew is the devil!” “Jews rape children and drink their blood” and “Jews brought slaves here” at a rally in Florida.
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.
Conservative councillor apologises for sending allegedly antisemitic video in WhatsApp group
A Conservative Party councillor in Worcester has apologised after he sent a video that was reported to have been antisemitic in nature to a WhatsApp group.
Cllr Allah Ditta sent the video to a group called ‘Campaign News’, which contained several prominent Conservatives, including Worcester MP Robin Walker and leader of Worcester City Council, Marc Bayliss.
The video reportedly contained a clip from an American talk show, during which one of the guests made antisemitic remarks.
Cllr Ditta, who claimed that the message had been sent when his phone was left attended, said: “As soon as I became aware of this event I immediately deleted the content and sent an explanation and apology to those on the group.
“The chairman of the association acknowledged this as you can see from the message. I absolutely condemn all forms of racism. I have friends across all faiths and believe in diversity 100 per cent.”
Mr Walker said that “By the time I saw the video was shared in the chat, it had been deleted, adding: “Quite rightly so it was looked into at the time but it was established that the video did not come from a member of the group. As an association, we have several Jewish candidates and we never tolerate any form of discrimination, and antisemitism is included in that.”
However, Michael Foster, who previously served as a Labour Party MP for Worcester, drafted a letter to Conservative Party Chairman, Oliver Dowden MP, about the video.
Mr Foster said: “This screenshot and the video were shared with me by somebody who was involved in the group chat. The fact that Cllr Ditta claims this was a mistake and that his phone was left unattended is ridiculous.
“Given what the Labour party went through with antisemitism, it is critically important that this is highlighted and addressed. We have to ask why he has this kind of content on his phone in the first place?”
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Apple to prevent photographs from Holocaust-related sites from automatically being added to albums
Technology giant Apple is imposing tight new restrictions on users who want to take photographs of Holocaust-related sites and make them part of photo albums.
A new software update means that photos taken at Holocaust sites like the Anne Frank House and Auschwitz will no longer be included in automatically-generated albums created in the company’s signature app, Photos, in order to avoid “creating some unwanted memories”.
Users will not be able to disable Apple’s “sensitive locations” function, but will be able to include the images in albums they make themselves.
The aim, according to the company, is to avoid the trivialisation and minimisation of the Holocaust that occurs when photo-takers make images of themselves acting or dressed inappropriately in places commemorating the genocide of the Jewish people.
Apple’s list of sensitive locations includes the Yad Vashem Memorial in Israel, the Dachau concentration camp, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, the Schindler Factory in Krakow, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and the Belzec, Chelmno, Treblinka and Sobibor Nazi death camps in Poland.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Software that presents users with photographs and videos of happy memories is probably not the best place for people to be reminded of their solemn visits to locations where the genocide of the Jewish people took place or where it is commemorated. However, some might say that these mementos should not be forever hidden away from us lest they upset us. Ultimately users will know what they want. We recognise that it is a tricky balance and feel that Apple should be applauded for acknowledging the issue and taking action, which is more than can be said for other platforms.”
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.
Bishop of Oxford says he was “disturbed” by the climate of antisemitism allowed to develop in Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party
The Bishop of Oxford has said that he was “disturbed” by the antisemitism that was allowed to grow in the Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft made his admission days before a commemorative event held at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, during which the Church of England offered an apology to the British Jewish community eight centuries after Jews were expelled from England.
Sunday 8th May was the 800th anniversary of the 1222 Synod of Oxford, known as the “Magna Carta” of English canon law – the system of laws enforced by the church hierarchy to regulate its organisation – which put antisemitic doctrines in place, forbidding social interactions between Jews and Christians, taxing the Jews, and making them wear a badge to identify them.
The Bishop took the opportunity of the church’s apology to voice his concerns about the climate of antisemitism during Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as Labour leader, the other causes of which are the “general kind of fragmentation” of British society and Brexit.
The Right Rev Dr Croft said: “Three or four years ago, I was really disturbed by how deeply Jewish friends and the Jewish community in Oxford were affected by the antisemitism that was growing in society as part of the climate that was around.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Welsh Liberal Democrat council candidate suspended hours after being elected after posting inflammatory TikTok video using the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”
It has been reported that a winning candidate for the Welsh Liberal Democrats has been suspended by the Party just hours after the results were announced for sharing an inflammatory video on TikTok a year earlier.
Little-One Brighouse, the newly elected councillor for Disserth and Trecoed with Newbridge-on-Wye in Powys, central Wales, was suspended by the Liberal Democrats after the Party was made aware of a video that she allegedly shared on TikTok in May 2021 which showed a burning Israeli flag.
In the video, the councillor can reportedly be seen posing in front of the camera while two other video clips play concurrently. In one, the viewer can see a burning Israeli flag. In the other, a caption reads: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which is a popular chant.
The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
A spokesperson from the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: “We have received a complaint regarding this candidate which has been reviewed under our independent complaints process. As a result they have been suspended from the Party while the complaint is fully investigated. Liberal Democrats have a long and proud record of standing up against antisemitism and continue to champion a liberal, tolerant and inclusive society for all.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Celebrated author who implied Jews were paedophiles and wrote “Are Goyim meant to be slaves of Jews?” is asked to speak at university
Pulitzer prize-winning author Alice Walker, who has previously garnered media attention for her inflammatory comments and support for conspiracy theories, is set to speak at San Diego Community College for the investiture ceremony for its new chancellor.
Ms Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 for her novel The Colour Purple. She is, however, also known to have made inflammatory comments about Jews, one example of which can be seen in her poem “To Study the Talmud”. Excerpts from Ms Walker’s poem reads:
“Are Goyim (us) meant to be slaves of Jews, and not only
“That, but to enjoy it?
“Are three year old (and a day) girls eligible for marriage and intercourse?
“Are young boys fair game for rape?
“Must even the best of the Goyim (us, again) be killed?”
While also receiving little scrutiny from the press about her views due to the forthcoming publication of her journals, Ms Walker has been asked to speak at the investiture of San Diego Community College’s new chancellor, Carlos O. Cortez.
Ms Walker has also voiced her support for the antisemitic hate preacher David Icke, citing with approval his books Human Race Get off Your Knees: The Lion Sleeps No More, which states that the world is secretly run by shape-shifting reptilian humanoids and “Rothschild Zionists”, and And the Truth Shall Set You Free, which promotes the antisemitic conspiracy theories contained in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and questions whether the Holocaust happened.
The author reportedly described Mr Icke’s work as “a curious person’s dream come true” and denied that there was anything antisemitic or anti-Jewish about its content.
Mr Icke uses social media, his books and his stage performances to incite hatred. His preaching is so absurd that since the 1990s he has been dismissed as a crank, but because he is dismissed, there has been no major opposition to him and he has built up a following of thousands upon thousands of disciples whom he has persuaded to adamantly believe that the world is in the grip of a conspiracy run by the “Rothschild Zionists”. His repertoire includes conspiracy myths and tropes classified as antisemitic according to the International Definition of Antisemitism, adopted by the British Government. Campaign Against Antisemitism has successfully persuaded some venues to pull out of hosting his events.
After years of pressure from Campaign Against Antisemitism, Mr Icke was banned from most social media platforms.
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.
Leaked recording shows “alt-right” YouTuber saying he wishes someone would “press the button to wipe Jews off the face of the earth”
A leaked audio recording of a well-known YouTuber reported to have a large following on the far-right appears to show him saying that he would like someone to “press the button to wipe Jews off the face of the earth.”
Paul Joseph Watson runs the Prison Planet YouTube channel, which has 1.9 million subscribers, and is a former editor of Infowars, a website owned by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Mr Watson is a well-known voice in the controversial “alt-right” movement in which inflammatory conspiracy theories commonly circulate.
Mr Watson’s alleged comments were apparently secretly recorded during a private conversation, and they come in the context of other racist and homophobic slurs. The recording appears to show that Mr Watson says he is sick of “media f***** activists” sticking signs “up in my face trying to get me to join the gay f***** Palestinian cause. I don’t give a shit about Israel and Palestine. I care about white people. Not sand n***** Jew P*** f***** c***s.”
Mr Watson’s output rarely contains such explicit racism, and he is known to have appeared on platforms with former members of the youth conservative movement Turning Point USA, Candace Owens, various figures associated with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, figures associated with the Brexit Party, and he has reportedly interacted with billionaire Elon Musk on Twitter.
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.
Swastika and pro-Nazi tags found on wall at Paris kindergarten
A swastika and antisemitic tags were discovered on the walls of a kindergarten in the Paris suburb of Courbevoie.
The city of Paris filed a formal police complaint following the spray-painting of the Nazi symbol and message supporting Nazism on the walls of the La Marelle nursery school.
In a tweet, Aurélie Taquillain, Municipal Councillor and Regional Councillor for Ile-de-France, said that she was “shocked” by the symbol and pro-Nazi tags and “strongly condemned” the incident.
She continued: “The values of the Republic are stronger than all these stains and provocations,” adding that “together in Courbevoie as everywhere in France” we will remain “mobilised” against 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.
Sir Keir Starmer’s claim of restored Jewish trust in Labour following success in heavily-Jewish Barnet not supported by analysis of results
Sir Keir Starmer has claimed that the Labour Party’s success in Thursday’s local elections in the heavily-Jewish borough of Barnet in north London indicates that the Party has regained the Jewish community’s trust.
Labour won the council from the Conservatives after famously failing to do so in 2018, despite other electoral trends that year, in what was widely interpreted as a snub by the Jewish community of the Party under the leadership of the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn, who campaigned with local Labour candidates in Islington this week.
Addressing Labour activists in the borough on the morning after the election, Sir Keir said: “My first words as leader of our Party, when I took over in April 2020, was that we were going to root out antisemitism from our Party, not tolerate it any more in our Party, change our Party. I said the test of that will be whether voters trust us again in places like Barnet, and they’ve done it.
“That is your hard work, that is the change we’ve collectively brought about in our Labour Party, the trust that we’re building, putting us on the road to No 10 the road to that general election. That change these last two years has been really hard for us as a party, but we’ve done it, we’ve built those solid foundations, we’ve won here in Barnet, we’ve won across London, we’re winning from coast to coast.”
However, a closer look at the results shows that the wards of the borough with the largest Jewish populations, including Edgware, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb, Golders Green, Hendon, Mill Hill and Totteridge returned not a single Labour councillor, with the exception of the new ward of Whetstone.
Polling for our Antisemitism Barometer last year showed that an overwhelming majority of Jewish voters — 81% — still believed that the Labour Party is too tolerant of antisemitism.
