Today, during party conference season, Campaign Against Antisemitism releases its review of the state of Britain’s major political parties vis-a-vis antisemitism, with particular focus on relevant developments over the past twelve months.
This review of the parties (ordered alphabetically) supplements our ongoing Antisemitism in Political Parties monitoring project, which documents specific cases of antisemitic conduct and how the parties have addressed them.
These findings are based not only on publicly available information but also on our own investigations and dealings with the parties (where those dealings have not been on a confidential basis), except in the case of the Labour Party, which is the only party that refuses to engage with us.
To download a PDF copy of this report, please click here.
Conservative and Unionist Party
There have been a number of cases over the past year where the Conservatives have sought to kick allegations of antisemitism into the long grass, promising investigations and then conducting them in secret, if at all, over long periods, seemingly in the hope that the problem is forgotten and enabling the Party to issue a mere slap on the wrist to the parliamentarians or councillors in question. We at Campaign Against Antisemitism do not forget, however, and we continue to call out the Conservatives over these failures.
Beyond the disciplinary processes themselves, concerns have been raised over the past year in relation to the use of certain tropes about ‘elites’ which, while not inherently antisemitic, have been used to stoke anti-Jewish sentiment within far-right circles in Britain, Europe and the United States. We continue to urge Conservative politicians to employ responsible language and make the context of their views clear to listeners, so that their remarks cannot be construed or misunderstood as endorsements of far-right positions.
At times, there can also be a mismatch between the national Party and local branches, with, for example, ministers repeatedly calling for local authorities to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism but Conservative-led local councils falling behind in doing so.
Shortcomings notwithstanding, the Conservatives – both in their capacity as the party of Government and among backbenchers in Parliament – have been at the forefront of the fight against antisemitism in Britain and abroad, including being the first national government in the world to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism and threatening the funding of local authorities and universities that do not adopt it, as well as proscribing the neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation Hizballah, both following urging by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.
We continue to work with the Government to advance the security of the Jewish community and to call out shortcomings in the Conservative Party.
Green Party of England and Wales and Scottish Greens
The Green Party is the only major political party in England and Wales not to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism, and its sister branch in Scotland, the Scottish Greens, is likewise the only political party not to have done so north of the border. While the Green Party’s outgoing leaders have supported its adoption, both in private conservations with Campaign Against Antisemitism and in their capacity as local councillors in London (where both their councils have adopted the Definition), the membership as a whole has failed to endorse the measure at a Party conference, as is required under Party rules.
While we continue to hold discussions with the Party’s leadership, its disciplinary structures are amateurish and utterly deficient. It has minimal professional infrastructure and, unlike in other major parties, its members retain considerable control over policy. Its constitution has failed to keep up with the Party’s electoral rise. One symptom is the failure to adopt the Definition; another is the Party’s woeful disciplinary process, which we have experienced firsthand. We have submitted numerous complaints to the Party over officeholders and candidates, only to find that the complaints are ignored for long periods of time and then adjudicated against arbitrary standards or dismissed for novel constitutional reasons. The effect is that the Party has failed to take any real action against prominent members who have expressed antisemitic sentiments, including the Party’s recent Equalities and Diversity Coordinator who now holds the International Coordinator portfolio. Finding redress for racism against Jews in the Green Party is thus extremely difficult, and all the more worrying as the Party is also particularly vulnerable as a possible destination for far-left Labour members expelled over antisemitism.
These shortcomings do not go unnoticed by the Jewish community. Our Antisemitism Barometer survey of British Jews late last year found that the Greens were second only to Labour in how many respondents felt that the Party was too tolerant of antisemitism (43%).
The Greens are currently holding a leadership election, with candidates taking different positions on whether and how to fight antisemitism in the Party. We continue to monitor this primary with interest, but we are mindful that unless the Party’s internal procedures change, it may have a problem ever winning the trust of the Jewish community.
In Scotland, the Scottish Greens hold more expressly virulent positions which we have publicised. In 2015, the Party adopted a motion, which has never been rescinded, condemning “Israel’s claim to be ‘the Jewish State’” and “Zionism as a racist ideology.” According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.
The motion also committed the Party to opposing “Aliyah” (Jewish immigration to Israel, including by British Jews) and Israel’s Law of Return, the Jewish state’s answer to centuries of persecution of diaspora Jewry. The motion further called for the removal of Hamas, an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation, from its designation by the British Government as a terrorist organisation, and supported the BDS movement — the campaign to boycott the Jewish state — the tactics of which an overwhelming majority of British Jews find intimidating.
The debate on this motion was held on a Saturday, when observant Jews would be unable to participate, and it passed easily. It became Party policy and remains so even as the Scottish Greens recently joined the Scottish devolved Government for the first time. Indeed, it is the first time that a Green Party has joined any Government in the United Kingdom. We remain deeply concerned about these policies of the Scottish Greens and call for the Party to rescind them immediately in order to reassure the Jewish community of its good faith.
Labour Party
The Labour Party is the only political party to have been found to be institutionally racist against Jewish people by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), following a statutory investigation in which we were the complainant. It is thus in a category of its own when it comes to assessing its record on racism against Jews over the past year.
The Parliamentary Labour Party and Shadow Cabinet comprise politicians who either actively supported an antisemitic leader — and Sir Keir Starmer himself is on record as having given his “100% backing” to Jeremy Corbyn — and those who did nothing as their principled and courageous colleagues quit the Party or, in the case of several Jewish MPs, were hounded out of it. Winning back the trust of the Jewish community — which, historically, has been very supportive of the Party that recently betrayed it — was always therefore going to take real and compelling action.
There have been examples of such action over the past year, including Mr Corbyn’s ongoing suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party (even as his suspension from the Labour Party was disgracefully short-lived and he is now eligible to attend the Party’s annual conference); proclamations by Labour’s General-Secretary to Constituency Labour Parties to avoid discussing antisemitism; the proscription of the antisemitism-denial group Labour Against the Witchhunt and the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson’s so-called “Resist” faction, with all of their members threatened with automatic expulsion from the Party; the expulsion of Ken Loach; the ruling National Executive Committee’s (NEC) resolution to introduce (subject to approval at Labour’s annual conference) a semi-independent disciplinary process; and, at the local level, the good record of Labour-controlled local authorities of adopting the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Nevertheless, positive steps have been slow, incremental and at times undermined by contradictory maneuvers. For example, Mr Corbyn’s suspension from the Labour Party was inexplicably lifted using precisely the disciplinary process that the EHRC had just ruled was unfit for purpose; numerous MPs and officeholders have not been sanctioned for sharing platforms with members suspended or expelled over antisemitism, despite Sir Keir’s leadership election pledge to do so; and disciplinary actions in other high-profile cases have been reversed, the disciplinary process remains a mess and, when first published, Labour’s proposed complaints handbook was a joke. Furthermore, the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour, has not yet been proscribed. Neither, for that matter has the pro-Corbyn Momentum faction, whose co-Chair denied that a Jewish MP was hounded out of the Party, while Young Labour’s controversies are ignored and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which a past investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism found was riddled with bigotry, has been positively welcomed by the Party.
Moreover, the goodwill and trust between Labour and the Jewish community that did build up in the months since Sir Keir won the leadership of the Party was wasted during the conflict between Hamas and Israel, when Labour MPs and councillors, though not alone, were too often involved in stoking communal division, ignoring displays of antisemitism at rallies and on some occasions even joining in with them.
We have also lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if our 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, including Deputy Leader Angela Rayner. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and indeed there have been reports that our complaint against Ms Rayner has been dismissed without so much as an acknowledgement (contrary to the Party’s new complaints handling policy), let alone an investigation.
Not only have our complaints not been acknowledged almost one year since they were submitted, but Sir Keir has also repeatedly refused to engage with us, despite our being the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation into antisemitism in his Party. Indeed, Labour is the only major political party that has not been willing to work with us when approached.
All of this has been noted by the Jewish community. Our latest Antisemitism Barometer, published at the start of the year (with polling conducted after Mr Corbyn’s suspension and well before the conflict between Hamas and Israel), showed that British Jews feel that the Labour Party is more than twice as tolerant of antisemitism than any other political party. Remarkably, compared to the previous year’s figures (polled while Mr Corbyn was still leader of the Party), Labour performed worse, with 88 percent of respondents considering that the Party was too tolerant of antisemitism under Sir Keir compared with 86 percent the year before under Mr Corbyn, perhaps due to disappointment caused by the evaporation of Sir Keir’s bold promises. At times, this sentiment has spilled into the open.
The Party now faces its next test at its annual conference. The contours of the Party’s internal struggle are clear, with Jewish Voice for Labour due to hold a fringe event; Labour Against the Witchhunt to hold parallel events; Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford scheduled to speak at a concurrent conference alongside Mr Corbyn and Mr Loach; pro-Corbyn members intending to push a motion to restore the whip to the former leader; and attendees due to be asked to approve mandatory changes to the Party’s disciplinary committee that almost one third of the Party’s ruling National Executive Committee nevertheless still thought fit to oppose.
Even if the leadership succeeds in redirecting the Party and recasting its rules, in the background is Labour’s vast membership, over two thirds of which believe that the problem of antisemitism in the Party has been “exaggerated” or that there is not a serious problem (findings similar to those in a poll conducted shortly after the 2019 General Election), and the Parliamentary Labour Party, too much of which remains populated by Mr Corbyn’s allies and acolytes, who hold similar views to him in relation to the Jewish community. The real challenge — to which our complaints speak — will be applying the new direction and rules to those in the Labour Party who supported or enabled the unlawful victimisation of Jewish people.
We continue to encourage the Labour Party in its positive steps and fulfilment of the Action Plan agreed with the EHRC, but we will also continue to pressure the Party on its failures and inconsistencies, and ultimately expect to see our complaints investigated and upheld so that the Jewish community gets justice.
Liberal Democrats
Whether as a result of their reduced size, lack of media interest or a genuine willingness to tackle antisemitism when it arises — and there is evidence of the latter — the Liberal Democrats appear to have performed rather well over the past year in relation to antisemitism in Britain. The Party has improved markedly since the days of David Ward and Jenny Tonge (who mercifully retired from the House of Lords, where she sat as an independent, earlier this year).
The Party has generally moved quickly to investigate allegations when they have arisen, and even dropped a prospective London mayoral candidate after her past comments emerged — although as the Party’s own leader admitted, questions remain about how she was permitted to stand in the first place.
However, the Party still has something of a blind spot regarding antisemitism abroad. For example, in a debate earlier this year on antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks, one of the Party’s veteran MPs appeared to imply that the issue does not really matter. Meanwhile, at its recent annual conference, the Party adopted a motion about the Middle East that made explicit reference to the Palestinian Authority’s and Hamas’s persecution of the “LGBT+ community and women” but, disappointingly, made no mention of their antisemitism. This was particularly concerning given the surge in antisemitism in Britain during the conflict between Hamas — which is an antisemitic genocidal terrorist group — and Israel earlier this year. The Party did condemn that antisemitism at the time.
We look forward to continuing to work with the Liberal Democrats over the coming year, both to build upon their improvements in dealing with domestic antisemitism and to engage them on the issue of anti-Jewish racism abroad.
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, made a great deal of its internal review into antisemitism, to which we made submissions. The review came following the devastating report into antisemitism in the Labour Party by the EHRC. However, for all the Plaid Cymru report’s worthy conclusions — including that the Party should update its definition of antisemitism to conform precisely to the International Definition of Antisemitism — the Party has taken no real steps at all to deal with its rather public antisemitism problem.
The report made recommendations to improve the Party’s disciplinary process, but these have yet to be implemented. Moreover, the Party showed no willingness to prevent a candidate from standing for election despite her disgraceful record. The Party has also repeatedly failed to update us on the states of complaints that we have submitted. The report and its recommendations are only as useful as the Party’s willingness to tackle the problem of anti-Jewish racism, and the Party’s actions in the months since the review was announced and published give cause for concern.
There is a conflict within the Party as to whether and how to tackle antisemitism. For example, former leader Leanne Wood appeared on Twitter to endorse the claim that antisemitism has been “exploited” to “smear” Jeremy Corbyn and to defend Rebecca Long-Bailey, who was sacked from Labour’s Shadow Cabinet after she promoted an article containing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Meanwhile, another former leader of Plaid Cymru, Lord Wigley, asserted that “it’s absolutely clear that Plaid Cymru cannot tolerate antisemitism or any other form or racism.”
Late last year, our Antisemitism Barometer surveyed whether British Jews felt that any political parties were too tolerant of antisemitism. Plaid Cymru saw the largest increase compared to the previous year, with a rise from 9% to 23%. Although this year’s figure is still lower than that for other major parties, given Plaid Cymru’s limited geographical focus compared to national parties and its lesser media exposure, the Party should take no comfort from this statistic.
We continue to work with allies within Plaid Cymru to improve the Party’s position on racism against Jews.
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Numerous SNP politicians have been revealed over the past year to have irresponsibly compared their political opponents to Nazis, which we have repeatedly called out, usually leading to apologies. Another MP has also made regrettable comments about antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks. Also this year, an SNP MP previously suspended from the Party over allegations of antisemitism and subsequently readmitted was selected to sit on the Party’s internal conduct committee (the MP has since left the Party for unrelated reasons).
The leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, recently sought to reassure the Jewish community that she “understood the community’s anxieties” and is “committed to tackling” antisemitism. It was therefore disappointing that she struck a deal with the Scottish Greens, despite their policies on certain sensitive issues for the Jewish community. Ms Sturgeon now finds herself under pressure over the arrangement.
However, there are also bright spots. The first local authority in Scotland to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism is the body controlled by the SNP, namely the Scottish Government. It is important, however, that Ms Sturgeon and the SNP — and indeed all parties — recognise that adoption of the Definition must be followed by its application in disciplinary cases, and that reassuring words must be accompanied by principled action against anti-Jewish racism.
We continue to monitor and cooperate with the SNP in tackling antisemitism in its ranks and within Scotland, where the SNP is the party of Government.
Summary
Joe Glasman, Head of Political Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “There is antisemitism in all political parties, be it expressed, enabled or ignored. But not all parties are equal offenders, with some improving over the years and others moving in the wrong direction. Others still try to tick boxes and say the right things but fail at times to take real action.
“Growing concerns about the Green Party notwithstanding, Labour remains the only major party with a problem of institutional racism, as confirmed by the EHRC following our referral. It is astonishing that, despite being the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation, the Labour Party is alone among national political parties in refusing to engage with us. Under its current leadership, Labour has taken welcome steps to tackle the Party’s racism, but progress has been slow and unsteady. This year’s annual conference could be make-or-break for the Party, with the Jewish community and all decent Britons watching to see what kind of party Labour wants to be.
“We will continue to monitor, expose and cooperate with all parties to educate on and stamp out antisemitism from our public life.”
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.
To download a PDF copy of this report, please click here.
Swastika graffiti discovered around Manistee, Michigan
Recently, swastika graffiti has been discovered around Manistee, Michigan.
After reports last week that swastikas were found painted on roads in Manistee’s Filer Township, a Manistee resident reported that similar graffiti was found in downtown Manistee.
Another resident, Rhonda Greene, stated that she discovered several swastikas downtown by Manistee’s Riverwalk. In an email, Ms Greene wrote: “My husband and I have removed multiple swastikas from the Riverwalk in the last few weeks. I have video of myself rubbing out one that was drawn in chalk near the U.S. 31 Bridge on 17th September, and we have also done the same on several other occasions at various points along the Riverwalk (and in the downtown district).”
Paul Bosschem also testified to witnessing the hateful symbol displayed around Manistee, stating: “I removed two of them at Veterans Memorial Park when I was power washing the stone and concrete. They were in chalk and came off with no problem. I just thought (it was) kids messing around. I did not report it to anyone.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Labour suspends Vice Chair of local party branch over remark about Sir Keir Starmer’s “Jewish wife”
According to a report, the Labour Party has suspended the Vice Chair of Walsall South Constituency Labour Party after he allegedly claimed that Labour is changing for the worse because Sir Keir Starmer’s “wife is Jewish”.
Nick Dodds has reportedly been put on administrative suspension pending investigation after the Party was alerted to his comments about Lady Starmer, who has largely maintained her privacy during her husband’s leadership of the Party.
Mr Dodds also allegedly claimed that Sir Keir was surrounded by too many Jewish advisors.
It is understood that Mr Dodds’ wife was the first to heckle Sir Keir during his keynote speech at Labour’s annual conference this week.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”
The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Far-right organisation Britain First becomes a political party once again
The far-right organisation Britain First has registered as a political party, it was revealed this week.
The Electoral Commission approved the group’s registration despite its reputation as a far-right organisation whose leaders have been convicted of, and imprisoned for, hate crimes. Britain First was previously registered as a political party but was deregistered in 2017 after failing to renew its registration on time.
In an email to its supporters, Britain First wrote: “This is a stupendous victory for the Britain First movement. Although our street activities will continue, this day marks the birth of Britain First as a traditional political party that will take the fight to the establishment through the ballot box.”
An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “The application to register Britain First as a political party has been approved. We assessed this application against the criteria set out in law, including consideration of public comments submitted to us. The party’s application met the legal criteria and the party has therefore been registered.”
In 2019, Facebook reportedly banned a number of far-right groups and individuals, including Britain First leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen.
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.
Driver’s attempt to run over Jews observing Sukkot prompts police investigation in Los Angeles
A driver’s alleged attempt to run over Jews observing the Jewish festival of Sukkot has prompted a police investigation, it was reported this week.
The reported incident took place last week at Congregation Shaarei Tefila, a synagogue in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. Magen Am, a security team who were working with the event, said that a man walking a dog appeared to be canvassing the area which made congregants feel uncomfortable. The security team immediately reported the individual to the Los Angeles Police Department. It was said that according to witnesses, the man threatened: “I’m a real Muslim. I’ll show you what real terrorism looks like!”
When approached by Magen Am, the individual reportedly made derogatory comments about Jews, which elevated the team’s suspicions. The man then “returned with his vehicle approximately twenty minutes later and attempted to run over Jews at the event”, and “slammed the gas to full throttle down an alley full of people”. It was said that “People had to jump out of the way or they would have been run over” and according to witnesses, it appeared as though the suspect tried to target a woman and her teenage daughter. The car reportedly then stopped before the metal gates and screamed “F**k the Jews” before fleeing the scene.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Image credit: Google
Roundup of antisemitism news from Labour Conference as Sir Keir Starmer defends backing antisemite Jeremy Corbyn “100%”, saying any Labour government is better than the alternative
On antisemitism, this year’s Labour Party conference has exemplified the tension between public relations and substance and continues to raise questions about how and why the Party’s leadership is tackling the issue. Sir Keir Starmer’s follow-up comment this morning defending his backing of the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn by arguing that a Labour government is better than the alternative is a case in point.
Asked about his effort to de-Corbynise the Labour Party, Nick Robinson asked Sir Keir on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning about a comment that he made during the 2019 General Election backing Mr Corbyn “100%”. Mr Robinson observed to Sir Keir that “you presented to the country with something that was not a plan for serious government…and not a man who was a serious candidate to be Prime Minister.”
Sir Keir responded, saying: “I am a member of the Labour Party and a Labour MP and like every member of the Labour Party and every MP we support a Labour Government. A Labour Government is always better than the alternative. And all of us supported a Labour Government at the last election, and quite right too.”
Sir Keir conveniently omitted that numerous Labour politicians of principle had by that point left the Party in disgust at its institutional racism and in solidarity with their Jewish peers who had been hounded out of the Party under Mr Corbyn’s leadership. Although Mr Robinson’s question was not specifically about antisemitism, Sir Keir mentioned earlier in the interview that antisemitism was one of the reasons that the electorate did not consider Labour under Mr Corbyn fit for government, and Sir Keir’s infamous “100%” backing for Mr Corbyn was never diluted by Mr Corbyn’s or Labour’s racism.
Sir Keir has now explained why he backed a Corbyn government while others left: because loyalty to party trumps fighting racism.
The comment comes the morning after the conclusion of Labour’s annual conference, in which Sir Keir claimed repeatedly to have “closed the door” on antisemites in the Party and on Labour’s “shameful chapter”, even though there was plenty of evidence that this was not remotely the case, with fears for the safety of Jewish attendees and Jewish former Labour MP Ruth Smeeth stating that “this is my 22nd Labour conference, and yet I feel sick about the idea of being in Brighton, knowing I will be a target for yet more racist abuse”; reports of expelled members permitted access to the conference; a speaker who has allegedly promoted Rothschild conspiracy theories invited to address the main conference hall; another outrageous fringe event hosted by the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour; and Labour backbencher and one-time member of Sir Keir’s Shadow Cabinet, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, apparently complaining that Labour members were being “purged or set up with false allegations”.
In addition, illustrating the persistence of a particular mindset that continues to strain the Party’s relations with the Jewish community, delegates approved a provocative motion using extremely inflammatory language about the Jewish state that was proposed by the controversial faction Young Labour. Sir Keir and Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy tried to distance themselves from the motion.
Then there was Mr Corbyn himself, who reportedly still refused at the conference to apologise for the comments that got him briefly suspended from the Labour Party and indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), while apparently continuing to bring other MPs down with him, with longtime ally, Andy McDonald MP coming under fire for appearing alongside him at a conference event. Mr McDonald subsequently quit the Shadow Cabinet, ostensibly over a policy issue.
Sir Keir apparently reiterated that Mr Corbyn needs to apologise to be permitted to rejoin the PLP (and new rules may mean that Mr Corbyn may never otherwise become a Labour MP again), but the charade of his concurrent membership of the Labour Party and exclusion from the PLP is a constant reminder of how broken Labour’s disciplinary process is. Is it tenable to argue that Mr Corbyn’s offenses are at once so great as to exclude him from the PLP but not so great as to prevent his membership of the Party? Is Labour’s message to be that racists are welcome in the Party but simply not as its public face?
It is that tension between public relations and substance that has become a theme of this year’s Labour Party conference.
Certainly, there were some welcome steps, such as the introduction of a semi-independent disciplinary process, as mandated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) after it found Labour to be institutionally racist toward Jewish people following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant. Yet although this change was legally required, over a quarter of those attending the Labour conference voted against it (as did eight members of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee in the days preceding the conference) and some affiliated groups (such as the second-largest union, Unite) abstained. Evidently, for them loyalty to their version of Labour trumps not only fighting racism but also the law.
But Sir Keir’s claim to have “closed the door” on antisemitism in the Labour Party is not only absurd but a worrying insight into how he views the problem. At the beginning of the conference, Sir Keir heralded the new disciplinary process as “a major step forward in our efforts to face the public and win the next general election” (because he recognises, as he told BBC Four’s Today programme this morning, that antisemitism was one of the reasons Labour lost the election in 2019), rather than as a sadly necessary means of delivering justice for Britain’s Jews because his Party was found to have been so grotesquely racist as to have broken the law.
Later, at the end of the conference, he delighted in Dame Louise Ellman’s return to the Party — announcing at the beginning of his keynote speech, “welcome home Louise” to an ovation (and some hissing) — but that was the only nod to antisemitism in his entire address.
Sir Keir will have to show that he sees fighting Labour antisemitism as more than just a public relations stunt necessary to win elections.
Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Sir Keir Starmer believes that he has closed the door on the shameful chapter of Labour antisemitism, but he is worryingly mistaken. Far from being the end of the matter, approving a semi-independent disciplinary process, as required by law, is merely the beginning of the real challenge of purging racists and their enablers from his Party and delivering justice for the Jewish community. That means implementing that new process, investigating our complaints against Jeremy Corbyn, Angela Rayner and others, and encouraging a major culture change in a Party that, as this conference has shown once again, remains obsessed with Jews and the Jewish state.
“It also means Sir Keir himself admitting that the period of Mr Corbyn’s leadership, which he actively supported, were inimical to his Party’s ideals. In this respect, his claim on Today that a Labour government led by an antisemite is ‘better than the alternative’ is not encouraging.
“Just as Dame Louise Ellman left the Party years after its antisemitism had taken institutional root, so the remedial process, if undertaken in good faith, will take years after her return to run its course, as she herself acknowledges.