It is not in doubt that the Labour Party under Sir Keir’s leadership is in a more promising place vis-à-vis antisemitism than it was under his predecessor, but neither is it disputable that there remains a great deal of work to be done.
Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Sir Keir Starmer’s suggestion that the success of local Labour candidates in the heavily-Jewish borough of Barnet demonstrates that Labour has restored the trust of the Jewish community is decidedly premature. Our latest polling has shown that 81% of the Jewish community still feels that Labour is too tolerant of antisemitism. Yesterday, the most Jewish neighbourhoods in Barnet, including Edgware, Finchley Church End, Garden Suburb, Golders Green, Hendon, Mill Hill and Totteridge, returned not a single Labour councillor. We hope that Labour will concentrate on doing the work of fighting antisemitism rather than misleadingly implying that the problem is solved.”
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
In recent weeks, we have called out antisemitism and publicised allegations and relevant controversies in the full spectrum of British political parties, including the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, SNP, and Green Party.
Mexican couple celebrates Nazi-themed wedding on anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s nuptials
A couple from Mexico have reportedly celebrated their wedding by hosting a Nazi-themed ceremony on the anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s marriage to Eva Braun.
The nuptials took place in the east-central state of Tlaxcala, 73 miles east of the capital, Mexico City, on 29th April, the 77th anniversary of Hitler’s wedding.
Photos appeared to show the groom dressed as a Nazi SS officer, while the bride is seen perched on top of a Volkswagen Beetle. The choice of car is symbolic: the Volkswagen Beetle was designed and developed by the Nazi state in the 1930s as the “People’s Car” – the Nazis used the epithet Volks– (People’s) for many of their consumer products. The couple chose to emphasise the significance of this choice by having the car painted in camouflage colouring, covered in a Nazi flag, and given a fake license plates with the insignia of the SS, the Nazi paramilitary organisation headed by Heinrich Himmler.
Mexican media sources have also claimed that the couple named their children after well-known Nazis. Their son Reinhard is allegedly named after the Deputy Protector of Bohemia and Moravia and one of the architects of the Holocaust, Reinhard Heydrich. Their daughter, Hanna, is apparently named after a Hitler-admirer and pilot of the same name, believed to be one of the last people to see the dictator alive.
The groom is reported to have said that “I understand that for many people, Hitler represents genocide, racism and violence. People, on the other hand, make judgements without having all of the facts. Hitler was a vegetarian who rescued his country from famine and returned to his people the lands lost during World War I. His friends and family adored him. We were led to believe that Hitler was a racist, but he came to greet Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics.”
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.
Swastika vandalism reported in same spot in Hull as a few months ago
Swastika vandalism has been reported near Hull just a few months after similar imagery was discovered at the same place.
In the early afternoon of 5th May, a member of the Jewish community found two large swastika drawings in red biro pen on a fence on Kingston Road in Willerby, by Hull. One of the city’s synagogues is also in Willerby.
Sexually obscene drawings were also produced alongside the swastikas.
The vandalism is believed to have been carried out earlier on the day that it was discovered, and it has been reported to the police.
One member of the community concealed the swastikas with paper appended to the fence by drawing pins, but later that afternoon the papers were discovered to have been ripped off to reveal one of the swastikas anew, and the papers had been stamped on.
Members of the community were distressed by the incident, which comes just six months since the carving of a swastika and an illustration of a gas chamber were discovered at the same location on the busy road.
It is understood that Humberside Police closed their investigation of the last incident, allegedly explaining that it was not a proportionate use of police resources to investigate “scratchings on a fence”, according to the community member who reported it.
We are grateful to the member of the public who brought this latest incident to our attention.
If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or e-mail us at [email protected].
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.
“We can’t hide this poison anymore”: Fiyaz Mughal OBE on the growing danger of Islamist antisemitism
Fiyaz Mughal OBE, the founder of Muslims Against Antisemitism (MAAS), a charity comprising British Muslims whose mission is to tackle antisemitism, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he discussed the growing danger of Islamist antisemitism.
Referring to antisemites within pockets of the Muslim community, Mr Mughal said that “We need to tackle them, we need to call them out. We need to inform, we need to educate. But we can’t hide this poison anymore under the carpet.”
He added: “It’s very much linked to Islamism, and the rise of Islamist extremism, and it’s not clearly linked to being a Muslim or Islam but Islamists, the political ideology of taking the religion and fusing it with political ideology, and that political ideology, we know, has been influenced by groups like the Muslim Brotherhood…by groups like Hamas. And these groups actively use antisemitism to draw people into their web, into their activism, to draw money from them, to use them as cannon fodder in conflicts.
“And so it is clear that antisemitism is part of a campaign by Islamist groups as a means of mobilising more people against Jews. So, we need to tackle it. It can’t just be swept under the carpet, This is dangerous, dangerous stuff.”
Mr Mughal added that whilst it is clear that polling has shown that the majority of Muslims do not harbour such views, Islamist ideas were “quite entrenched” within a “vocal minority” of the community, making the issue, as he sees it, “a long-term problem”.
“We know that British Muslims just want to get on with their lives. They want to have, like Jewish communities, the opportunity to be Muslims, be British, and to just get a job, get on with their lives,” the MAAS founder said. “But correspondingly, that small but vocal minority within British Muslim communities, has become much more entrenched, much more vocal, much more aggressive, and willing to turn out and intimidate Jewish institutions, Jewish communities, and those where there are larger concentrations of Jews.
“Take for example, who would have thought in London, a convoy of people from Bradford would turn up in Golders Green to talk about raping Jewish women? That is a prime example of the violence, of the state of open violence, in that small but vocal section of Muslim communities.”
Mr Mughal concluded by lamenting that Islamists reduce Islam “to the most basic form of emotion…hate, rage, anger, sadness. They destroy the nuance within Islam. The poetry, the beauty, the flourishing of it. They brutalise Islam, they make it so brittle that it becomes even painful for believers in Islam to sometimes carry on believing in it. This is what Islamists are doing.
“And so they are damaging the religion from within, and it is essential for British Muslims to take them on…we have to challenge them. They are a threat to Jews, but they are a threat to Muslims and to the identity of British Islam today.”
Throughout the interview, Mr Mughal touched upon a wide variety of topics which included his motivations behind the creation of MAAS, Islamophobic stereotypes, and his speech at CAA’s rally outside the BBC last year where we were greeted by an unwelcome visitor.
The podcast with Mr Mughal can be listened to here, or watched in its entirety here.
Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.
Man jailed after carving swastika into walls of Westfield shopping centre with a knife and racially abusing and threatening police officers
A man has been jailed after carving swastika into walls of Westfield shopping centre in Stratford with a knife and racially abusing and threatening police officers.
Andy Koseda, 54, of no fixed address, was arrested on 15th February after police were called to the Westfield shopping centre in Newham, where Mr Koseda had been carving swastikas into a wall using a knife. When police officers tried to arrest him, he reportedly racially abused them and threatened them with the knife.
He was charged with threatening a person with a knife in a public place, racially aggravated harassment, criminal damage, possession of a knife and using threatening words to cause harassment.
He pleaded guilty to all counts at an earlier hearing before being sentenced on 5th May at Snaresbrook Crown Court to two and a half years 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.
Image credit: Metropolitan Police
Labour suspends councillor alleged to have posted horrific article arguing “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today”
The Labour Party has reportedly suspended a councillor alleged to have posted a horrific article arguing “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today.”
The suspension came within hours of the JC publicising the allegation, but reportedly a week since Labour Against Antisemitism first filed the complaint, raising questions anew about how Labour is tackling antisemitism in its ranks and reviving concerns about the extent to which PR considerations are a driving factor.
Belgica Guaña is alleged to have posted the article, titled “The Holocaust Hoax and the Jewish Promotion of Perversity”, on Facebook in 2016, two years before she became a councillor in Newham in London, where she is running for re-election this week.
The article says that “The so-called ‘Holocaust’ is propaganda in an ongoing war between the Jews and those with the courage to stand up to them – a war that began with the National Socialists coming to power in Germany in the 1930s and continues to this very day. The Jews do not have the means or the numbers to defeat Europeans with the force of arms so they have to rely mainly on infiltration, subversion, and economic and psychological warfare, with the Holocaust hoax being the best example of the latter.
“The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews (which is all that was actually happening), just as we would be today. Hitler and the National Socialists freed Germany from the death grip of the Jews and gave it back to the German people.”
The essay also argues that Jews use pornography to control western societies by way of the “Holocaust hoax”, and pushes the “white genocide” conspiracy theory, as well as claiming that teenage diarist Anne Frank, murdered by the Nazis at Bergen-Belsen, was a “bisexual degenerate” whose popular diary is an “obvious fraud…laced with pornographic and sexually subversive messages”.
In May 2016, Cllr Guaña reportedly shared a post that said that “The Nazi holocaust [sic] was a crime against humanity, and the Israeli Genocide against Palestinians can not be ignored or denied,” and in December 2017, Cllr Guaña is said to have shared a video of the United Nations General Assembly, writing: “If you can have a minute of silence for the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. So how much time should I ask for the more than 50 years of invasion and oppression of the Palestinian people?” Both posts are further breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism. Other inflammatory material is also alleged to have been posted by Cllr Guaña.
Although Cllr Guaña has been suspended from the Labour Party and therefore no longer enjoys its endorsement in her bid for re-election, she will remain on the ballot paper listed as a Labour candidate, which is unavoidable in view of how close the revelations came before the local elections.
The allegation that Cllr Guaña posted the article was made in the JC, based on research by Labour Against Antisemitism. Earlier this week, Campaign Against Antisemitism announced that it is examining legal options in respect of the posting of the article.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints seriously. They are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate action is taken.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said on Wednesday: “The article allegedly shared by this councillor is a not only an abhorrent collection of antisemitic tropes, from Holocaust denial and paedophilia to comparisons of Israel with the Nazis and support for the far-right ‘Great Replacement Theory’, but it may also imply support for Jewish genocide. In view of just how horrific this post is, we are examining legal options.”
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Pub manager is out after CAA helps victim of alleged antisemitic abuse and harassment attain justice
A manager at the Stonegate pub chain is no longer employed by the group, after Campaign Against Antisemitism assisted a colleague of his who had made allegations of antisemitic abuse.
The Jewish victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, appealed to us after her line manager at the pub where she worked allegedly engaged in antisemitic abuse and, on at least one occasion, made unwanted physical contact by trying to place his legs on her lap and tried to spit beer over her.
The alleged antisemitic remarks included stating that Hitler was not a fascist and pointing at the victim and saying “a Jew!”.
The pub group, which is one of the largest in the UK, initially declined to take action.
There were numerous allegations of abuse, both before and after the colleague became the victim’s line manager. The incidents were made even more challenging for the victim, as this was her first job. Ultimately the victim decided to leave her position, but bravely insisted on working with us to continue to seek justice.
Citing reasons of confidentiality, the pub group initially refused to tell the victim anything and merely said that the matter would be addressed.
Following contact from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s General Counsel, the pub group suddenly had a change of mind. It has now been confirmed that the manager in question is no longer employed by them. The victim is satisfied that justice has been done and has expressed her gratitude to us for the legal and other support that we have been able to provide.
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This is one of many examples where we have helped ordinary members of the Jewish community in challenging employment situations. It is important that members of the community contact us at the first signs of a problem so that we can immediately provide legal and other support to secure a just outcome, as we have here.”
If you would like assistance and free legal support in an employment setting or elsewhere in relation to an antisemitic incident, please contact our Incident Response team at [email protected] or on +44 (0)330 822 0321.
Basingstoke couple launch campaign to remove swastikas and other hate tattoos free of charge
A couple from Basingstoke have set up an initiative to remove swastikas and other extremist tattoo images from clients’ bodies free of charge.
Hayley Allen and Richard De’Ath from Cliddesden, laser practitioners who reside just south of Basingstoke, said that they wanted to help people who got hate tattoos by mistake and do not want them anymore.
Ms Allen, of the Hayley Aesthetic & Laser Studio, told Campaign Against Antisemitism that the initiative was “A great opportunity to give people the chance to get rid of mistakes”.
Whilst Ms Allen initially felt “A bit anxious about it because of the subject,” she has been heartened to receive positive responses to her announcement.
Ms Allen said that when asked by a man to remove his swastika tattoo, she said: “I’m very used to dealing with people from all sorts of backgrounds so not a lot shocks me, and if something did shock me, it’s just about not letting that be seen.
“He was embarrassed by it, and he’s an older guy now…I think it was a younger, stupid mistake.”
Ms Allen continued: “I’m not very judgmental of people, and I do believe that everyone should have the option to change any mistakes that are made. I wasn’t shocked, I wasn’t disgusted or insulted or anything. And that again is why we decided to do the campaign. We want people to have the option to change and I’m not going to discriminate against them.”
Labour councillor alleged to have posted horrific article arguing “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today”
A Labour Party councillor is alleged to have posted a horrific article arguing “The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews…just as we would be today.”
Belgica Guaña is alleged to have posted the article, titled “The Holocaust Hoax and the Jewish Promotion of Perversity”, on Facebook in 2016, two years before she became a councillor in Newham in London, where she is running for re-election this week.
The article says that “The so-called ‘Holocaust’ is propaganda in an ongoing war between the Jews and those with the courage to stand up to them – a war that began with the National Socialists coming to power in Germany in the 1930s and continues to this very day. The Jews do not have the means or the numbers to defeat Europeans with the force of arms so they have to rely mainly on infiltration, subversion, and economic and psychological warfare, with the Holocaust hoax being the best example of the latter.
“The Germans were completely justified in persecuting and expelling the Jews (which is all that was actually happening), just as we would be today. Hitler and the National Socialists freed Germany from the death grip of the Jews and gave it back to the German people.”
The essay also argues that Jews use pornography to control western societies by way of the “Holocaust hoax”, and pushes the “white genocide” conspiracy theory, as well as claiming that teenage diarist Anne Frank, murdered by the Nazis at Bergen-Belsen, was a “bisexual degenerate” whose popular diary is an “obvious fraud…laced with pornographic and sexually subversive messages”.
In May 2016, Cllr Guaña reportedly shared a post that said that “The Nazi holocaust [sic] was a crime against humanity, and the Israeli Genocide against Palestinians can not be ignored or denied,” and in December 2017, Cllr Guaña is said to have shared a video of the United Nations General Assembly, writing: “If you can have a minute of silence for the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. So how much time should I ask for the more than 50 years of invasion and oppression of the Palestinian people?” Both posts are further breaches of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
The allegation that Cllr Guaña posted the article was made in the JC, based on research by Labour Against Antisemitism.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The article allegedly shared by this councillor is a not only an abhorrent collection of antisemitic tropes, from Holocaust denial and paedophilia to comparisons of Israel with the Nazis and support for the far-right ‘Great Replacement Theory’, but it may also imply support for Jewish genocide. In view of just how horrific this post is, we are examining legal options.
“The Labour Party must urgently investigate both the veracity of the allegation and how Belgica Guaña was allowed to become and remain a councillor in spite of the post, and why she was endorsed by the Party in her bid for reelection.”
Cllr Guaña is not the only Labour candidate in the coming elections to be embroiled in controversy.
Cllr Lee Garvey, an independent candidate representing Pallister and Berwick Hills in Middlesbrough, had applied to become a member of the Labour Party, but was rejected after concerns were raised about material that he had allegedly shared online. Cllr Garvey allegedly compared Israel’s policies to the Holocaust and referenced antisemitic conspiracy theories surrounding the Rothschild family.
In a 2015 Facebook post referencing then-Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, Cllr Garvey reportedly wrote: “Just saw an interview with [Channel 4 News presenter John] snow and CaMORON where he says, we need to stop the Demonisation of Jews…Lets look at how I see it…Israel is doing to the Palestinians what they themselves suffered at the hands of the Nazi’s [sic].”
On another occasion, Cllr Garvey allegedly complained about the number of Jewish characters on television, saying: “Watch any US sitcom or show, you will find the vast majority have at least one Jewish character if not a Jewish family. Why is this when they make up JUST 2.2% of the population?? And if like me you fear the TV is just a Propaganda, it certainly makes you think [sic].”
In another alleged 2015 Facebook post, Cllr Garvey is claimed to have referenced classic antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Rothschild family, writing: “I also take the sleeping enhancer from those drug companies I despise, use money to purchase items given to us by the Rothschild family who I regard as less than poo and I also maek most of my living in churches and we all know how I feel about them…”
Another Labour candidate, Anne Pissaridou, representing North Portslade in Brighton, has been suspended by the Party for a second time after new revelations about her social media output. She is accused of posting messages on social media downplaying antisemitism allegations in the Labour Party and reportedly appeared to condone an online attack on a Jewish party member.
A third figure caught up in controversy is former Labour MP Martin Linton. Mr Linton served as the MP for Battersea between 1997 and 2010, but is now running as a council candidate in Wandsworth’s Lavender ward. He has allegedly made a number of inflammatory statements in the past.
In 2010, while Mr Linton was Chair of Labour Friends of Palestine, he reportedly claimed that the “Israel lobby” played a malign role in marginal constituencies. During a meeting held at the House of Commons by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of al-Aqsa, Mr Linton is reported to have said that “There are long tentacles of Israel in this country who are funding election campaigns and putting money into the British political system for their own ends…When you make decisions about how you vote and how you advise constituents to vote, you must make them aware of the attempt by Israelis and by pro-Israelis to influence the election.”
In an appearance on the Islam Channel, Mr Linton said that the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group Hamas should not be called “terrorists”. That is, Mr Linton explained “the wrong word to use when you are talking about someone who is fighting a military occupation”. Mr Linton’s preferred term is “Gazan militants”, because, while the actions of individuals may be described as terroristic, the same apparently cannot be said for groups and governments.
In 2010, Mr Linton appeared on the Iranian-backed news outlet PressTV to, it has been claimed, defend Hamas terrorists in Israeli prisons. On another occasion, he appeared on PressTV to defend Raed Salah, a prolific antisemite who claims that Israel planned 9/11.
Murad Qureshi, the candidate for the ward of Little Venice in west London, is also embroiled in controversy. Mr Qureshi is alleged to have made comments about the “powerful pro-Israel lobby” in the United States, and retweeted a Twitter post which read “You can get away with offending anyone so lomng as they’re not Jewish”. In a 2013 blog post, Mr Qureshi also reportedly questioned the “legal basis” for the trial of the leading Nazi Adolf Eichmann. Mr Qureshi allegedly wrote that “I am not sure the Eichmann trial can be held up as a model of due processes [sic].” From 2016 to 2021, Mr Qureshi was Chair of Stop the War Coalition, and has been photographed alongside Hamas politicians including leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
After grotesque claim that Hitler had Jewish origins, Russian Foreign Ministry doubles down, accusing Jews of collaborating with Nazis and inviting antisemitic genocidal terrorists to meeting in Moscow
The Russian Foreign Ministry has doubled down on Sergei Lavrov’s grotesque claim that Hitler had Jewish origins by accusing Jews of collaborating with Nazis and inviting antisemitic genocidal terrorists to a meeting in Moscow.
Mr Lavrov was condemned for remarks on the Italian Rete 4 television channel on Sunday. Asked why Russia needed to “de-Nazify” Ukraine – as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mr Lavrov have argued repeatedly in recent months – given that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish, Mr Lavrov answered: “Zelenskyy a Jew? Even Hitler had Jewish origins, the main antisemites are Jews themselves.”
Speaking through an Italian interpreter, Mr Lavrov continued: “For a long time now we’ve been hearing the wise Jewish people say that the biggest antisemites are the Jews themselves.”
After a chorus of international condemnation for his remarks – including by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, who observed that portraying Hitler as Jewish and accusing Jews of being the real and worst antisemites was the “basest level of racism” – the Russian Foreign Ministry has doubled down.
In a statement, the Ministry reportedly said: “We have paid attention to the anti-historical statements of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yair Lapid, which largely explain the decision of the current [Israeli] Government to support the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv. Unfortunately, history knows tragic examples of cooperation between Jews and Nazis.” The Ministry further claimed that Israeli mercenaries were fighting with neo-Nazi Ukrainian militias against invading Russian troops.
In addition, it has been reported that a delegation from the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Hamas, has been invited to a meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow after a rare phonecall between Mr Lavrov and the Hamas leader.
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.
Sixteen-year old boy who said “I am a domestic terror threat. I will bomb a synagogue,” and appeared to begin trying to do so, outrageously avoids custodial sentence
A sixteen-year-old boy who allegedly wrote on Twitter, “I am a domestic terror threat. I will bomb a synagogue,” and appeared to begin trying to realise this ambition has outrageously avoided a custodial sentence.
Liverpool Youth Court heard that the boy, who has autism and cannot be named for legal reasons, searched Google for his nearest synagogue, downloaded instructions for making bombs and was pictured wearing a mask with swastikas on and making a white power salute and Nazi salute.