“Above all, waging a public relations campaign and actually fighting antisemitism are two different things. Sir Keir has spent the last several days showcasing his ability to do the former, but he cannot pull the wool over the eyes of Britain’s Jews. He will be judged over whether he really reforms the Labour Party and delivers justice for the Jewish community.”
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, including Angela Rayner. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.
The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Ukraine bans “antisemitism and its manifestations”
The Ukrainian Parliament passed a law last week which bans “antisemitism and its manifestations”.
The Law on Prevention and Counteraction to Antisemitism in Ukraine defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, expressed as hatred of Jews”.
283 lawmakers out of 450 voted to pass the law, though it must be signed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who is himself Jewish. However, the punishment for breaking this law has not been specified.
In August, pig skulls were used to desecrate the grave of Rabbi Nachman’s daughter in Kremenchuk. In June, a synagogue in Kremenchuk was found with bullet holes after being reportedly shot at.
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.
“No Jew Jab for Oz” graffiti sprayed on IKEA store in Melbourne
Antisemitic graffiti has been discovered spray-painted on an IKEA store in Melbourne, Australia.
The shop, located in the suburb of Richmond, was reportedly defaced last Thursday with the words “No Jew Jab for Oz” and, on another wall, “No Jew Jab”.
It was noticed by a Jewish woman who reported the vandalism to Victoria Police. Richmond Council painted over the graffiti.
The Anti-Defamation Commission observed the “poisonous alliance” between anti-vaccination networks and antisemitic groups that are “feeding off each other’s conspiracy theories and wacky narratives.”
Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Image credit: Anti-Defamation Commission
Dame Louise Ellman is first Labour exile to rejoin Labour but warns “there remains a great deal more to do to tackle antisemitism” in the Party
Dame Louise Ellman, the last Jewish MP to have quit the Labour Party over antisemitism, has today announced that she is the first to rejoin.
Dame Louise resigned from Labour in October 2019, shortly before the General Election, after 55 years of membership, asserting that “Jeremy Corbyn is not fit to be Prime Minister” because he “spent three decades on the backbenches consorting with, and never confronting antisemites, Holocaust deniers and terrorists”, saying that he has “attracted the support of too many antisemites”.
She said that she made her “agonising” decision because “The Labour Party is no longer a safe place for Jews and Jeremy Corbyn must bear responsibility for this.” She warned: “We cannot allow him to do to the country what he has done to the Labour Party.”
Dame Louise was the last of several courageous MPs to be hounded out of the Party or leave the Party in disgust at its institutional racism, which was later affirmed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant.
In a statement today, Dame Louise said that she is returning to her “political home” because she is “confident that, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, the Party is once again led by a man of principle” who has “shown a willingness to confront both the anti-Jewish racists and the toxic culture which allowed antisemitism to flourish.”
However, Dame Louise warned that “there remains a great deal more to do to tackle antisemitism in the Party,” and said that she recognises that many others will not feel ready or willing to rejoin.
Yesterday, Labour’s annual conference approved the introduction of a semi-independent disciplinary process, as mandated by the EHRC, but with less than 75% support, showing that there is still considerable resistance within the Party’s membership to addressing its racism.
Indeed, only recently Dame Louise’s successor as MP for Liverpool Riverside, Kim Johnson, denied that Dame Louise had been hounded out of the Party at all, seemingly still denying the scale of the problem.
The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Madrid adopts International Definition of Antisemitism
The Madrid Assembly, the local Parliament of Spain’s main region, adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism on Friday.
The Assembly also demanded that Spain’s national Parliament adopt legislation that would prevent it from giving any grant or public aid to entities that breach the Definition.
It was reported that Spain adopted the Definition last year. Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street.
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.
Controversial activist Ghada Karmi accused Sir Keir Starmer of ‘weaponising antisemitism’ at Hackney Labour meeting
The outspoken activist Ghada Karmi has reportedly accused Sir Keir Starmer of “weaponising antisemitism”.
Dr Karmi is a former medical doctor and now a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. She is a perpetual presence on the anti-Israel lecturing circuit in Britain and has a history of making antisemitic statements.
She was the keynote speaker at a meeting last Thursday of the Hackney North Labour Party and accused Sir Keir of using the “label of antisemitism as a weapon”. She further described allegations of antisemitism as a “smear accusation” which was being used as a “weapon” to suspend and expel members of the Labour Party.
The chair of the meeting, Sue Millman, reportedly cut Dr Karmi’s inflammatory address short, saying: “I know and respect your academic credentials, but as you know there are many sensitive issues within the Labour Party at this time. Some of your remarks have been extremely controversial. We have been very careful within this party, that we don’t allow ourselves to become riven over this matter. We have many, many Jewish members of all persuasions. Specifically, because it wasn’t the sort of talk we were expecting we need to draw it to a conclusion now. I really feel we can’t continue.”
Dr Karmi reportedly insisted that those who criticised Israel became “the victims of what I can only call a witch-hunt”, an example of the antisemitic ‘Livingstone Formulation’, by which allegations of antisemitism are dismissed as malevolent and baseless attempts to silence criticism of Israel.
In its report on Labour antisemitism, the Equality of Human Rights Commission (EHRC) determined that such denials of antisemitism were part of the unlawful victimisation of Jewish people by the Labour Party. The report following a statutory investigation by the EHRC in which we were the complainant.
Dr Karmi challenged the International Definition of Antisemitism in her speech and also made inflammatory remarks about Israel.
The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
Sacked Eton teacher shares interview with author who claimed “Jews were always behind pornography”
A former teacher at Eton College has shared an interview he conducted with an author who claimed that “Jews were always behind pornography”.
Will Knowland, who was reportedly sacked from his position as an English teacher at the prestigious school last year after accusations of sexism were raised against him, shared an interview online in which his guest was a controversial author.
During the interview, the topic of which was pornography and its place in society, author Dr E Michael Jones made several inflammatory remarks. At one point, Dr Jones says: “If you’re talking about, concretely, the rise of pornography in the twentieth century, you have to talk about Hollywood, and you have to talk about the Jews. The Jews were always behind pornography.”
Later in the interview, when Mr Knowland quizzed the author on whether pornography could exist as an expression of free speech, Dr Jones reportedly said: “It’s not part of free speech, no one ever said that dirty pictures were part of free speech, but that’s what the Jews did over this period of time.” He allegedly also called the ADL, an American Jewish organisation, “the SS of the Jewish Gestapo”.
According to the ADL, Dr Jones is “an antisemitic Catholic writer who promotes the view that Jews are dedicated to propagating and perpetrating attacks on the Catholic Church and moral standards, social stability, and political order throughout the world”. The group adds that he “portrays the Jewish religion as inherently treacherous and belligerent towards Christianity” and that he “describes Jews as ‘outlaws and subversives [who use] religion as a cover for social revolution,’ and claims that Judaism possesses ‘a particularly malignant spirit’.”
In 2008, Mr Jones defended the use of the terms “the synagogue of Satan” and “the vomit of Judaism”, stressing that they originate from religious sources.
Mr Knowland reportedly defended the interview yesterday, stating that “Clearly many Jews are aghast at pornography, but suppressing discussion is not healthy. Accordingly, Jewish involvement in pornography has been discussed in the Jewish Quarterly. If Dr E Michael Jones is mistaken in his views, giving them a platform is the best way to expose those mistakes.”
Mr Jones has denied all accusations of antisemitism.
Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.
JVL co-Chair expelled from Labour Party as antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation hosts yet another outrageous event at Labour conference
The co-Chair of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, has been expelled from the Labour Party and thrown out of its annual conference, where JVL was hosting yet another outrageous event.
JVL claimed that Leah Levane was expelled “because she rightly said the Party has been cynically abusing antisemitism issues not to protect Jews but to make Labour a socialist free zone”.
In reality, Ms Levane was more likely expelled for her association with Labour Against the Witchhunt, an antisemitism-denial group that has been proscribed by the Labour Party. Ms Levane is a councillor at Hastings Borough Council, where she was reportedly the only councillor present at a vote to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism to abstain. In 2017, Ms Levane reportedly commented on Facebook on an item titled “Austria’s neo-Nazis find friends in Israel”, writing that it was “not surprising”. She also claimed online: “Jews are often agents rather than instigators of exploitation.”
JVL hosted a fringe event over the weekend at Labour’s annual conference. In the past, its events have attracted controversy. This year’s event – titled “Labour in Crisis – Tackling Racism in the Party” – came after numerous JVL members have found themselves threatened with expulsion from the Party.
The event welcomed numerous former Labour members who have been expelled from the Party, including the antisemites Jackie Walker and Tony Greenstein. The Party has claimed that it cannot prevent expelled members from attending fringe events, which, as one journalist rightly put it, “makes a mockery of claims in the Party’s own guide.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism recently bankrupted Mr Greenstein after his defamation lawsuit against us humiliatingly backfired.
Although the Party supposedly cannot prevent expelled members from attending fringe events, it does not mean that the Party cannot sanction those who shared a platform with such individuals, as per Sir Keir Starmer’s (poorly fulfilled) leadership election pledge. For example, the former Shadow Chancellor and current backbench MP John McDonnell attended the event.
Meanwhile, journalist Theo Usherwood was ejected from the event (before apparently being permitted re-entry), as was the Jewish activist David Collier.
Elsewhere, the pro-Corbyn MP and controversial former Shadow Minister, Dawn Butler, was also apparently seen wearing a JVL badge, while Andy McDonald, the Shadow Employment Rights Secretary, is reportedly due to host an event with the suspended Labour MP and antisemite Jeremy Corbyn in support of a Unite campaign.
Labour’s annual conference continues in Brighton until Wednesday.
The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
UPDATE: JVL has reportedly apologised “unreservedly” after LBC’s political editor Theo Usherwood was allegedly assaulted. Mr Usherwood accused Mr Greenstein of assaulting him and that the crowd had applauded when he was forcibly ejected from the room, before later being permitted re-entry.
Antisemitism is being spread through video games, research shows
According to BBC Click, antisemitism and other forms of hate, including racism towards other groups and homophobia, is being spread through video games.
Examples of such hate were found on the streaming platforms DLive and Odysee where players can stream themselves playing games like Call of Duty, Roblox and Minecraft whilst chatting with other users.
In Minecraft, an adventure game where users can build and create new environments, it was discovered that a user had built a Nazi concentration camp. It was also reported that in the game Roblox, a user had invited other users into a driving game where they could “become a racist” by running over and killing non-white characters.
A spokesperson for Minecraft said: “Terrorist or violent extremist content is strictly forbidden by our community standards and we take action to remove such content if it appears on our systems.”
Roblox spokespeople similarly condemned such actions, stating: “We work relentlessly to ensure our platform remains a safe and civil space, and with a combination of machine learning and a team of over 2,000 moderators, we monitor for safety 24-7 to detect and swiftly act on any inappropriate content or behaviour.” A spokesperson for Call of Duty said: “The actions we have taken to confront racist behaviour include banning players for racist and hate-oriented names, implementing new technology and making it easier for players to report offensive in-game behaviour.”
It was also said that these conversations can then move onto the social media platform, Telegram. In March, we reported that the far-right group Patriotic Alternative was using Telegram to create neo-Nazi channels dedicated to share vile messages, antisemitic conspiracy theories and images glorifying Hitler.
Over a quarter of Labour conference votes against new semi-independent disciplinary process mandated by EHRC as Sir Keir Starmer absurdly claims vote “closed the door on shameful chapter”
Over a quarter of attendees at the Labour Party’s annual conference voted this weekend against the introduction of a new semi-independent disciplinary process.
The changes are required by the Party’s Action Plan, agreed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which found Labour to be institutionally racist toward Jewish people following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant.
Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee recently endorsed the changes, albeit with eight members voting against and eighteen in favour. Together with the conference vote, it is clear that the Labour Party remains divided on whether to tackle antisemitism in its ranks.
The pro-Corbyn Momentum faction reportedly instructed its delegates to vote against the changes at the Party’s annual conference, which has been marred by the prospect of Jewish delegates being heckled and high-profile Jewish figures being offered security.