It is understood that the boy became radicalised after he began playing the free online video game Fortnite, which allows participants to contact other players in virtual “hangouts”.
Gerard Pitt, defending, said that the boy had become part of a hangout oriented towards far-right politics, and then went on to write a number of antisemitic, racist and anti-LGBT posts on social media, as well as some that promoted the “incel” subculture.
Mr Pitt told the court that the boy possessed a “very large library” of far-right content, but has since moved away from these views.
Sentencing, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said: “Virtually every minority group that exists you had something derogatory to say about. I have been doing this job as a judge for twelve years and I have been involved in the criminal justice system for 23 years and this is some of the most appalling behaviour by a young person I have seen in terms of the comments you made, the views you expressed. They are, and should rightly be, abhorred by everyone.”
He added: “It is the scale, scope and nature of your hatred for fellow men and women. In fact my heart sank when I read the case papers for the first time.”
However, Mr Goldspring reportedly opined that it would be inappropriate to impose a custodial punishment and that this could jeopardise the positive rehabilitative steps that the boy has apparently made. Consequently, the boy was given only a twelve-month referral order. Mr Goldspring said: “I’m of the view, albeit I struggled greatly with making the decision, that a non-custodial sentence would be in the public interest.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We are seeing more and more youngsters being groomed and recruited by the far-right, which is immensely troubling. Video games are one of the most attractive mediums for extremist propagandising, and parents, teachers and the authorities ignore them at our peril. The Chief Magistrate, who even admitted that this is one of the most appalling cases in his entire career, is absolutely wrong not to impose a custodial sentence. He may, astoundingly, believe that it is not in the public interest to incarcerate someone who declared his intention to bomb a synagogue and may have sought ways to do so, but the Jewish community would beg to differ. It is not for nought that synagogues in the UK require security guards and other special safety measures. This sentence is grossly insufficient and must be enhanced.”
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.
New hearing scheduled after Abdullah Qureshi resists CPS’s reinstatement of racially/religiously aggravated element of the assault charges
Abdullah Qureshi, who last month pleaded guilty to numerous assault charges, has today resisted the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) reinstatement of the racially/religiously aggravated element of those charges.
On 7th April, Abdullah Qureshi, 28, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates’ Court to one count of assault by beating and one count of grievous bodily harm with intent. The charges related to a series of assaults on 18th August 2021 in Stamford Hill in which five religious Jews in the North London neighbourhood were violently attacked.
Campaign Against Antisemitism revealed last month that the CPS had dropped the racially/religiously aggravated element of those charges as part of a plea deal with Mr Qureshi. After we, Shomrim, CST and other communal organisations made representations to the CPS, it agreed to reinstate the aggravated elements, and Mr Qureshi appeared in court today to face those reinstated charges.
Explaining the reinstatement at court today, the prosecutor said that these are “serious allegations” and that “the file was reviewed again and a decision was made to proceed with the offences.” However, counsel for Mr Qureshi argued that this submission should not be accepted, describing it as “ridiculous” and an “abuse of process”.
The CPS has been instructed to provide its reasons in writing, with an opportunity for the defence to respond in writing, followed by a hearing in June.
Mr Qureshi has pleaded guilty to the assault charges, and is merely resisting the allegation that the assaults were religiously or racially motivated.
In one incident at 18:41 on the day of the attacks last August, an Orthodox Jewish man was struck in the face with what appeared to be a bottle. In another at 19:10, a child was slapped on the back of the head, and in yet another at 20:30, a 64-year-old victim was struck and left unconscious on the ground, suffering facial injuries and a broken ankle. Two further incidents were also alleged.
The incidents received significant media attention at the time, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, condemned “this appalling attack,” adding: “Let me be clear, racist abuse and hate crime, including antisemitism, have absolutely no place in our city.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’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.
Alaska adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism
The State of Alaska has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism after a proclamation by Governor Mike Dunleavy.
In adopting the Definition, Alaska has become the twenty-fifth American state – along with the District of Columbia – to do so.
The history of the Jews in Alaska predates America’s purchase of the territory from the Russian Empire in 1867. As of 2017, the Jewish population in the state was approximately 5,750, making up 0.78 percent of a total population of 736,081.
In October 2019, Michael Graves, from Anchorage, was jailed for posting hate messages calling for violence against Jews and Muslims and for illegally owning a machine gun and silencers. Mr Graves later recanted his views after he was required to take classes and read books about the Holocaust and other forms of race-hate before writing essays about what he learned as part of his eighteen-month sentence.
Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.
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.
Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Portland, Oregon sees arson attack and antisemitic graffiti
A synagogue in Portland, Oregon has reportedly been subject to an arson attack and vandalised.
Community leaders at Congregation Beth Israel on Northwest Flanders Street say that the synagogue, which was built in 1859, shows the remains of a fire that had been set in front of the building and graffiti containing an antisemitic message had been spraypainted on the building’s exterior wall.
Rabbi Michael Cahana said that this is not the first incident of this kind to have happened at Congregation Beth Israel, but nothing to date has been as brazen as this.
Rabbi Cahana said: “The message I’m giving to my community is that I don’t want anyone sitting in fear. We don’t believe that this is part of a larger threat, there haven’t been other antisemitic incidents reported around town.”
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.
CAA produces video detailing complete history of legal battle with notorious antisemite Alison Chabloz
Campaign Against Antisemitism has produced a video detailing the complete history of our legal battle with the notorious antisemite Alison Chabloz, which you can watch in full here.
Alison Chabloz is a virulent antisemite and Holocaust denier who has an extensive record of using social media to publicise her hatred for Jews and to convert others to her views about Jewish people.
She is fixated on the idea that the Holocaust did not occur, and that it was fabricated by Jews and their supporters as a vehicle for fraudulently extorting money in the form of reparations. This forms the basis for her second obsession, that Jews are liars and thieves who are working to undermine Western society.
She is also connected to far-right movements, at whose meetings she gives speeches and performs her songs, in the UK and North America, and is currently banned from entering France, where Holocaust denial is illegal.
Last month, Ms Chabloz was sentenced to jail once again, after being found guilty of a communications offence following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism.
The two-day trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court concerned a video of the scene in the classic Oliver Twist film when Fagin, a fictitious Jewish criminal (a character that has come under significant criticism over the past century for its antisemitic depiction), is explaining to his newest recruit how his legion of children followers pick pockets. Ms Chabloz uploaded the video and sings an accompanying song of her own about how Jews are greedy, “grift” for “shekels” and cheat on their taxes.
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.
Liberal Democrats reportedly reintegrate member once suspended for sharing former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke video denouncing “Zionist globalism”
The Liberal Democrats appear to have reintegrated a member once suspended for reportedly sharing antisemitic material online.
In 2019, local Liberal Democrat candidate Abjol Miah was suspended during a council by-election in the Shadwell ward of Tower Hamlets after he reportedly shared antisemitic content, including a video produced by David Duke, five years earlier.
Mr Duke is a former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, and runs a daily radio show that promotes the antisemitic “Zionist Occupied Government” conspiracy theory inspired by the infamous antisemitic conspiracy theory The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Henry Ford’s notorious collection of antisemitic articles, The International Jew. The video reportedly shared by Mr Miah was titled “CNN Goldman Sachs and the Zio Matrix”.
“Zio”, short for “Zionist”, is an epithet invented and disseminated by Mr Duke, used to disparage anything that he deems to have come from a Jewish source, whether or not the individuals in question are actually Jewish themselves.
Mr Miah also allegedly shared other examples of antisemitic conspiratorial material. They include a picture of the globe with a Star of David on it featuring the words “Zionist globalism”, a picture that collected a series of logos of major newspapers and media companies with an Israeli flag in the background and the headline “Zionist dominated media”, and an illustration of a figure with a withered face, its mouth gagged with an Israeli flag, and words that appear to say “Zio globalist tyranny!” above it.
Mr Miah is understood to have campaigned for London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, in 2016, before having his Liberal Democrat membership “revoked, pending an investigation” following his alleged online activity. However, he is now understood to have been reintegrated into the Party as part of the campaign for Rabina Khan to become Mayor of Tower Hamlets
Ms Khan is a former member of George Galloway’s Respect Party who also campaigned for Sadiq Khan in 2016 before switching allegiance to the Liberal Democrats.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Russian Foreign Minister grotesquely claims Hitler had Jewish origins in latest insulting attempt to justify invasion of Ukraine
The Russian Foreign Minister has claimed that Hitler had “Jewish origins” in his latest insulting attempt to justify his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sergei Lavrov made the false assertion, which is based on a long-discredited and antisemitic theory, on Italian television on Sunday.
Asked why Russia needed to “de-Nazify” Ukraine – as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mr Lavrov have argued repeatedly in recent months – given that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish, Mr Lavrov answered: “Zelenskyy a Jew? Even Hitler had Jewish origins, the main antisemites are Jews themselves.”
Speaking through an Italian interpreter on the Rete 4 channel, Mr Lavrov continued: “For a long time now we’ve been hearing the wise Jewish people say that the biggest antisemites are the Jews themselves.”
The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Israel led a chorus of international condemnation of the remarks, and were joined by the US Secretary of State, Germany’s Antisemitism Commissioner and the Italian and Canadian Prime Ministers.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, observed that portraying Hitler as Jewish and accusing Jews of being the real – and worst – antisemites was the “basest level of racism”.
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.
Jewish children aged eight and eleven physically assaulted by teenagers in Stamford Hill
Jewish children were physically assaulted by teenagers in Stamford Hill, it has been reported.
The two children, aged eight and eleven, were reportedly standing outside of Sainsbury’s in Stamford Hill when they were approached by a teenager who punched one of the children on the arm before laughing and walking over to his friends, saying: “This was a good one, I will do it again.”
The incident occurred on Friday 29th April at 15:45 and was reported on Sunday 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 7763 30/04/22
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
“I can’t stand this f****** community”: Jewish man reportedly verbally abused whilst exiting synagogue in Stamford Hill
A Jewish man was verbally abused whilst exiting a synagogue in Stamford Hill, North London, it has been reported.
The suspect, believed to be a man of black ethnicity wearing a dark puffer jacket, white trainers, dark baseball cap and dark trousers, allegedly yelled “I can’t stand this f****** community” to the Jewish man as he left the building.
The incident occurred on Sunday at 11:00 on Lampard Grove and was reported on the same day 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 3004 01/05/22
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.
Jewish sisters reportedly threatened with a knife by gang of five teenagers in East London
Two Jewish sisters aged twelve and thirteen years old were reportedly threatened with a knife by a gang of five teenagers.
It is understood that the teenagers, comprised of four girls and one boy, were aged fourteen and fifteen years old. The group’s members are believed to be of white and black ethnicity and were wearing a blue school uniform.
One of the female suspects allegedly approached the sisters before revealing a silver knife and holding it to the twelve-year-old’s face.
The two sisters reportedly managed to run away from the situation.
The incident occurred on Thursday 28th April on Mount Pleasant Lane in Clapton, East London, and was reported the following day 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 3014/29APR22.
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
European Evangelical Alliance adopts International Definition of Antisemitism
The European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.
The EEA, a body which unifies Evangelical Christian communities throughout Europe from its offices in Brussels and Bonn, made its commitment to fighting antisemitism in a ceremony held at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem on 27th April.
In a statement read during the ceremony, EEA Board Member and Secretary General Reverend Connie Duarte and EEA President Reverend Dr. Frank Hinkelmann said: “This is a moment of utmost importance to the European Evangelical Alliance. After having visited Yad Vashem today, we had the privilege to hold a commemoration ceremony in the hall of remembrance together with our friends of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, with whom members of the global Evangelical Community have been engaged in a dialogue for several years.”
During the ceremony, the EEA representatives laid a wreath bearing the words “In awe and profound shame, yet with the promise for future solidarity”.
Campaign Against Antisemitism applauds the decision, which demonstrates the European Evangelical Alliance’s solidarity with the Jewish community at this worrying time for Jews in Europe.
Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. The European Evangelical Alliance joins a growing list of national governments, public bodies and civic organisations to use the Definition.
CPS reinstates racially/religiously aggravated element of assault charges against Abdullah Qureshi in face of communal outrage, after CAA revealed antisemitic element had been dropped
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has reinstated the racially/religiously aggravated element of the assault charges against Abdullah Qureshi, after Campaign Against Antisemitism revealed earlier this month that the antisemitic element had been dropped and we and other communal organisations made representations to the CPS.
On 7th April, Abdullah Qureshi, 28, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates’ Court to one count of assault by beating and one count of grievous bodily harm with intent. The charges related to a series of assaults on 18th August in Stamford Hill in which five religious Jews in the North London neighbourhood were violently attacked.
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. Two further incidents were also alleged.
The incidents received significant media attention at the time, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, condemned “this appalling attack,” adding: “Let me be clear, racist abuse and hate crime, including antisemitism, have absolutely no place in our city.”
However, we reported that the CPS had dropped the religiously/racially-aggravated element of the charges, despite Mr Quershi having attacked only visibly Jewish people — including a child and a 64-year-old man — that day in one of Britain’s most diverse neighbourhoods. So the charges to which he pleaded guilty did not include the antisemitic aggravating element.
Following this revelation, Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, continued to support the victims and made representations to the CPS, as did we, the CST and other Jewish and local groups.
Today, the CPS has reinstated the religiously/racially-aggravated element of all of the charges in the face of unified communal outrage.
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “In a violent spree, Abdullah Qureshi attacked innocent Jews as he came across them in the street, from a young child to an elderly man. We applaud the Shomrim for reporting these incidents and the police for identifying the perpetrator. We welcome the CPS’s decision to reinstate the aggravating element to the charges, but it must be said that it is disappointing that it took sustained outrage from the Jewish community to bring this about. Polling shows that a majority of British Jews do not believe that the CPS does enough to protect them. The CPS must recognise that its choices have a serious impact on the Jewish community and it must strive to do better.”
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.
“Finally we are again in our natural position of dominance over the Jews”: senior north Italy policeman accused of posting antisemitic comment on Facebook
A senior policeman in Italy’s northern province of Monza and Brianza allegedly posted a message on Facebook saying: “Finally we are again in our natural position of dominance over the Jews.”
The alleged comment by Massimo Vergani, Deputy Police Commander of Seregno, was a reference to the victory of Inter-Milan over AC Milan in a 19th April football match. He attempted to excuse and justify his comments by claiming that he was “only using the language of Ultras groups.”
Mr Vergani has reportedly previously described a tie between Inter-Milan and Fiorentina the previous month as a “gift to the Jews.”
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.
Robert Rinder MBE opens up about being from a family of Holocaust victims and survivors and praises CAA for its legal work tackling the “enduring dark presence of antisemitism”
Robert Rinder MBE, the criminal barrister and television and radio broadcaster, best known nationwide for his ITV reality show, Judge Rinder, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he opened up about being from a family of Holocaust victims and survivors and observed how antisemitism endures today.
“I know people who live in certain communities that feel that they don’t want to put a menorah in their window outside of Jewish communities because they felt that it was inviting attack,” Mr Rinder said. “The reality is there’s something peculiarly disturbing about going to a state-funded Jewish school, and having worked for as long as I have over the years in prisons, it is easier to get into a medium-security prison. That is the same, in terms of the protection and all of the security that is in place, to protect Jewish kids that go to school every day simply to learn.”
He continued: “Now, that doesn’t exist because we are, as a people, especially paranoid. That exists on a rational assessment of the enduring day-to-day threats that our children face by going to school. This idea that putting a menorah in your window in the UK…that sending your kids to a Jewish school, that expressing your Judaism in the street by wearing Jewish clothing, represents a risk – even the fact that it represents a risk to your body, to your life – is the most clear and articulate expression imaginable of the enduring dark presence of antisemitism, anti-Jewish racism.
“And yes, there is security at other primary schools, but it doesn’t come close to this. What do we do about it? The answer is activism, and there’s really good activism everywhere, and above all else, including as many people in that activism. Making it part of their buffet, if you like, of things that they care about. That they cannot be anti-racist – it’s impossible to be anti-racist, it’s impossible to be an activist, and consequently on the right side of history – unless you include anti-Jewish racism, also, at the centre of your activism. Knowing the existential risk, every day, even now, of Jews who are just living their lives in various parts of the country. Going to a synagogue to pray, wherever they are, the levels of security, and so on and so forth.”
Speaking on how to combat antisemitism, Mr Rinder said that one way included “the type of important thing that Campaign Against Antisemitism is doing, which is to say that ‘There is nowhere for these people to hide, legally. We will come after you.’ The fact that they are held legally to account is enormously important, because we are a nation of laws in this country, and there are really good quality laws that can be used to stop these people. The difficulty is that people don’t necessarily use them, so what CAA is doing is of limitless importance.”
Mr Rinder added: “The other thing I would do is really support Campaign Against Antisemitism. It’s impossible to overstate the value of what they do, of holding people to account. The idea that you cannot be an institutional racist and hide, because you are breaking the law, and that we will use those legal tools to stop you, I think is an enormously powerful weapon and a light in the darkness.”
Throughout the interview, Mr Rinder touched upon a wide variety of topics which included his work in Holocaust education, the emotional requirements of exploring his family history on television, and why he defended members of the far-right National Front in court.
The podcast with Mr Rinder can be listened to here, or watched in its entirety here.
Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, writer Eve Barlow and actor Eddie Marsan.
Poll data shows nearly half of Israelis fear another Holocaust, as another study shows global antisemitism at record high
A survey has shown that nearly half the Israeli public is concerned about another Holocaust taking place.
The poll, organised by the Pnima group, aimed to probe particularly sensitive questions about public memory of the Holocaust, as well as fears about Iran’s nuclear project and repeated threats to destroy the Jewish state.
The results showed that 47 percent of Israelis feared another Holocaust, though the results varied across different demographics: women came out as more fearful than men, the young more than older citizens, and the religious community more than secular Jews.
The data also showed that most Israelis think the way that Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is commemorated will undergo significant changes as the generation that survived the Holocaust eventually disappears.
The poll came as another study, conducted by the Centre for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, showed that global antisemitism had reached record highs. The UK, United States, Canada, France and Germany were among the countries highlighted in the report.
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.
Court hears that alleged member of proscribed National Action group helped form “continuity” organisation with a “revolutionary Nationalist Socialist ideology”
A court has heard that an alleged member of a neo-Nazi terror organisation tried to recruit members for an offshoot group.
Alex Davies, 27, from Swansea, was allegedly a member of National Action between 17th December 2016 and 27th September 2017, which he denies.
National Action was proscribed by the British Government following repeated calls by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.
The court heard that, in January 2017, Mr Davies was allegedly involved in the development of a “continuity” organisation, designed to continue the work of the banned group and initially called the Southern Activist Network, later renamed NS131. That group was also banned nine months after the proscription of National Action.
Mr Davies allegedly contacted prospective members on the secure messaging platform Wire, explaining that the group had a “revolutionary Nationalist Socialist ideology”, but needed to “be able to ‘swim’ among the general population without trouble.”
Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson told Winchester Crown Court that National Action was banned after it “terrorised” towns including Liverpool, Newcastle, York, Swansea and Darlington, during which its members could be heard “screaming Nazi-era proclamations through megaphones”, including one occasion in York where Mr Davies allegedly spoke in front of a banner that read “Refugees not welcome: Hitler was right.”
Mr Jameson explained to the court that the National Action’s symbol was “a direct nod” to that of the Nazi paramilitary Sturmabteilung (SA) wing, and “advocated the same Nazi aims and ideals” including the ethnic cleansing of anyone who did not belong to the Nazi conception of “Aryans”, primarily meaning Jews. It also allegedly had “paramilitary aspirations”.
Mr Jameson said that “For the defendant and his cohorts, the work of Adolf Hitler was, and remains, unfinished. The ‘Final Solution to the Jewish question’, to use Hitler’s words, remains to be answered by complete eradication.”
The trial continues.
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.
Gang attacks Jewish homes in Stamford Hill, kicking front doors
A gang has allegedly been targeting the homes of Jewish residents of Stamford Hill by kicking their doors.
Residents of Hillside Road are said to have initially thought that the disturbances were caused by burglars until they realised that the attackers were only targeting Jewish homes.
Hate crime officers at the Metropolitan Police are now investigating the incidents after they 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 reference number: CAD 6992 20/04/22.
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
Jewish children attacked in Markfield Park in Stamford Hill
A gang of three teenagers allegedly attacked Jewish children playing in Markfield Park in Stamford Hill.
An eleven-year-old boy had his side-locks pulled in one of several incidents in the park. The alleged assailants were a mix of men and women and the women appeared to be dressed in religious Muslim attire.
The 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 reference number: CAD2810015/22.
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
Football fan fined and facing possible ban after performing Nazi salute towards Tottenham Hotspur supporters
A football fan has been fined and faces a ban after he was seen allegedly performing a Nazi salute, a court has heard.