Although the passage of the vote was welcome, Sir Keir Starmer absurdly responded by tweeting that “This is a decisive and important day in the history of @UKLabour. By implementing the EHRC rule changes, we’ve closed the door on a shameful chapter in our history. And we have taken a major step forward in our efforts to face the public and win the next general election.”
It is apparently lost on the Labour leader that the introduction of a new disciplinary process is only the beginning, as the new process must now actually be implemented, with outstanding and any new allegations of antisemitism investigated and appropriate sanctions applied. Otherwise, this is nothing more than an exercise in public relations. Sir Keir’s suggestion – in the same breadth – that this is merely “a major step forward in our efforts to face the public and win the next general election” is not encouraging. Tackling racism should not be about winning elections but about doing the right thing.
Joe Glasman, Head of Political Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We welcome the long overdue overhaul of Labour’s disciplinary process, which is at the heart of the Party’s institutional antisemitism. But the devil will be in the implementation, and we will be watching closely to see whether and how Labour investigates our outstanding complaints against numerous sitting MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn and Angela Rayner, under the new process. With over a quarter of conference attendees voting against these changes to Labour’s rules, even though they are mandated by the EHRC, this weekend’s vote shows that these changes are not a silver bullet. Labour members, even today, remain bitterly divided over whether or not Jews should be welcome in their Party.”
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, including Angela Rayner. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.
The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
CAA report: Britain’s political parties and antisemitism
Today, during party conference season, Campaign Against Antisemitism releases its review of the state of Britain’s major political parties vis-a-vis antisemitism, with particular focus on relevant developments over the past twelve months.
This review of the parties (ordered alphabetically) supplements our ongoing Antisemitism in Political Parties monitoring project, which documents specific cases of antisemitic conduct and how the parties have addressed them.
These findings are based not only on publicly available information but also on our own investigations and dealings with the parties (where those dealings have not been on a confidential basis), except in the case of the Labour Party, which is the only party that refuses to engage with us.
To download a PDF copy of this report, please click here.
Conservative and Unionist Party
There have been a number of cases over the past year where the Conservatives have sought to kick allegations of antisemitism into the long grass, promising investigations and then conducting them in secret, if at all, over long periods, seemingly in the hope that the problem is forgotten and enabling the Party to issue a mere slap on the wrist to the parliamentarians or councillors in question. We at Campaign Against Antisemitism do not forget, however, and we continue to call out the Conservatives over these failures.
Beyond the disciplinary processes themselves, concerns have been raised over the past year in relation to the use of certain tropes about ‘elites’ which, while not inherently antisemitic, have been used to stoke anti-Jewish sentiment within far-right circles in Britain, Europe and the United States. We continue to urge Conservative politicians to employ responsible language and make the context of their views clear to listeners, so that their remarks cannot be construed or misunderstood as endorsements of far-right positions.
At times, there can also be a mismatch between the national Party and local branches, with, for example, ministers repeatedly calling for local authorities to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism but Conservative-led local councils falling behind in doing so.
Shortcomings notwithstanding, the Conservatives – both in their capacity as the party of Government and among backbenchers in Parliament – have been at the forefront of the fight against antisemitism in Britain and abroad, including being the first national government in the world to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism and threatening the funding of local authorities and universities that do not adopt it, as well as proscribing the neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation Hizballah, both following urging by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.
We continue to work with the Government to advance the security of the Jewish community and to call out shortcomings in the Conservative Party.
Green Party of England and Wales and Scottish Greens
The Green Party is the only major political party in England and Wales not to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism, and its sister branch in Scotland, the Scottish Greens, is likewise the only political party not to have done so north of the border. While the Green Party’s outgoing leaders have supported its adoption, both in private conservations with Campaign Against Antisemitism and in their capacity as local councillors in London (where both their councils have adopted the Definition), the membership as a whole has failed to endorse the measure at a Party conference, as is required under Party rules.
While we continue to hold discussions with the Party’s leadership, its disciplinary structures are amateurish and utterly deficient. It has minimal professional infrastructure and, unlike in other major parties, its members retain considerable control over policy. Its constitution has failed to keep up with the Party’s electoral rise. One symptom is the failure to adopt the Definition; another is the Party’s woeful disciplinary process, which we have experienced firsthand. We have submitted numerous complaints to the Party over officeholders and candidates, only to find that the complaints are ignored for long periods of time and then adjudicated against arbitrary standards or dismissed for novel constitutional reasons. The effect is that the Party has failed to take any real action against prominent members who have expressed antisemitic sentiments, including the Party’s recent Equalities and Diversity Coordinator who now holds the International Coordinator portfolio. Finding redress for racism against Jews in the Green Party is thus extremely difficult, and all the more worrying as the Party is also particularly vulnerable as a possible destination for far-left Labour members expelled over antisemitism.
These shortcomings do not go unnoticed by the Jewish community. Our Antisemitism Barometer survey of British Jews late last year found that the Greens were second only to Labour in how many respondents felt that the Party was too tolerant of antisemitism (43%).
The Greens are currently holding a leadership election, with candidates taking different positions on whether and how to fight antisemitism in the Party. We continue to monitor this primary with interest, but we are mindful that unless the Party’s internal procedures change, it may have a problem ever winning the trust of the Jewish community.
In Scotland, the Scottish Greens hold more expressly virulent positions which we have publicised. In 2015, the Party adopted a motion, which has never been rescinded, condemning “Israel’s claim to be ‘the Jewish State’” and “Zionism as a racist ideology.” According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.
The motion also committed the Party to opposing “Aliyah” (Jewish immigration to Israel, including by British Jews) and Israel’s Law of Return, the Jewish state’s answer to centuries of persecution of diaspora Jewry. The motion further called for the removal of Hamas, an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation, from its designation by the British Government as a terrorist organisation, and supported the BDS movement — the campaign to boycott the Jewish state — the tactics of which an overwhelming majority of British Jews find intimidating.
The debate on this motion was held on a Saturday, when observant Jews would be unable to participate, and it passed easily. It became Party policy and remains so even as the Scottish Greens recently joined the Scottish devolved Government for the first time. Indeed, it is the first time that a Green Party has joined any Government in the United Kingdom. We remain deeply concerned about these policies of the Scottish Greens and call for the Party to rescind them immediately in order to reassure the Jewish community of its good faith.
Labour Party
The Labour Party is the only political party to have been found to be institutionally racist against Jewish people by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), following a statutory investigation in which we were the complainant. It is thus in a category of its own when it comes to assessing its record on racism against Jews over the past year.
The Parliamentary Labour Party and Shadow Cabinet comprise politicians who either actively supported an antisemitic leader — and Sir Keir Starmer himself is on record as having given his “100% backing” to Jeremy Corbyn — and those who did nothing as their principled and courageous colleagues quit the Party or, in the case of several Jewish MPs, were hounded out of it. Winning back the trust of the Jewish community — which, historically, has been very supportive of the Party that recently betrayed it — was always therefore going to take real and compelling action.
There have been examples of such action over the past year, including Mr Corbyn’s ongoing suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party (even as his suspension from the Labour Party was disgracefully short-lived and he is now eligible to attend the Party’s annual conference); proclamations by Labour’s General-Secretary to Constituency Labour Parties to avoid discussing antisemitism; the proscription of the antisemitism-denial group Labour Against the Witchhunt and the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson’s so-called “Resist” faction, with all of their members threatened with automatic expulsion from the Party; the expulsion of Ken Loach; the ruling National Executive Committee’s (NEC) resolution to introduce (subject to approval at Labour’s annual conference) a semi-independent disciplinary process; and, at the local level, the good record of Labour-controlled local authorities of adopting the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Nevertheless, positive steps have been slow, incremental and at times undermined by contradictory maneuvers. For example, Mr Corbyn’s suspension from the Labour Party was inexplicably lifted using precisely the disciplinary process that the EHRC had just ruled was unfit for purpose; numerous MPs and officeholders have not been sanctioned for sharing platforms with members suspended or expelled over antisemitism, despite Sir Keir’s leadership election pledge to do so; and disciplinary actions in other high-profile cases have been reversed, the disciplinary process remains a mess and, when first published, Labour’s proposed complaints handbook was a joke. Furthermore, the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour, has not yet been proscribed. Neither, for that matter has the pro-Corbyn Momentum faction, whose co-Chair denied that a Jewish MP was hounded out of the Party, while Young Labour’s controversies are ignored and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which a past investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism found was riddled with bigotry, has been positively welcomed by the Party.
Moreover, the goodwill and trust between Labour and the Jewish community that did build up in the months since Sir Keir won the leadership of the Party was wasted during the conflict between Hamas and Israel, when Labour MPs and councillors, though not alone, were too often involved in stoking communal division, ignoring displays of antisemitism at rallies and on some occasions even joining in with them.
We have also lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if our 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, including Deputy Leader Angela Rayner. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and indeed there have been reports that our complaint against Ms Rayner has been dismissed without so much as an acknowledgement (contrary to the Party’s new complaints handling policy), let alone an investigation.
Not only have our complaints not been acknowledged almost one year since they were submitted, but Sir Keir has also repeatedly refused to engage with us, despite our being the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation into antisemitism in his Party. Indeed, Labour is the only major political party that has not been willing to work with us when approached.
All of this has been noted by the Jewish community. Our latest Antisemitism Barometer, published at the start of the year (with polling conducted after Mr Corbyn’s suspension and well before the conflict between Hamas and Israel), showed that British Jews feel that the Labour Party is more than twice as tolerant of antisemitism than any other political party. Remarkably, compared to the previous year’s figures (polled while Mr Corbyn was still leader of the Party), Labour performed worse, with 88 percent of respondents considering that the Party was too tolerant of antisemitism under Sir Keir compared with 86 percent the year before under Mr Corbyn, perhaps due to disappointment caused by the evaporation of Sir Keir’s bold promises. At times, this sentiment has spilled into the open.
The Party now faces its next test at its annual conference. The contours of the Party’s internal struggle are clear, with Jewish Voice for Labour due to hold a fringe event; Labour Against the Witchhunt to hold parallel events; Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford scheduled to speak at a concurrent conference alongside Mr Corbyn and Mr Loach; pro-Corbyn members intending to push a motion to restore the whip to the former leader; and attendees due to be asked to approve mandatory changes to the Party’s disciplinary committee that almost one third of the Party’s ruling National Executive Committee nevertheless still thought fit to oppose.
Even if the leadership succeeds in redirecting the Party and recasting its rules, in the background is Labour’s vast membership, over two thirds of which believe that the problem of antisemitism in the Party has been “exaggerated” or that there is not a serious problem (findings similar to those in a poll conducted shortly after the 2019 General Election), and the Parliamentary Labour Party, too much of which remains populated by Mr Corbyn’s allies and acolytes, who hold similar views to him in relation to the Jewish community. The real challenge — to which our complaints speak — will be applying the new direction and rules to those in the Labour Party who supported or enabled the unlawful victimisation of Jewish people.
We continue to encourage the Labour Party in its positive steps and fulfilment of the Action Plan agreed with the EHRC, but we will also continue to pressure the Party on its failures and inconsistencies, and ultimately expect to see our complaints investigated and upheld so that the Jewish community gets justice.
Liberal Democrats
Whether as a result of their reduced size, lack of media interest or a genuine willingness to tackle antisemitism when it arises — and there is evidence of the latter — the Liberal Democrats appear to have performed rather well over the past year in relation to antisemitism in Britain. The Party has improved markedly since the days of David Ward and Jenny Tonge (who mercifully retired from the House of Lords, where she sat as an independent, earlier this year).
The Party has generally moved quickly to investigate allegations when they have arisen, and even dropped a prospective London mayoral candidate after her past comments emerged — although as the Party’s own leader admitted, questions remain about how she was permitted to stand in the first place.
However, the Party still has something of a blind spot regarding antisemitism abroad. For example, in a debate earlier this year on antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks, one of the Party’s veteran MPs appeared to imply that the issue does not really matter. Meanwhile, at its recent annual conference, the Party adopted a motion about the Middle East that made explicit reference to the Palestinian Authority’s and Hamas’s persecution of the “LGBT+ community and women” but, disappointingly, made no mention of their antisemitism. This was particularly concerning given the surge in antisemitism in Britain during the conflict between Hamas — which is an antisemitic genocidal terrorist group — and Israel earlier this year. The Party did condemn that antisemitism at the time.
We look forward to continuing to work with the Liberal Democrats over the coming year, both to build upon their improvements in dealing with domestic antisemitism and to engage them on the issue of anti-Jewish racism abroad.
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, made a great deal of its internal review into antisemitism, to which we made submissions. The review came following the devastating report into antisemitism in the Labour Party by the EHRC. However, for all the Plaid Cymru report’s worthy conclusions — including that the Party should update its definition of antisemitism to conform precisely to the International Definition of Antisemitism — the Party has taken no real steps at all to deal with its rather public antisemitism problem.
The report made recommendations to improve the Party’s disciplinary process, but these have yet to be implemented. Moreover, the Party showed no willingness to prevent a candidate from standing for election despite her disgraceful record. The Party has also repeatedly failed to update us on the states of complaints that we have submitted. The report and its recommendations are only as useful as the Party’s willingness to tackle the problem of anti-Jewish racism, and the Party’s actions in the months since the review was announced and published give cause for concern.
There is a conflict within the Party as to whether and how to tackle antisemitism. For example, former leader Leanne Wood appeared on Twitter to endorse the claim that antisemitism has been “exploited” to “smear” Jeremy Corbyn and to defend Rebecca Long-Bailey, who was sacked from Labour’s Shadow Cabinet after she promoted an article containing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Meanwhile, another former leader of Plaid Cymru, Lord Wigley, asserted that “it’s absolutely clear that Plaid Cymru cannot tolerate antisemitism or any other form or racism.”
Late last year, our Antisemitism Barometer surveyed whether British Jews felt that any political parties were too tolerant of antisemitism. Plaid Cymru saw the largest increase compared to the previous year, with a rise from 9% to 23%. Although this year’s figure is still lower than that for other major parties, given Plaid Cymru’s limited geographical focus compared to national parties and its lesser media exposure, the Party should take no comfort from this statistic.
We continue to work with allies within Plaid Cymru to improve the Party’s position on racism against Jews.
Scottish National Party (SNP)
Numerous SNP politicians have been revealed over the past year to have irresponsibly compared their political opponents to Nazis, which we have repeatedly called out, usually leading to apologies. Another MP has also made regrettable comments about antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks. Also this year, an SNP MP previously suspended from the Party over allegations of antisemitism and subsequently readmitted was selected to sit on the Party’s internal conduct committee (the MP has since left the Party for unrelated reasons).
The leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, recently sought to reassure the Jewish community that she “understood the community’s anxieties” and is “committed to tackling” antisemitism. It was therefore disappointing that she struck a deal with the Scottish Greens, despite their policies on certain sensitive issues for the Jewish community. Ms Sturgeon now finds herself under pressure over the arrangement.
However, there are also bright spots. The first local authority in Scotland to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism is the body controlled by the SNP, namely the Scottish Government. It is important, however, that Ms Sturgeon and the SNP — and indeed all parties — recognise that adoption of the Definition must be followed by its application in disciplinary cases, and that reassuring words must be accompanied by principled action against anti-Jewish racism.
We continue to monitor and cooperate with the SNP in tackling antisemitism in its ranks and within Scotland, where the SNP is the party of Government.
Summary
Joe Glasman, Head of Political Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “There is antisemitism in all political parties, be it expressed, enabled or ignored. But not all parties are equal offenders, with some improving over the years and others moving in the wrong direction. Others still try to tick boxes and say the right things but fail at times to take real action.
“Growing concerns about the Green Party notwithstanding, Labour remains the only major party with a problem of institutional racism, as confirmed by the EHRC following our referral. It is astonishing that, despite being the complainant in the EHRC’s investigation, the Labour Party is alone among national political parties in refusing to engage with us. Under its current leadership, Labour has taken welcome steps to tackle the Party’s racism, but progress has been slow and unsteady. This year’s annual conference could be make-or-break for the Party, with the Jewish community and all decent Britons watching to see what kind of party Labour wants to be.
“We will continue to monitor, expose and cooperate with all parties to educate on and stamp out antisemitism from our public life.”
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.
To download a PDF copy of this report, please click here.
Jewish delegates warned they may face heckling at Labour Party conference as antisemitism-deniers out in force
Jewish delegates have reportedly been warned that they may face heckling at this year’s Labour Party conference, which begins this weekend.
The reports are particularly concerning given what has transpired at recent Labour conferences, for example in 2017 the historicity of the Holocaust appeared to be up for debate, in 2018 a Jewish Labour MP needed police protection, and in 2019 antisemitic posters and pamphlets were displayed and distributed. There was no physical conference in 2020 due to the pandemic.
It is understood that veteran Jewish Labour MP Margaret Hodge has also been offered security advice by the Party, and additional protection has been offered to those who may need it.
Tension is building around a vote to approve a new semi-independent disciplinary process, which Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee recently endorsed (albeit with eight members voting against and eighteen in favour). The pro-Corbyn Momentum faction has apparently instructed its delegates to vote against the changes, even though they are legally mandatory as part of the Labour’s Action Plan agreed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which found the Party to be institutionally racist toward Jewish people following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant.
There are also reports that some attendees have been distributing leaflets about the “exaggerated claims on antisemitism” at entrances to the Brighton Centre, where the conference is taking place. Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that those who deny the scope of antisemitism in the Labour Party are part of the problem, and Jeremy Corbyn was briefly suspended from the Party for making similar claims.
There are also more positive reports emerging from the conference, however, confirming the internal divisions in the Party membership which have grown increasingly evident in recent months. One example came this weekend when Labour’s General Secretary, David Evans, a close ally of Sir Keir, asked delegates why they joined the Labour Party, only to be heckled with chants of “Oh Jeremy Corbyn”. He was nevertheless confirmed to his role in a vote of 59 percent to 41 percent.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The only thing more outrageous than the prospect of Jewish delegates facing heckles and possibly requiring security at Labour’s annual conference is that there is not more outrage about it. If any other ethnic or religious minority faced such treatment by the membership of a major political party in Britain, the media and police would give it the utmost attention. It is a testament to how far we have sunk as a nation that we have become so de-sensitised to antisemitism in the Labour Party that this news barely registers.”
The Labour Party was found by the EHRC to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
“Hitler forgot to exterminate you”: French courts give defendants convicted of antisemitic harassment suspended sentences
The French courts have given eight defendants who have been convicted of antisemitic harassment a two-month suspended prison sentence.
April Benayoum, who won the title of Miss Provence 2020 and was the runner-up in the Miss France 2021 contest, received antisemitic abuse online after it was revealed that her father was Israeli, including one tweet which read: “Hitler forgot to exterminate you, Miss Provence.”
It was reported that on Wednesday at Paris Criminal Court, most of the defendants appeared to show remorse for their actions. Ahmet I., one of the defendants, reportedly said: “I am ashamed to be here, to be seen as an antisemite or a racist. I apologise to Ms. Benayoum for having made remarks like that.” Another defendant, Rayanne M., allegedly said that he was “ashamed that people have this image of me as an antisemite.”
Mr Benayoum said that she accepted their apologies, but added that “Forgiving will be more difficult, this is something that hurt me a lot and spoiled an exceptional adventure.”
Mr Benayoum reportedly received an outpouring of support, including from the French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, who said that he was “deeply shocked by the shower of antisemitic insults against Miss Provence”, adding: “Shame on their authors.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Image credit: The Algemeiner Journal via Twitter
Jim Curran, who has history of involvement in controversial conspiracy group, protests Puma with sign reading “Gaza is a Holocaust”
Controversial activist Jim Curran was spotted at a protest against Puma last weekend holding a sign reading “Gaza is a Holocaust”.
Mr Curran was participating in a protest on 18th September outside the Puma shop in London. The demonstration was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which a past investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism found was riddled with bigotry.
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.
Mr Curran is a regular attendee at a group called Keep Talking, a group of far-right and far-left conspiracy theorists who come together to promote antisemitism.
Last year, Best for Britain, an influential activist group, apologised for tweeting a viral picture of Mr Curran attending an anti-racism rally in view of his links to the antisemitic group.
Image credit: Sussex Friends of Israel
Eight members of Labour’s ruling NEC vote against rule changes mandated by EHRC, while new poll of potential Labour voters shows Jeremy Corbyn’s failures on antisemitism drag Party down
Eight members of the Labour Party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) voted against rule changes mandated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Eighteen members of the NEC voted in favour of the semi-independent disciplinary process that Labour is required to implement under its Action Plan agreed with the EHRC, outweighing the eight who opposed the measure. It is not clear how the minority expected their Party to fulfil the EHRC’s legally-mandated conditions had the vote failed.
It is understood that the eight to vote against were Mish Rahman, Gemma Bolton and Nadia Jama, who represent Constituency Labour Parties (the Party’s grassroot local branches); Ian Murray of the Fire Brigades Union; Andi Fox of the TSSA union; Yasmine Dar, the pro-Corbyn former chair of Labour’s disputes panel who did not believe that the Party has a problem of institutional antisemitism even as her brother was suspended over antisemitism allegations; Mick Whelan of the ASLEF union; and Andy Kerr of the Communication Workers Union.
Meanwhile, a new poll by Yonder (formerly Populus) for Labour Uncut shows that just over a quarter (26%) of non-Labour voters would consider voting for the Party at the next election, but six in ten of this group (60%) said that they would be more likely to vote for the Labour Party if Jeremy Corbyn is expelled if he fails to apologise over antisemitism.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We have been calling for the expulsion of Jeremy Corbyn for a long time over his Party’s institutional antisemitism and his own. This poll shows that the public agrees with this stance, as ordinary decent people recognise that Labour cannot return to its anti-racist legacy while Jeremy Corbyn and his acolytes retain such influence.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the 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.
Prosecutors charge two with hate crimes in connection with violent attack on Jewish diners at Los Angeles kosher restaurant in May
Prosecutors have filed hate crime charges against two suspects in connection with an attack earlier this year on a group of Jewish diners at Sushi Fumi, a kosher restaurant in Los Angeles.
Xavier Pabon, 30, and Samer Jayylusi, 36, are accused of participating in a group of eight people who approached the restaurant and abused Jewish patrons, leading to violence. They have each been charged with one count of assault with a hate crime enhancement.
Video footage of the 18th May incident, which took place during the conflict between Hamas and Israel, showed a group of men, mostly in black, in a car waving Palestinian Authority flags and yelling at diners outside the restaurant. They are later seen outside of the restaurant attacking the diners, reportedly having yelled antisemitic slurs. The attackers were said to have also thrown bottles and pepper sprayed a member of the public who tried to defend the Jewish diners, causing them to go to hospital.
According to one witness, “Those people [the attackers] know who lives in this area, that there is a big Jewish community, that’s why they arrived here, they were looking for Jews to attack. They were demanding to know who is Jewish and were very aggressive. I’m still shaken by what had happened.”
They went on to say that the incident was “worse than what the clip is showing. You can’t hear the profanity and antisemitic slurs they were using. Here were guys who were minding their own business, not bothering anyone, and they were attacked just for being Jewish. I am disgusted. I’ve lived in L.A. all my life and never encountered anything like this. I’m now fearful to identify myself as a Jew. I can’t believe this is happening here, I don’t feel safe anymore.”
A brother of one of the victims wrote about the experience on Facebook. He wrote: “Tonight was the scariest night of my life…two of my brothers’ friends identified themselves as Jewish and got beaten down as a result. I’m pretty speechless at the moment but all I can say is be very careful out there if you are Jewish. Not many people have our back or truly understand this situation we are facing. People will forever be blindsided by the media and unfortunately it’s out of our control.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said: “A hate crime is a crime against all of us. My office is committed to doing all we can to make Los Angeles County a place where our diversity is embraced and protected.”
When elected last year, Mr Gascón had announced an end to sentencing enhancements, but after a backlash he reversed the policy for crimes against victims whom he deemed extremely vulnerable, including hate crimes.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
60-year-old assaulted at vigil against antisemitism in Hamburg
A 60-year-old man was injured at a vigil against antisemitism in Hamburg, Germany, after a group of youths insulted the participants with antisemitic abuse.