Newcastle United fan Shay Asher, 24, admitted the racially aggravated offence of causing harassment during the team’s match against Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle’s home ground, St James’s Park, in October 2021.
Though Mr Asher initially denied the offence, claiming that he was waving to someone, Newcastle Magistrates’ Court heard that he performed a Nazi salute with his finger over his mouth to make a moustache, and was overheard saying that he wanted to fight Tottenham fans.
The court heard that when the former Royal Engineer was confronted by one of the stadium’s stewards, “his face dropped and he quickly ran off towards the exit.”
Mr Asher was fined £200, with £85 costs and a £34 surcharge and has been told to stay away from sporting venues in England and Wales as part of his bail conditions. Northumbria Police will reportedly apply for a football banning order.
Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.
Palestinian Authority TV station broadcasts Ramadan sermon calling for “extermination” of the “evil Jews”
The official television station of the Palestinian Authority (PA) has broadcast an imam’s exhortation to “exterminate” the Jews, according to an Israeli media watchdog.
According to Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch, the imam appealed to “Grant us victory over the infidels. Allah, delight us with the conquest and liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Allah, make us among the first to enter, the conquerors, the worshippers, and those calling out ‘Allahu Akbar’ inside [the mosque] to You, Master of the Universe. Allah, delight us with the extermination of the evil Jews, O Master of the Universe, and [the extermination] of their hypocritical supporters who have evil in their hearts.”
The prayer was broadcast on PA Television on 17th April as part of Ramadan coverage at the Al-Ain Mosque in El-Bireh, near Ramallah.
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.
Local council candidate dropped by Conservatives allegedly still represents Party at hustings
A local council candidate who had his endorsement by the Conservatives revoked has allegedly gone on to represent the Party at a hustings.
Sham Raja, who was the Conservatives’ candidate in the Sedgley ward in Bury, was dropped by the Party on 12th April, after numerous historic and inflammatory social media posts were uncovered, including one allegedly comparing Israeli footballers to “assassins”.
However, it has been claimed that he appeared at a local hustings representing the Party on 23rd April, despite supposedly no longer being its candidate. He was reportedly filling in for Jason McLeod, who is a candidate for the Party in Levenshulme ward, which is not in Bury.
The claim comes as Conservatives in Bury face mounting scrutiny over the series of allegations of antisemitism and revelations of inflammatory past social media posts by some of its candidates.
Last year, a Conservative councillor in Bury who had the Party whip removed after he allegedly made antisemitic comments in a job interview was reinstated by the Party. Cllr Robert (Bob) Caserta was found to have breached the Code of Conduct for Councillors and Other Voting Representatives four times when he appeared before the Standards Sub-Committee over comments apparently made during an interview to recruit a senior officer at the Council in July 2019, when Cllr Caserta is alleged to have referred to “grot spots” in Sedgley and said that it would be difficult to communicate with residents “unless you are able to speak Hebrew”.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Image credit: Google
Swedish Journalist who wrote pitying article for antisemitic terrorist who murdered Jewish children wins prestigious award
A Swedish newspaper has handed an award to a celebrated journalist despite him having written a pitying article for a terrorist who murdered Jewish children in Toulouse in 2012.
Veteran journalist Göran Greider, who has been Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Dala-Demokraten since 1999, has been given the prestigious Lagercrantzen award by Sweden’s biggest newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, to celebrate a career in which he has published approximately 30 books and already won many other prizes. Those who awarded him the prize state that he is a “lovely body of a man in Swedish cultural life.”
However, in March 2012, Mr Greider penned a piece sympathising with Islamist terrorist Mohammed Merah, who shot three Jewish children in the Toulouse school massacre, and blamed the state of Israel for their murder.
Mr Merah, 23, born and raised in Toulouse, went on a killing spree beginning on 11th March, shooting an off-duty French Army paratrooper. Four days later, he killed two off-duty French soldiers and wounded another. On 19th March, he burst into the Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school in Toulouse, opening fire and killing rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, and his two sons Arié, five, and Gabriel, four, and Myriam Monsonego, seven, who Mr Merah shot at point-blank range after his first gun jammed. Mr Merah also wounded Bryan Bijaoui, seventeen.
In his article for Dala-Demokraten, published five days after the murders, Mr Greider described Mr Merah as “a tragic example of how an unstable man is torn apart by his time: he hated the military for the war against the Taliban and he hated Israeli for what the Israeli military exposed the Palestinians to,” citing Mr Mehra as a victim of French class injustice and xenophobia, and suggesting that he would become a political pawn in that year’s French Presidential election.
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.
Audit finds dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents in Canada
Canada has seen record levels of antisemitic incidents in 2021 according to an audit by Jewish advocacy group B’Nai Brith.
The analysis found that there were 2,799 antisemitic hate crimes that year, including assaults, synagogue vandalism, and swastika graffiti in schools.
This marks a seven percent increase from 2020, though incidents involving violence saw a 700 percent increase, up from nine in 2020 to 75 in 2021.
The report found this was consistent with the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the genocidal antisemitic terror group Hamas in May last year.
There has been a Jewish presence in Canada that dates back to the establishment of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749. According to data collected by Statistics Canada and the United Jewish Federations of Canada in 2011, the country had 391,665 Jews, making up 1.2 percent of the total population.
The audit also noted that there has been a “surge” in such incidents taking place on university campuses, which have become “significant breeding grounds for antisemitism.”
B’nai Brith’s Senior Legal Counsel, David Martas, said that “If you are Jewish, you are more likely to be a victim of a hate crime by far than if you are a member of another minority.”
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.
Dutch Easter carollers continue to sing antisemitic song despite outcry from the Jewish community
Easter carol singers in the Dutch city of Ootmarsum have faced criticism for the alleged antisemitic content of one of their songs.
Ootmarsum, about 80 miles east of Amsterdam, has hosted the traditional carolling procession – known to locals as vlöggeln – since at least 1840. It consists of dozens of Catholic men singing as they walk a particular route through the city several times a day on the first and second days of Easter.
They sing a song entitled “Christ Resurrected” and its lyrics, which are printed and handed around to onlookers, excoriate “the Jews who with their false council sacrificed Jesus on the cross”.
It is not only the content of the song that has drawn protests from the Jewish community, but the connotations of how it is organised.
Eight lead singers dressed in raincoats, known as the Poaskerls, lead the carolling. They must be single Catholic men who have no intention of getting married in the next four years. The point is a rite of passage: the eight Poaskerls accept that they are no longer youths and become adults. The oldest of them smokes a cigar. He is the treasurer of the group and given the nickname of the “Judas”.
The accusation of “Deicide” – the belief that the Jews are collectively responsible for the death of Jesus Christ – is part of the classic repertoire of antisemitism, and has led to innumerable acts of violence against and mendacious claims about Jews for centuries. Since 1965, however, the Catholic Church asserted, though “the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ”, Jews cannot be held collectively responsible for this, then or now.
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.
Rutgers University and local police investigate two separate incidents of antisemitic harrassment of Jewish fraternity
Rutgers University and local police are investigating a series of antisemitic incidents involving a fraternity at the University.
Members of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity were commemorating Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, in their annual 24-hour-long event, which involved reading the names of people who were murdered during the Holocaust, when they were reportedly pelted with eggs.
This closely follows a separate apparently antisemitic incident that took place a few days before, when several cars full of people carrying and waving Palestinian flags stopped outside the fraternity’s residence on Sicard Street, shouting antisemitic remarks, spitting, and throwing things at the house.
The latter incident apparently took place after a local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine held a “Defend Al-Aqsa, Defend Palestine” rally. The perpetrators are reported to have called fraternity members “baby killers” and “terrorists”.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick Chancellor-Provost, Francine Conway, sent a letter to Rutgers students and faculty about the incident, saying: “Initial representations regarding the incident are disturbing. We understand and are sensitive to the concerns of those who were targeted, and stand by our Jewish students, faculty and staff. Harassment based on religious belief, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or for any reason, is antithetical to our values at Rutgers University.”
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.
World’s largest cryptocurrency exchange removes custom promotional emoji after observers point out it looks like a swastika
The cryptocurrency exchange Binance was forced to retract and redesign a custom emoji after users on Twitter pointed out that it looked like a swastika.
Twitter is known to occasionally let brands make their own emojis to use in hashtags to promote their products and services. On this occasion, Binance, the world’s largest digital currency exchange, created the emoji to promote their hashtags #Binance, #BNB, and #BitcoinButton.
The controversial Binance emoji was a block with the company’s logo surrounded by four pixelated arms bent at right angles. According to Twitter users, the result looked like a swastika.
Some users were also quick to point out that Binance chose to launch the emoji on 20th April, which is Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
Binance wrote on Twitter: “Well that was obviously really embarrassing. We’re not sure how that emoji got through several layers of review without anyone noticing, but we immediately flagged the issue, pulled it down, and the new emoji design is being rolled out as we speak.”
Liverpool anti-racism festival omits antisemitism, prompting accusations of double standards
A Liverpool-based anti-racism festival has come under fire after it failed to plan any events or discussions about antisemitism.
Liverpool Against Racism consists of a series of cross-city events. There will be performances by musicians Rebecca Ferguson, The Christians and The Farm. A conference tackling racism is also set to take place with keynote speakers including historian David Olusoga, the BBC’s interim Head of Creative Diversity, Joanna Abeyie, and journalist Kevin Powell. In addition, teenagers will be asked to discuss issues to do with racism, stars will share their stories and give advice about how to tackle racial inequality, and there will be workshop events, including one that aims to deal with Liverpool’s role in the Atlantic slave trade.
However, the festival makes no mention of anti-Jewish racism in its promotional material or itinerary.
The Jewish former MP in the city, Dame Louise Ellman, has spoken out over the omission, saying: “I hope it is not the case that, as David Baddiel would say, ‘Jews don’t count.’”
A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said: “The aim of the Liverpool Against Racism event was to focus on anti-black racism, created as it was in the aftermath of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. However, involvement from all of our diverse communities was actively encouraged. Last December we proactively called out for organisations and groups to contact us and get involved. We had an amazing response…which has seen organisations across the city stage events to complement the Liverpool Against Racism programme.
“Following the call-out, we were contacted by representatives from the Jewish community and they were asked if they would like to be part of a panel event at the main conference. This offer was unfortunately not taken up. Mayor Joanne is incredibly proud of the Liverpool Against Racism programme and the fact that the city isn’t shying away from shining a spotlight on discrimination. We hope this inaugural event will pave the way for similar initiatives in the future and that more organisations, including Jewish groups, will join with us.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It appears to be increasingly axiomatic among so-called ‘anti-racists’ that prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people is not worthy of concern. Antisemitism is too often omitted from the agendas of diversity departments, the terms of reference of investigations into hate, and the itineraries of anti-racism events, to be a coincidence. The Jewish community sees this trend clearly, and we will continue to challenge it wherever it arises.”