During the “Hamburg for Israel and against antisemitism” vigil, which took place last Saturday near the city’s central train station, a group of three or four people approached the participants and one of them – a male believed to be between the ages of 18 and 25 – began yelling abuse.
When participants asked the offender to stop, he punched the victim in the face, necessitating treatment in a hospital.
Although police chased the group, they managed to flee on e-scooters. Police are appealing for witnesses and information.
Stefan Hensel, Hamburg’s Commissioner on Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism, said: “Violence driven by hatred of Israel and Jews is a disgrace to our city. This heinous attack must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The act shows once again that so-called Israel-related antisemitism is increasingly turning into real violence. The perpetrators must be caught as soon as possible and brought to justice.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
“Filthy beast” of antisemitism condemned by French education unions
Three French unions representing school teachers have condemned antisemitic tropes that featured at demonstrations against ‘vaccine passports’.
In a joint statement, CGT Education 43, FSU 43 and SUD Education 43, all of the Haute-Loire region of south-central France, observed that “for several weeks now, a handful of ultra-right activists have been instrumental in using the Saturday demonstrations against the health pass to display signs with hate messages with impunity,” and declared that “words and acts that target French people of Jewish faith, culture or tradition or attack their existence, their memory or their identity, hurt the whole of France.”
Placards at the rallies apparently bore slogans including, “Non a la manipula-Sion” (“No to manipulation”) with “Sion” (“Zion”) underlined; “En marche vers le chaos mondial” (“Forward to global chaos”), a pun on the political party of French President Emmanuel Macron and a slogan associated with convicted Holocaust denier Alain Soral; and “Je suis Cassandre” (“I am Cassandre”), declaring solidarity with controversial activist and former far-right Parliamentary candidate Cassandre Fristot.
The unions’ statement went on to assert that “Antisemitism is a crime condemned by law. It should be neither excused nor trivialized,” before calling on local residents “to stand up in the face of the return of the ‘Filthy Beast’ and of any form of racism.”
Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Police investigating after video emerges of schoolchildren shouting antisemitic language and performing Hitler salutes in Catholic school in Ontario
Police are reportedly investigating after a video emerged appearing to show children in a Catholic school shouting antisemitic language and performing Hitler salutes in Ontario.
North Bay police are examining the video, in which pupils at École Secondaire Catholique Algonquin appear to be marching around a field shouting antisemitic language and performing Nazi salutes.
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.
Alleged co-founder of proscribed neo-Nazi National Action group denies terrorism offences
An alleged co-founder of the proscribed neo-Nazi National Action group has denied seven terror offences.
Ben Raymond, 32, appeared at Bristol Crown Court to enter a plea of not guilty against the charge of membership of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 11 of the Terrorism Act.
National Action was banned in the UK in 2016 following pressure by Campaign Against Antisemitism.
Mr Raymond also pleaded not guilty to six counts of possessing a document or record of use to a terrorist contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act.
The material allegedly includes documents titled “Ethnic Cleaning Operations”, “2083 – European Declaration of Independence by Anders Breivik”, “Homemade Detonators by Ragnar Benson”, “TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook”, “Homemade Molotov Cocktail” and “Cluster Bomb”.
Mr Raymond’s trial is expected to begin on 1st November and last for three to four weeks, with the defendant released on conditional bail until then.
Last year, members of the proscribed National Action group were sentenced to prison, having engaged, amongst other activities, in far-right stickering and recruitment campaigns.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years.
CAA disappointed that Lib Dems condemn Palestinian Authority and Hamas persecution against “LGBT+ community and women” but omit Jews
The Liberal Democrats have passed a motion that makes explicit reference to the Palestinian Authority’s and Hamas’s persecution of the “LGBT+ community and women” but makes no mention of their antisemitism.
Motion “F39: Towards a Lasting Peace in Israel and Palestine”, which has been passed at the Liberal Democrats’ annual Party conference this week, condemns the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Israel and pushes for “trade [to be] used as a tool for peace and shared prosperity”, among other resolutions.
However, although the motion calls on the British Government to “Apply pressure on the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, where appropriate, to halt persecution of or discrimination against marginalised groups, including the LGBT+ community and women, civil society organisations and democratic opposition,” the motion makes no mention of the rampant antisemitism in the territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Anti-Jewish racism is sadly central to the ideologies, policies, educational materials and civil society activities of these entities.
Hamas in particular is an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation, and its recent conflict with Israel was a pretext for an outpouring of hate towards Jews in Britain and around the world. It is therefore extraordinary that, in light of Hamas’ very real impact in this country, the Liberal Democrats failed to call out its (and the Palestinian Authority’s) antisemitism.
Although the Party has condemned antisemitism in the UK – including Layla Moran MP, the Party’s Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs who moved the motion – nevertheless it is disappointing that this motion failed to mention the point, despite its gravity and indeed centrality to the motion’s subject matter.
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.
Conspiracy theorist admits defacing seventeen bus stops in North London neighbourhoods with “Jews and gays are aliens” and other graffiti but denies antisemitic motivation
A conspiracy theorist has admitted defacing seventeen bus stops in London with graffiti, including the words “Jews and gays are aliens”.
Nicholas Lalchan, 47, has admitted criminal damage, causing £100 worth of damage to each stop and to the windows of an accountancy firm. However, he denied any religious or racial motivation, in spite of what he wrote on the bus stops in heavily-Jewish neighbourhoods such as Finchley, Hendon and Edgware.
The prosecutor told jurors that the graffiti “encouraged people to make searches on the internet” which would lead them to “think badly” of Jewish people. He added that “they were seen by Jewish people and non-Jewish people who were distressed by what they saw and reported it to the police.”
A still image of the vandal was recognised by a community support officer and he was arrested at his home in Edmonton. A search of his home reportedly revealed leaflets, pens and a memory stick holding material referencing Jewish people and conspiracy theories.
When he was charged, Mr Lalchan allegedly said: “New world order. The fourth Reich. We will see.”
Mr Lalchan was charged with racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage and with possessing a marker pen with intent to cause criminal damage and stirring up racial hatred, and his trial continues at Aldersgate House in the City of London, a Nightingale court opened to speed up the backlog of cases caused by the pandemic.
‘Unluckiest anti-racist’ Jeremy Corbyn happens to find himself due to share platform with actor who tweeted about Jewish toddlers having their “cute little horns filed off”
The antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, is scheduled to appear at an event with an actor who tweeted about Jewish toddlers having their “cute little horns filed off”.
Numerous past comments by Rob Delaney have surfaced in advance of his event on 4th October with Mr Corbyn, organised by the People’s Assembly to protest the Conservative Party’s annual conference.
Mr Delaney wrote in 2009: “When I think of adorable Jewish baby boys getting circumcised AND having their cute little horns filed off, I get so sad!”
In 2011, he tweeted: “Somebody probably has the phone number 1-800-JEW-FART.” Jews are often subjected to crude flatulence references to the gas chambers, where many of the six million victims of the Holocaust were murdered.
In 2012, he joked about wishing to atone on Yom Kippur, the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, “for the weeks I’ve wasted on chubby naked Jewish girls on bikes dot com”, and described a song by Van Halen as being “worse than 3 holocausts”.
Some social media users defended the tweets as satire, and Mr Delaney, a Catholic who reportedly attended a Jewish nursery school, has previously that he “wouldn’t even think of living somewhere that wasn’t swarming with Jews.”
Mr Corbyn has often been mocked for his denials of anti-Jewish racism despite his long record of appearing alongside extremely dubious figures, with the former Labour leader sometimes being dubbed the ‘unluckiest anti-racist’ for so often finding himself in the company of these people while insisting on his own blamelessness.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Mr Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the 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.
Police investigate swastika graffiti outside Newcastle hospital
Police have opened an investigation after vandals daubed a swastika on a sign outside of Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.
In addition, the words “CV 19”, a reference to the coronavirus pandemic, and “NHS liers [sic]” in blue paint were also spray-painted.
Multiple signs have reportedly been vandalised, prompting a staff member at the hospital to comment that “It’s actually really upsetting and demoralising to be accused of being a Nazi or ‘liers’ after the last eighteen months which have been so physically and mentally taxing.
“The fact that this is the first thing you see when coming into our hospital makes my stomach turn and made me want to turn around and go back home.”
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said that “Enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible. Anybody found to have been involved will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.”
Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.
Image credit: Google
Huntington NY adopts International Definition of Antisemitism
The town of Huntington in Suffolk County, NY, has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.
The Definition was adopted following the passage of a majority resolution, without objection, at a meeting last week of the town’s governing board.
Earlier this year, Suffolk County, where Huntington is located, and neighbouring Nassau County adopted the Definition.
Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street.
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.
Australian officials condemn swastika graffiti in Keilor park
Australian activists have condemned antisemitic graffiti in a park in Keilor, a suburb of Melbourne.
Swastika graffiti was found in Caroline Chisholm Park, which has since been removed by Brimbank Council and reported to the police.
A Council official said that the hateful graffiti “has no place in our community,” and police pledged to step up patrols. Local MP Andrew Giles launched a petition calling on the community to “reject this sort of hate.”
Antisemitic graffiti has also been found in Broadmeadows and Mernda, also Melbourne suburbs, over the past month.
A spokesperson for Victoria Police said: “We understand incidents of antisemitism can leave communities feeling targeted, threatened and vulnerable. These incidents have no place in our society. There is no excuse to engage in behaviour that promotes fear or hate in our community. We treat any report of antisemitism seriously, whether it happens on the street or online.”
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
Suspect charged in connection with alleged antisemitic assault on elderly Jewish employee reportedly punched unconscious at Toronto shop
A suspect has been charged in connection with an alleged antisemitic assault on an elderly Jewish employee at a Toronto shop.
The victim was reportedly punched unconscious in the incident, which took place on 28th July at an off-licence liquor store in the Canadian city.
According to a local group, the 26-year-old suspect allegedly attempted to purchase beer but, when asked by the cashier for proof of age, became belligerent, allegedly calling the victim “a dirty f***ing Jew” and lunging at him with a wine bottle and other items before punching him in the face, knocking him briefly unconscious. He required stiches and more than a week off work as a result of the incident.
A suspect was arrested three weeks later and charged with two counts of assault and two counts of assault with a women, and three further criminal counts in what Toronto Police treated as a hate crime.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.
French court acquits Imam of incitement over sermon declaring “Judgement Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews”
A French court has acquitted an imam of incitement to racial hatred over a 2017 sermon in which he declared that “Judgement Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews”.
Mohamed Tataiat, the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Toulouse since 1987, was quoting a hadith popular among Islamists that “Judgement Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews. The Jews will hide behind the stones and the trees, and the stones and the trees will say, oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew hiding behind me — come and kill him.”
A legal case was pushed by numerous French Jewish organisations and anti-racism groups, but, following a three-month trial, the President of the Toulouse Criminal Court concluded that the sermon was not intended to “provoke hatred or discrimination,” and that “the words could have been said recklessly, but not with the desire to discriminate.”
Jewish leaders were unimpressed with the verdict, which some compared to the recent case of Sarah Halimi, whose antisemitic murderer was held to be unable to stand trial due to being high on cannabis at the time of the crime.
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: MEMRI
Co-chair of Momentum previously claimed former Labour MP Luciana Berger was “disingenuous” about antisemitism in the Party and helped further “right-wing extremism”
The co-Chair of the pro-Corbyn pressure group Momentum is alleged to have previously claimed that the former Labour Party MP, Luciana Berger, was “disingenuous” about antisemitism in the Party.
In a message on Facebook, Gaya Sriskanthan responded to an interview in which Ms Berger revealed that six people had been convicted of antisemitic hate crimes against her, by saying that Ms Berger “disingenuously conflats the increase in antisemitism across the country (and Europe) with the Labour Party.”
She went on to insist that “Labour has nothing to do with the broader trend, which is in fact being driven by the rise of the far-right. The best reemdy for the far-right and the racism that comes along with it, is a strong united Left. Therefore the actions of the ‘Independent Group’ [which Ms Berger had helped to launch following her departure from Labour] actually further right-wing extremism.”
The comments allegedly appeared on the Labour International Left Alliance Facebook group in March 2019.
Ms Berger was hounded out of the Labour Party due to antisemitism. Her departure from the Party followed years of harassment abuse and death threats from far-left Party activists, particularly those who supported Jeremy Corbyn.
It is understood that a complaint has been submitted to the Labour in respect of Ms Sriskanthan’s remarks. She was elected co-Chair of Momentum last year.
A spokesman for the Labour Party said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”
Earlier this year, Mr Corbyn himself also asserted that “Luciana was not hounded out of the Party; she unfortunately decided to resign from the Party”, despite Ms Berger being one of a number of MPs who quit the Labour Party in protest at its institutional antisemitism.
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.
Four men from Blackburn charged over alleged antisemitic abuse blared from megaphone by ‘Free Palestine’ convoy
Four men from Blackburn have been charged in connection with the alleged antisemitic abuse shouted from a ‘Free Palestine’ convoy in North London in May.
Participants in the convoy were caught on video allegedly shouting through a megaphone “F*** the Jews…rape their daughters” as they drove through Jewish neighbourhoods waving the flag of the Palestinian Authority, during fighting between Hamas and Israel.
The incident took place a stone’s throw from a synagogue in West Hampstead and continued into St John’s Wood. The convoy had previously and provocatively passed through other Jewish neighbourhoods as well, including Hendon and Golders Green.
The abuse was condemned by the Prime Minister and Home Secretary.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Service admitted that they had failed so badly to monitor the convoy that it took hours to find the car in question, which was identified from photographs taken by a Jewish member of the public who had the presence of mind to capture images of the vehicles’ licence plates.
Later that day, the Met made four arrests, and today the police force has announced that it has charged Mohammed Iftikhar Hanif, 27; Jawaad Hussain, 24; Asif Ali, 25; and Adil Mota, 26, all from Blackburn, with using threatening, abusive or insulting words, or behaviour, with intent, likely to stir up racial hatred.
They were charged on 16th September and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 6th October.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This was an extremely distressing incident. Jewish families have told us that they were sent running in fear as a convoy of cars drove through London flying the flag of the Palestinian Authority and shouting ‘F*** the Jews…rape their daughters’. We are pleased that suspects have now been charged but the convoy should never have been allowed in the first place and there remain many other unsolved crimes committed against British Jews from that same period of fighting between Hamas and Israel. The perpetrators in these cases must be brought to justice.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to the Home Secretary calling on her to proscribe Hamas in full in the UK, and has urged all MPs to do the same.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
The image on this article has been partially obscured due to legal restrictions on the reporting of active criminal cases.
CAA launches new antisemitism teachers’ guide for non-denominational schools, in addition to existing guides endorsed by BBC Teach
Campaign Against Antisemitism has published a new teachers’ guide on antisemitism for non-denominational schools, to complement our existing guides designed for Church of England and Catholic Schools which have been endorsed by BBC Teach.
The new guide, Love Your Neighbour, is, like the other two guides, intended for use with an accompanying student-friendly PowerPoint presentation, which is also available on our website and through BBC Teach.
Our existing guides – Love Thy Neighbour, designed specifically for Church of England schools, and Love Your Neighbour, for Catholic schools – have also been updated to cover new cultural developments and manifestations of anti-Jewish racism, including with reference to the social media platform TikTok, Black Lives Matter and the antisemitic grime artist Wiley.
These guides, like so many of our projects, represent the hard work of our dedicated expert volunteers, who have poured their wealth of experience in education and teaching antisemitism to young people into these guides.
Binyomin Gilbert, Programme Manager at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We are extremely proud of our teachers’ guides, which, thanks to the efforts of our tireless volunteers, have enabled countless schoolchildren of all ages to learn about antisemitism from their own teachers. These guides provide teachers with accessible resources to teach a complex topic and satisfy important requirements of the national curriculum. Following the success of our guides in the Church of England and Catholic school systems, we are delighted to launch our non-denominational guide for wider use in schools across the country. We continue to pursue innovative ways to discharge our mandate to educate society, including our youth, about the dangers of antisemitism and what they can do to stand up against it.”
You can download the guides here or visit BBC Teach here
Green Party leadership candidates elaborate on their views on tackling antisemitism in the Party
The candidates for the leadership of the Green Party have elaborated on their views on tackling antisemitism in the Party.
Jewish Greens, a Jewish faction within the Green Party of England and Wales, provided each of the five candidate teams (three pairs and two individuals) with a questionnaire to survey their views.
Candidates were asked whether they agree to the following pledges, and were also asked further questions for responses in prose.
The leadership ticket of current Deputy Leader Amelia Womack and Tamsin Omond agreed to all three pledges, as did the Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay partnership.
In their fuller responses, Ms Womack and Ms Omond said that “tackling both intentional and unintentional discrimination and prejudice is essential to building an accessible, inclusive, and representative movement” and observed that the Party’s leadership has a responsibility to use its influence to “tackle discrimination of all kinds, including antisemitism.”
They declared that “we will support efforts of members to introduce a definition of antisemitism in our members’ Code of Conduct to establish clear guidelines of what does and does not constitute antisemitism, so that we can begin to educate our members on how to spot antisemitic tropes, and how to avoid further propagating them themselves. This will also give the Disciplinary procedures within our party the confidence they need to ensure that those who perpetuate antisemitism, prejudice, and hate within our party are held accountable.”
They added that “We will also encourage the use of external specialist advice for complex and technical disciplinary cases, to ensure that nobody is denied the justice they deserve,” which is particularly welcome, in view of our experiences with the Green Party’s disciplinary processes.
Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay declared that “We have a particular priority in our first 100 days to support the Party’s liberation and policy groups to facilitate workshops and training (e.g. the Jewish Greens’ antisemitism training roadshow)” and that “We also believe that it is important that liberation groups are consulted on policy,” pointing to Ms Denyer’s having co-proposed a motion to this year’s Party conference that “would give liberation groups the right of reply on conference motions that affect their members.”
Former Deputy Leader Shahrar Ali (who is running alone) agreed to the second and third pledges but not the first, likely because the “Antisemitism: A Guidance” document includes the International Definition of Antisemitism, which he opposes. Mr Ali erroneously described the Definition in his response as “a bad definition of antisemitism [which] could disproportionately affect Palestinians, or their allies, as well as Jews – precisely because it would be counterproductive on its own terms and not help to tackle genuine antisemitism by conflating legitimate political criticism.” Mr Ali supports the adoption by the Green Party of the Jerusalem Declaration, which he describes as a “good definition” but which is actually a wrecking document intended to undermine the globally recognised Definition.
Mr Ali also singled out Campaign Against Antisemitism “which promotes adoption of the highly problematic IHRA [International Definition of Antisemitism].” We are indeed a leading and proud advocate of the internationally-recognised Definition, which enjoys consensus support in the British Jewish community and has been adopted by all major political parties except the Green Party.
Martin Hemingway and Tina Rothery, another leadership pair, declined to answer the first two questions, insisting that they required a more “nuanced” response, but agreed to the third. In their replies to further questions, they stated that “We think real antisemitism in the Party i.e. hatred or distrust of Jewish people is very rare. We are concerned about the potential for what might be called ‘definitional antisemitism’ to create differences where these are not real. For this reason we think it is important that the Party thinks carefully about how it is to define antisemitism.” They prefer the Jerusalem Declaration to the International Definition of Antisemitism but “ideally both would be available on the Party’s ‘Framework for Ethics & Conduct’, and we need to work together to ensure that this happens.”
The final candidate, Ashley Gunstock was, according to the Jewish Greens, advised by the Electoral Returning Officer “to refuse to answer yes/no questions”, therefore he did not respond to the pledges. In his replies to questions, however, he stated that “the Green Party should be condemning all antisemitic and racist groups and campaign for any such to be removed from social media,” although it is not clear what standard he would expect to be used to identify antisemitic discourse. Several of the other candidates also expressed concern over antisemitism and hate on social media.
The full responses of all the candidates to all of the questions can be accessed here.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has extensively documented alleged antisemitism among officers of the Green Party of England and Wales, including the Party’s former Equalities and Diversity Coordinator who now holds the International Coordinator portfolio, on which the Green Party has failed to act.
We continue to monitor the Green Party’s leadership contest and the candidates’ policies on antisemitism within the Party and wider society.
Recently, we revealed how certain policies of the Scottish Greens (the Green Party branch in Scotland) are cause for concern for the Jewish community, including the Party’s opposition to the International Definition of Antisemitism and other controversial items. Consequently, Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is under growing pressure over the SNP’s recent deal with the Scottish Greens.
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.
Antisemitic books sold outside Warsaw Church during beatification ceremony of revered Catholic figures in presence of Polish leaders
Antisemitic books were on sale outside a Warsaw Church that was hosting a beatification ceremony of revered Catholic figures, attended by Polish leaders.
The books, with titles such as Scum and the Jews in Today’s Poland and Judeopolonia II — Anatomy of Enslaving Poland, were met with no protest from the thousands of worshippers attending Warsaw’s Temple of Divine Providence for the beatification of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Mother Elzbieta Roza Czacka.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice Party, were all in attendance for the beatification Mass, which was led by Vatican representative Cardinal Marcello Semeraro.
In addition to the antisemitic books was anti-vaccination literature and other conspiratorial material.
The ceremony took place while Pope Francis was in Hungary condemning antisemitism, which he did again two days later in Slovakia.
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: Wojciech Karpieszuk
Jeremy Corbyn’s controversial liaison to Jewish community under investigation by Labour over alleged antisemitism denial, while JVL plans fringe event after spate of expulsion threats
Jeremy Corbyn’s controversial liaison to the Jewish community is under investigation by the Labour Party in connection with alleged antisemitism-denial.
Heather Mendick’s appointment to the role by Mr Corbyn in 2019 was criticised by Jewish groups due to her views, which included that antisemitism claims had been “weaponised” and opposition to Labour’s adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism. She also joined disgraced MP Chris Williamson on his “Democracy Roadshow” and expressed “solidarity” for Jenny Manson, a Chair of Jewish Voice For Labour (JVL), an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation. Ms Mendick even signed a letter in The Guardian claiming that Mr Corbyn was a “formidable” opponent of antisemitism after Luciana Berger resigned from Labour over its institutional antisemitism.
Ms Mendick was a member of Momentum, the pro-Corbyn campaign group, and worked as a research consultant and Secretary of Hackney South Labour Party. Despite her unfitness, Mr Corbyn appointed her to the role, which reportedly involved working in his office one day a week.
She now faces scrutiny by the Labour Party over a litany of claims that she has made in relation to antisemitism, which have been set out in a letter to her. According to the letter, she is alleged to have described antisemitism allegations as a “smear” and a “false narrative”, among other outrageous claims.
The letter to Ms Mendick is part of a wider crackdown by the Labour Party on members who have affiliated to proscribed factions or expressed views that are either antisemitic or deny the Party’s institutional antisemitism problem. This crackdown has affected members of various factions, including JVL and Labour Against the Witchhunt, the latter of which has been proscribed.
JVL is reportedly planning a fringe event at Labour’s conference later this month called “Labour in Crisis – Tackling Racism in the Party”. Previous JVL fringe events have been forums of controversy. This latest planned event comes after numerous JVL members have found themselves threatened with expulsion from the Party.
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.
Attempted Islamist terrorist attack on German synagogue on Yom Kippur thwarted, two years after deadly far-right attack in Halle
An attempted Islamist terrorist attack on a German synagogue on Yom Kippur has reportedly been thwarted.
Services in Hagen Synagogue in North Rhine-Westphalia were called off on Wednesday after “very serious and concrete information” was received by German officials, according to the Interior Minister of the country’s most populous State.
The information was reportedly received from a foreign intelligence service, rumoured to be Israel.
A sixteen-year-old Syrian national who lives in the city was detained yesterday morning, with three other people arrested in a raid on an apartment in connection with the incident.
According to Der Spiegel, the teenager mentioned in an online chat that he was planning an attack on a synagogue using explosives, which led investigators to the boy, who lives with his father in Hagen.