David Baddiel appeared on a previous episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism.
Arizona adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism
The State of Arizona has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.
On 19th April, Amendment HB 2675, known as the “Arizona Holocaust Education Bill”, passed the state legislature by 49 votes to 3.
The bill, which requires Arizona’s schools to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides on at least two occasions between seventh and twelfth grades, was originally introduced in January 2020, but was delayed by Arizona State Senator Paul Boyer, who wanted to include the Definition.
Jews have been a part of life in Arizona since the 1860s. According to a 2020 study, the state’s Jewish population was 108,075, making up 1.5 percent of a total population of over seven million.
Arizona has not been free of antisemitism. In January 2022, police in Tucson arrested a man in connection with the vandalism of the Kol Ami Synagogue. In November 2021, far-right influencer Tim Gionet, also known as “Baked Alaska”, was charged with damaging a Chanukah display at the Arizona Capitol building in Phoenix the year before. Also in 2021, a woman who identified herself as Melanie Rettler went on an antisemitic tirade at a school board meeting in a Phoenix suburb but her comments went unchallenged.
Sen. Boyer said: “Passing the bill without the IHRA [International] Definition would leave our legislative intent unfulfilled and vulnerable to exploitation.”
Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.
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.
Prosecutors admit Islamist chant is antisemitic even as police reportedly fail to act against protestors who sing it
It has been reported that prosecutors have acknowledged that a popular Islamist chant that incites murder against Jews is indeed antisemitic, even as those who sing it go unpunished by the police.
“Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud” translated in English as “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning”. The “Khaybar” chant is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE.
According to a report in the JC, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) agrees that the chant, which apparently has the “official endorsement” of al-Qaeda Central (the Islamist terrorist organisation’s global hub) and was heard frequently during anti-Israel protests last May and often on university campuses, is antisemitic and violates section 18 of the Public Order Act (1986), which outlaws words and actions that intend to “stir up racial hatred”.
However, police have repeatedly failed to take action against those who sing the chant.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s latest Antisemitism Barometer showed that over two thirds of British Jews believe that the authorities, in general, are not doing enough to address and punish antisemitism.
Antisemitic chants heard at top Italian football fixtures
Loud, antisemitic chants were heard from supporters of some of Italy’s premier sides, including Genoa, Torino and Rome’s famed Lazio club.
The chanting was heard when Genoa played Lazio on 10th April, and again the week after when Lazio played Torino on 16th April.
According to local reports, the chants featured antisemitic slurs that referenced Anne Frank and the Holocaust, and appended them to earthier and more general expletives. Local reports also noted that those chanting “very loudly” included many young people who would “most likely not even understand” the meaning of the “shameful, antisemitic chants,” which included: “Go pray in the synagogue, I will always scare you off, Rome-supporter f*** off…, Rome-supporter f*** off.”
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.
Antisemitic chanting broke out during Genoa Vs Lazio (April 10) and Lazio Vs Torino (April 16): “Go pray in the synagogue, I will always scare you off, Rome-supporter fxxk off…, Rome-supporter fxxk off”.
Antisemitism still on display at quieter “Al Quds Day” parade in London this year
A smaller crowd than in the past attended this year’s “Al Quds Day” parade in central London on Sunday. Volunteers from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit were present at the protest to gather evidence.
Although Hizballah flags were not being flown at the Iranian-backed event this year – after the genocidal terrorist organisation was banned in its entirety by the British Government in 2019 following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism and our allies – there were other causes for concern.
Chants included “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Another chant – “Judaism, yes, Zionism no, the State of Israel must go!” – made this objective plain.
Numerous signs declared that “Zionism is racism”, and an Israeli flag was burned by members of the fringe and controversial Neturei Karta group.
One participant also wore a shirt comparing Israel to Nazism, also in breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Among the speakers was Mick Napier, the Secretary of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPCC) who regularly addresses the demonstration. In 2017, Mr Napier was found guilty of aggravated trespass at a protest outside a cosmetics store in Glasgow during the 2014 Gaza war. The SPCC has previously been exposed over many of its supporters’ extremely antisemitic views.
The “Al Quds Day” rallies are an Iranian-backed global event, but they have faced controversy over expressions of antisemitism and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. Last year, for example, Berlin banned the parade from taking place, while footage of the protests this year in numerous German cities appeared to show participants shouting phrases like “Scheiße Jude!” (“S**tty Jew!”), “Drecksjude” (“dirty Jew”), and “Strike, oh Qassam, don’t let the Zionists sleep.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2020 showed that over eight in ten British Jews consider the threat from Islamists to be very serious.
German Minister of the Interior speaks out against antisemitism at annual Al Quds Day marches throughout the country
Germany’s Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, has spoken out about the use of antisemitic slogans during anti-Israel demonstrations.
Hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Berlin, Hanover and Dortmund for the annual Al-Quds Day march – an Iranian-backed anti-Israel parade held throughout the world – chanting antisemitic slogans and reportedly attacking journalists and the police.
Some of the chants, like “Free Palestine from the river to the sea”, are common features at these demonstrations. The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Video footage posted to social media showed participants in these protests also shouting phrases like “Scheiße Jude!” (“S**tty Jew!”), “Drecksjude” (“dirty Jew”), and “Strike, oh Qassam, don’t let the Zionists sleep.” The latter is a reference to the kind of rocket fired by the genocidal antisemitic terrorist group Hamas at Israeli civilian targets, and Hamas’ military unit – the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades – shares the name of the rocket.
Samuel Salzborn, Professor of Political Science at Justus Liebig University in Gießen and the Antisemitism Officer for the City of Berlin, said: “Antisemitic terror against Israel was backed up with anti-Israel slogans, while at the same time the hatred is directed against all Jews. The core of these assemblies is antisemitism – nothing else.”
Nancy Faeser said: “There is no place in our society for antisemitism. The rule of law must act consistently here. We must never get used to antisemitic insults – no matter from where and from whom they come.”
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.
Paris Court of Appeal reduces fine for Dieudonné over videos
A sentence imposed on Dieudonné over videos that he released in 2020 has been reduced by the Paris Court of Appeal to a fine roughly equivalent to £75. However, the Appeal Court upheld a fine of 10,000 euros (£80,000) in another case against him.
Dieudonné, whose real name is Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala, is a French comedian and political activist who has been convicted for hate speech and advocating terrorism, among other offences, in France, Belgium and Switzerland.
At his trial in May 2021, Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala, 56, was found guilty of antisemitic insults, incitement to hatred and a crime against humanity. He claimed that the videos in question were fake, created through a sophisticated digital technique.
The original custodial sentence of four months’ imprisonment plus a fine was reduced to a fine of 100 euros. However, the Court of Appeal upheld a fine of 10,000 euros plus 3,000 euros in damages against Dieudonné for a video released in September 2020 defaming anti-racism delegate Frédéric Potier, who is involved in the fight against antisemitism and LGBT hatred.
In the summer of 2020, in a move to combat hateful content, Dieudonné was banned from major online platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
In May 2021, he was also sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, only one of which must be served, plus a further fine of 200,000 euros for a string of financial crimes, including tax fraud and money laundering.
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.
Report states that Linfield University violated Jewish professor’s academic freedom after he was fired after accusing University President of antisemitism
It has been reported that an Oregon university that fired a Jewish professor after he accused its president of making antisemitic remarks violated the professor’s academic freedom.
Linfield University in McMinnville, 38 miles south of Portland, fired English professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner in 2021 after he accused president Miles K. Davis of making comments about the supposed size of Jewish noses and jokes about sending Jews to gas chambers. Prof Pollack-Pelzner also suggested that the university had covered up reports of swastika graffiti and other instances of hate speech, as well as sexual assault allegations.
Prof Pollack-Pelzner also recalls not only that President Davis withheld his reports, fearing that they would bring the University into disrepute and accusing Prof Pollack-Pelzner of “harbouring a secret agenda to grab power”, but that the President warned of “disloyalty from within” in a meeting. Prof Pollack-Pelzner also claims that President Davis said that “people like him were destroying Linfield University from within”.
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions” is an example of antisemitism.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has now decided that Linfield violated Prof Pollack-Pelzner’s academic freedom when they fired him, stating that the University “contributed to a culture of abuse” in the way it treated the professor.
The AAUP report holds that Linfield forced Prof Pollack-Pelzner out of his job and ensured he was unable to use his e-mail account without holding an initial disciplinary hearing (a requirement for charges against a tenured professor).
Linfield University itself did not take part in the AAUP investigation, and university spokespeople indicated in their interactions with faculty and local media that they did not accept the report’s allegations and were ready to fight them in court.
Prof Pollack-Pelzner is now reportedly a visiting scholar at Portland State University.
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.
Following action by CAA, Solicitor General confirms he is referring Nicholas Nelson’s unduly lenient sentence for antisemitic harassment to Court of Appeal
Following action taken by Campaign Against Antisemitism, the Solicitor General has confirmed that he will refer Nicholas Nelson’s absurdly lenient sentence for antisemitic harassment to the Court of Appeal.
Mr Nelson, the defendant in a criminal case that resulted from first-of-its-kind litigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism, was given an eighteen-month sentence, suspended for two years, at Southwark Crown Court last month. However, given that his campaign of harassment endured for a period of time against multiple victims and came after he had committed several similar offences, we considered this sentence to be inexplicably lenient.
Accordingly, we wrote to the Attorney General’s Office, which has the power to refer sentences for certain offences which are believed to be unduly lenient, to the Court of Appeal.
We have now received confirmation from the Solicitor General that he is referring the case to the Court of Appeal.
Alex Chalk QC MP agreed that “the behaviour of Mr Nelson was truly appalling.”
Offering two reasons for his referral, Mr Chalk wrote: “First, it is arguable that the judge failed sufficiently to have regard to the fact this was multiple offending against three separate victims over a sustained period of time. Given there were three separate victims, the judge arguably ought to have imposed consecutive sentences.”
Providing his second reason, Mr Chalk said that “There were two features in this case that required an immediate custodial sentence,” the first being that “These were serious offences committed against multiple victims over a significant period of time. Given the nature of the offending, and Mr Nelson’s previous convictions, a significant deterrent element was required, together with appropriate punishment.” He also pointed out that “abuse, harassment and antisemitism online and on social media is a significant public issue and of real concern to the wider public.”
Mr Chalk added: “Secondly, Mr Nelson had a poor compliance history with court orders. The offending was committed in breach of two earlier suspended sentences. Such a disregard for the earlier orders of the court required punishment by way of immediate custody, notwithstanding any mitigation or progress made since those earlier sentences.”
The Solicitor General expressed his gratitude that Campaign Against Antisemitism brought this case to his attention. He has a record of referring unduly lenient sentences to the Court of Appeal, including, recently, that of the neo-Nazi teenager Ben John, a review of whose sentence we also called for.
Mr Nelson’s case was the culmination of first-of-its-kind litigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism to unmask an anonymous antisemitic online troll. He pleaded guilty at Peterborough Crown Court in January to racially aggravated harassment under section 31(1)(b) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and with sending an electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety under 1(1)(a) of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, after he repeatedly sent abusive antisemitic e-mails and messages to Oscar-nominated Jewish writer Lee Kern and hateful messages to communications strategist Joanne Bell, and harassing a staff member at the Board of Deputies, a Jewish charity, over the telephone.
Mr Kern contacted Campaign Against Antisemitism, which funded a case on his behalf led by Mark Lewis, the esteemed lawyer who is also an Honorary Patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism.
The abusive communications came from accounts that Mr Nelson had worked hard to make anonymous. Victims of abuse from anonymous accounts usually have nowhere to go, because only rarely will the police track down the sender, and the cost of private action is usually beyond victims’ means.
However, a new legal initiative devised by Campaign Against Antisemitism together with counsel breaks through that barrier. It has enabled us to identify the anonymous troll by obtaining a special kind of court order which has its origins in the pharmaceutical industry and has never before been used to unmask an anonymous abuser sending antisemitic messages. The court order requires an internet service provider to disclose details of the owner of an online account so that legal proceedings can be issued.
We used this legal device to identify Mr Nelson and criminal proceedings were commenced, leading to him pleading guilty. Mr Nelson had called for another Holocaust, called Mr Kern Shylock, spoke of Jews being used for gun practice, called Jewish women whores, shared obscene sexual fantasies involving Hitler, and glorified the proscribed genocidal antisemitic terror group, Hamas.
Mr Nelson, who lives in Cambridgeshire and was a vigorous supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, also previously sent abusive messages to two Jewish women Labour MPs, branding one a “vile useless c***” and the other a “traitor” who should “end yourself”. At the end of 2018 he pleaded guilty to the same charge and was given a twenty-week suspended sentence for twelve months and ordered to complete 160 hours unpaid work. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to three charges of sending communications of an offensive nature to two other Labour MPs, one of whom is Jewish and the other is an active campaigner against antisemitism. In addition to the charges that Mr Nelson pleaded guilty to today in relation to Mr Kern and Ms Bell, Mr Nelson also pleaded guilty to harassing a member of staff at the Board of Deputies over the telephone.
He had committed the offences whilst apparently already subject to a suspended sentence for other antisemitic offences. This would appear to demonstrate his contempt for the supposedly deterrent suspended sentences that he had already been handed. Nonetheless, instead of going directly to prison, the defendant, Nicholas Nelson, 32, was instead ordered to undertake just 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 220 hours of unpaid community service. He must also pay a modest victim surcharge and is subject to a restraining order.
Handing down the suspended sentence and referring to Mr Nelson’s “horrible tirades”, Judge Charles Gratwicke said that “Nobody sitting here in this courtroom who has read the newspaper can feel anything but revulsion, sickness and downright anger at the type of hate that you engaged in.” Nevertheless, he insisted that the defendant was “not the person you were two or three years ago.”
On the day of the sentencing, Mr Kern said: “I have noted the immediacy with which custodial sentences have been handed out for first time offenders who have engaged in other forms of racism. Yet here we have a repeat offender who has embarked upon an unparalleled campaign of hatred against Jews and has been spared prison again and again. Why are antisemitic hate crimes not deemed as criminal as those of other forms of racism? What exactly does it take for a person found guilty of repeated racially motivated crimes against Jews to actually go to prison? This is a disgrace and an embarrassment and sends a clear signal to Britain’s Jews that when it comes to receiving justice, they don’t count.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We are grateful that the Solicitor General has readily acceded to our request for a review of Nicholas Nelson’s absurdly lenient sentence. To all but let off a defendant who committed racist offences over a sustained period against multiple victims, apparently whilst serving suspended sentences for similar offences, is a staggering miscarriage of justice and mocks not only the direct victims of this campaign of harassment but the whole Jewish community and all those who suffer at the hands of online trolls. We hope that the Court of Appeal will impose a more fitting punishment on someone who has brought such harm to the targets of his racist bile.”
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: JC
Singer who called Hitler a “good guy” and the Holocaust a “profitable hoax” disinvited from benefit concert
It has been reported that a rock concert in Tucson, Arizona has dropped a band from its bill due to an antisemitic website run by its frontman.
The “Whole Enchilada” benefit concert, held on 16th April at the Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson, was supposed to feature a number of popular local bands, including veteran outfit Chuck Wagon and the Wheels.
However, the attention of the organisers was drawn to the band’s lead singer, Chuck Maultsby, whose website allegedly contains numerous antisemitic posts, including examples of Holocaust denial, posts supporting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and rationalisations for the concentration camps in which millions of Jews were interned and murdered.
Mr Maultsby’s material consists of over 250 pages of conspiracy theories blaming the coronavirus pandemic on Jews, claims that the Jews planned the 9/11 attacks on New York City, and celebrations of Adolf Hitler, who Mr Maultsby says was a “good guy”.
Along with justifications for the actions of notorious Auschwitz doctor Josef Mengele, who, according to Mr Maultsby, saved the lives of tens of thousands of “inmates” at the death camp through his “tireless efforts”, the website explains how Jews are responsible for the deaths of former American President John F. Kennedy and US Army General George S. Patton, as well as announcing that the diary of Anne Frank is a “hoax”.
Mr Maultsby also describes the Holocaust in such terms, asking in one post from 2017: “Is the Holocaust a Hoax? Short Answer: OF COURSE. Within five minutes, any intelligent, open-minded person can be convinced that the Holocaust gassings of World War II are a profitable hoax.”
Mr Maultbsy’s website is reportedly no longer available at its original location, but has apparently been archived in several places. The site does still, however, show memes with Hitler’s photograph, myths about a “white genocide” orchestrated by Jews, and a self-published book that its author claims to have been banned on Amazon. One such meme reads: “If you think I am evil, it means you have never did any research but you are fully brainwashed by the Jewish written History [sic].”
Chuck Wagon and the Wheels were subsequently disinvited from the concert, and some members of the Tucson music scene denounced the singer.
David Slutes, the entertainment director for Hotel Congress, said: “It’s harder than you think to move quickly on something like this, even when it’s obviously the right thing to do. Everyone feels embarrassed, guilty and bad about it. But learning about the depth of Chuck’s insanity was rough. I have worked for this Jewish-run business for 25 years and they are like extended family. This was not going to work for any of 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.
“F**k Jews”: two antisemitic incidents in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh over the first weekend of Passover
It has been reported that the neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill in eastern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has seen two separate antisemitic incidents over the last week.
On 15th April, the first night of the Jewish festival of Passover, more than twenty families had antisemitic flyers tossed into their driveways by a hate group who have also been known to work in California, Florida, New York, Colorado, and other American states.
Residents reported finding the antisemitic flyers inside a plastic bag filled with rice. This fits the profile of other similar incidents in Palo Alto, Beverly Hills, and elsewhere, though the Squirrel Hill victims did not disclose the precise wording of the material.
On 17th April, a male reportedly shouted “F**k Jews” as he walked past the Shaare Torah Congregation on Murray Avenue, a long street that connects the two communities of Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South.
In October 2018, Squirrel Hill, where 40 percent of the more than 26,000 residents are Jewish, saw the most violent antisemitic incident in American history, when 46-year-old Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle and three handguns, murdering eleven and wounding seven members of the congregation.
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.
Jail for mosque leader who called for violent Jihad
A mosque leader who called for “Jihad by sword” while making a stabbing gesture and wearing a black top emblazoned with the words “Free Palestine, resistance is existence” has been jailed after being found guilty of intending to encourage terrorism.
Abu Bakr Deghayes’ twenty-minute sermon a congregation of around 50 at Brighton Mosque and Muslim Community Centre in November 2021 was caught on CCTV. The audience reportedly included teenagers and young men in their twenties, as well as older members, and it is understood that several in the audience began to fidget as the speech went on, with some walking out.
The Old Bailey heard that Mr Deghayes, 53, from Saltdean, Sussex and originally from Libya, spoke in English and Arabic, urging the congregation to ignore the British Government and its Prevent programme. He is claimed to have said: “Allah is more powerful than you. You, idiots. You non-believers, idiots. Allah is more powerful than you. The non-believer…is an idiot; he’s stupid. Jihad is compulsory upon you, you, you and you until the Day of Resurrection, whatever the British Government thinks, whatever Prevent thinks, whatever Israel thinks.
“Send to the sea. They can go and drink from the sea, Allah curse their fathers, OK? Jihad, jihad, jihad! Jihad is compulsory. Jihad by fighting by sword that means this jihad is compulsory upon you, not jihad is the word of mouth but jihad will remain compulsory until the Day of Resurrection. And my livelihood is under the shadow of my spear.”
He added that anyone who did not like what he said was an enemy of Allah, declaring: “Go fight Allah! Go Fight Allah!”
Mr Deghayes, who denied wrongdoing, has been handed a sentence of four years’ imprisonment, plus a further year on licence.
Two of Mr Deghayes’ sons were killed fighting in Syria (a third died in a stabbing incident in Sussex). Abdul, who was reportedly involved with drugs and was murdered by a dealer in 2019 aged 22, was the twin brother of Abdullah, who was killed in 2016 fighting in Syria. Their brother Jaffar was killed in 2014 aged seventeen while fighting to overthrow the Syrian dictator, Bashas Al-Assad. Both were apparently fighting for the al Qaida-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. Yet another son, Amer, is believed still to be fighting in Syria.
In 2017, a serious case review reportedly identified missed opportunities to prevent the sons from being radicalised, as well as noting failures to understand the role of religion in their lives. The report also alleged that Mr Deghayes would wake the boys up at 04:30 in the morning to study the Koran and would whip them with electrical wire.
The boys’ uncle, Omar Deghayes, was arrested in Pakistan in 2002 and spent five years in Guantanamo Bay.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2020 showed that over eight in ten British Jews consider the threat from Islamists to be very serious.
Image credit: Google and Sussex Police