Police cordoned off the synagogue for the Kol Nidrei service on Wednesday night and sniffer dogs were deployed, although no dangerous objects were found in or around the synagogue. The investigation is ongoing.
Armin Laschet, the State Premier, said that “It appears that prior to today on Yom Kippur, an Islamist-motivated attack was averted,” adding: “We will do everything we can to clarify which networks may have been behind” the plot. Mr Laschet is running to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany.
German Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said: “It is intolerable that Jews are again exposed to such a horrible threat and that they cannot celebrate the start of their highest holiday, Yom Kippur, together.”
The incident comes two years after a neo-Nazi attack on Yom Kippur targeted a synagogue in Halle. Although the synagogue’s security door thwarted that attack, the perpetrator, Stephan Balliet, went on to murder a passer-by and the patron of a nearby kebab shop before being arrested following a firefight with police. Last December Mr Balliet was given a life sentence.
Earlier this year, the Muslim-owned kebab restaurant in Halle that was targeted in the attack was saved from bankruptcy by a fundraising campaign led by the Jewish community.
Germany has seen a spate of Islamist terrorist attacks in recent years.
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.
More auction houses continue to sell Nazi daggers, coins, medals, and clothing
For the second time in two weeks, Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to an auction house over the selling of Nazi memorabilia.
Earlier this month, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to Tennants auctioneers expressing dismay and outrage at the sale, which they have readily agreed not to replicate in future.
However, Easy Live Auction continues to sell an assortment of Nazi memorabilia that includes weapons, coins, medals, and clothing, which appears to amount to a staggering 172 lots.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These items belong in a museum, not in the hands of sick collectors acquiring them from an auction house that stands to profit from these sales. We shall be writing to the auctioneers to inquire why they are offering for sale memorabilia and mementos from a genocide.”
Recently, a BBC Bargain Hunt expert apologised after it was revealed that Nazi memorabilia was due to be sold at his auction house.
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.
Trial date given for man accused of creating antisemitic and racist podcasts
A trial date has been given for a man accused of creating the website “Radio Aryan” in order to upload antisemitic and racist podcasts.
James Allchurch, 49 from Pembrokeshire, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court last month where he denied all fifteen counts of distributing a sound recording stirring up racial hatred.
Mr Allchurch reportedly wore a mask, visor and sunglasses, and asked that people refer to him as “Sven Longshanks”. When asked why Mr Allchurch wished to be called Sven Longshanks, he allegedly replied: “This is my life’s work that is on trial and that’s the name that my work is published under.”
The court reportedly heard that Radio Aryan had been running since 2015 and that twelve of the charges related to material allegedly offensive to people from black or ethnic minority communities while three relate to podcasts accused of being antisemitic.
On Wednesday, Mr Allchurch appeared at Swansea Crown Court where he reportedly denied fifteen charges of distributing a sound recording stirring up racial hatred on or before 17th May, 2019, to on or before 18th March, 2021. He allegedly only spoke to say his name and “not guilty” in response to each of the charges that were read out.
The charges allege that Mr Allchurch distributed recordings that included the titles “Rivers Of Blood”, “Banned In The UK”, “The Leftist Supremacist Mindset”, and “The Usual Suspects”. The alleged offenses were said to have taken place in Gelli, a village in south Wales.
Judge Paul Thomas released the defendant on unconditional bail, stating: “Your trial will be on 27th June but there will be a further hearing either in March or April.”
Police search for suspect behind alleged antisemitic threats and vandalism in Ontario, Canada
Police are searching for a suspect believed to be responsible for yelling antisemitic threats and committing vandalism in Ontario, Canada.
This week, police officers in the city of Vaughan responded to a call from a residence on Conley Street where they spoke with an alleged victim of an antisemitic incident. The police were told that a male, who is believed to be Russian and between the ages of 28 and 30, yelled antisemitic threats towards the alleged victim whilst cycling down the street.
The following day, the alleged victim reported antisemitic sentiments scratched into his vehicle. Police believe that the individual responsible is the same person behind the antisemitic threats.
Anyone with information can contact the York Regional Police #4 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7441 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. They can also leave an anonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.
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
Pope condemns antisemitism in visits to Hungary and Slovakia
The Pope has condemned antisemitism in papal visits to Hungary and Slovakia.
In a brief visit to Hungary, the pontiff told an ecumenical meeting in Budapest with leaders of other Christian denominations and the Jewish community: “I think of the threat of antisemitism still lurking in Europe and elsewhere.” He added that “this is a fuse that must not be allowed to burn. And the best way to defuse it is to work together, positively, and to promote fraternity.”
He urged Christian leaders top commit to an “education in fraternity” to stand up against hatred.
The Pope then travelled to Slovakia, where he told the Jewish community: “Your history is our history, your sufferings are our sufferings.”
Speaking in Rybné Námestie Square, which used to be the heart of Bratislava’s Jewish quarter, the Pope said that “G-d’s name was dishonored” in “a frenzy of hatred” during WWII.
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 councillor reported to the Party after joining antisemitic “from the river to the sea” chant at Liverpool rally populated by controversial figures
A Labour Party councillor has been reported to the Party after video footage emerged that seemingly showed him partaking in the antisemitic “from the river to the sea” chant at an anti-arms rally in Liverpool.
Sam Gorst, Labour councillor for Liverpool’s Cressington ward, is believed to have been one of the protesters leading the crowd on Saturday. At one point, the crowd can be heard chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
The chant, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state – and its replacement with a State of Palestine – and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Labour Against Antisemitism said on Twitter that in light of Mr Gorst’s alleged behaviour at Saturday’s demonstration, as well as his reported membership in the now-proscribed Labour fringe groups, Labour Against the Witch-hunt (LAW) and Labour in Exile Network (LIEN), the group has reported the Labour councillor.
Mr Gorst released a statement on Twitter in response to the backlash of his supposed appearance at the rally which stated that his record “stands for itself” and that “bullies will always be bullies”. He added: “They will not break me with their nastiness especially when all I am doing is showing opposition to injustices of the world.”
Dame Louise Ellman, the former MP for Liverpool Riverside – who was allegedly branded a “disgrace” by Mr Gorst for quitting the Labour Party due to antisemitism – condemned Mr Gorst’s reported involvement and said: “I was appalled to see a Labour councillor singing Hamas chants about annihilating Israel. This brings the Labour Party into disrepute.”
It has also been reported that Mr Gorst was recently reinstated after being suspended from the Party for twelve months, though the reason is not publicly known. In 2019, Mr Gorst was cleared of antisemitism accusations, later claiming that he was the victim of a “smear campaign”.
Video footage also appeared to show the antisemitic former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn marching at the front of the crowd, and it was reported that he spoke at the demonstration.
It is understood that other speakers included former Shadow Chancellor and Labour Party MP John McDonnell, who it is believed used the occasion to call again for the whip to be reinstated to Mr Corbyn it was removed from him last year, and Maxine Peake, the controversial activist-actress who promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory last year.
In May, Mr McDonnell tweeted a photo of an antisemitic sign which was featured at a rally that he himself attended. Last year, Mc McDonnell was accused of sharing a platform with expelled Labour members at the Labour Representation Committee’s Annual General Meeting, namely Jackie Walker and Tony Greenstein, but he claimed that it was “ridiculous” to suggest that as it was an open meeting and that he could not control who spoke. He remains the Honorary President of the controversial group.
One of the main organisers of the Liverpool rally is believed to have been Audrey White, an activist who is being investigated for claims of antisemitism. At one point during the rally, Ms White reportedly said that “socialists in our Party, like me, like Chris Williamson” were being “witchhunted” as a result of the Party’s recent proscription of far-left groups.
We reported earlier this month that the Leader of Calderdale Council has refused to act against a fellow councillor who organised an anti-Israel rally where the same antisemitic chant was allegedly present, and in July, Hastings Council also reportedly refused to condemn the same antisemitic “from the river to the sea” chant.
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.
Image credit: Twitter via the JC
Chelsea assists in getting man charged for antisemitic tweets
A man has been charged after a series of antisemitic, hateful, and racist tweets were identified by Chelsea Football Club.
After an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, Nathan Blagg, 21, of Retford in Nottinghamshire has been charged with seven counts of sending by public communication network an offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message/matter which violate the Malicious Communications Act.
The charges refer to seven tweets sent between 5th February, 2020 and 3rd February, 2021. Mr Blagg was reportedly arrested in February of this year and is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 8th October.
In April, Chelsea Football Club announced that it had banned an abusive online troll from its matches for ten years after he hounded a Jewish journalist who came forward and received support from Campaign Against Antisemitism.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.
Salma Yaqoob, Lowkey and staffers at CAGE and MEND claim Bristol’s David Miller is being censored from criticising Israel
700 Muslims from around the world, led by the divisive British politician Salma Yaqoob, rapper Lowkey and leaders of the controversial CAGE activist group, have signed an open letter claiming that Prof. David Miller is being censored from criticising Israel.
The letter states that “as British Muslims” the supposed “orchestrated pile-on by pro-Israel groups, politicians and public figures against Professor David Miller is a tactic we recognise very well.”
Prof. Miller, a Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Bristol, is a conspiracy theorist with a history of controversy relating to Jewish students. In his latest outburst, which is under investigation, he asserted that “Zionism is racism”, declared his objective “to end Zionism as a functioning ideology of the world” and accused the Bristol University Jewish Society of being part of a worldwide Zionist conspiracy, adding that it is “fundamental to Zionism to encourage Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism”. At the same online event, Prof. Miller also observed that the Jewish Society and the Union of Jewish Students are Zionist, thereby implying that Jewish students (and the wider Jewish community) inherently “encourage Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism”.
He also portrayed the International Definition of Antisemitism as an attack on free speech and accused the Israeli Government of engaging in an “all-out attack” on the global Left as part of an “attempt by the Israelis to impose their will all over the world”. In comments reminiscent of the darkest years of the United Nations, Prof. Miller insisted that “Zionism is racism” and asked how “we defeat the ideology of Zionism in practice”, “how is Zionism ended” and about the way “to end Zionism as a functioning ideology of the world”.
The letter goes on delusionally to declare that Prof. Miller’s “work on Islamophobia is among the most highly respected in the world” and that “the campaign against Professor Miller is about censoring speech on Islamophobia and Israel. This campaign is carefully calibrated to muddy the waters between anti-Zionism (opposition to a dangerous, racist political ideology) and hatred of Jews. The attacks on Professor Miller are an example of how the IHRA Working [International] Definition of Antisemitism is being weaponised by supporters of Israel and by Islamophobes.”
The letter is a fine example of the ‘Livingstone Formulation’, by which allegations of antisemitism are dismissed as malevolent and baseless attempts to silence criticism of Israel. In its report on antisemitism in the Labour Party, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that suggestions of this nature were part of the unlawful victimisation of Jewish people in the Party.
Moreover, according to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.
The letter ends by demanding that the University of Bristol releases a statement in support of Prof. Miller and meets with activist groups who back him. The letter comes in spite of (indeed because of) the united revulsion of the Jewish community towards Prof. Miller and the University’s failure to discipline him. The University insists that its investigation into Prof. Miller is ongoing.
The leading signatory of the letter is Ms Yaqoob, the former Respect Party leader and now member of the Labour Party who unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of the West Midlands this year. She has her own deeply troubling record in relation to the Jewish community. In a 2013 tweet that she has since deleted, Ms Yaqoob stated: “Iceland arrests 10 Rothschild bankers…wow”, and linked to an article making this false claim and featuring a prominent image of the banker and philanthropist Lord Jacob Rothschild. The article linked in turn to a longer piece on the “Political Vel Craft” website, which is known for disseminating extreme conspiracy theories.
Other signatories include staffers from the controversial groups Interpal, Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) and CAGE, the latter two of which have previously been criticised for promoting problematic or extreme views, which they deny. They do not advocate violence.
Just last month, the Chief Executive of MEND was revealed to have compared Israel to Hitler in a Facebook post. According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.
Another signatory is the rapper Kareem Dennis, known as Lowkey. Mr Dennis is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). A month-long investigation by Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2017 exposed extensive antisemitic bigotry amongst PSC supporters on social media. Mr Dennis has previously described Israel as a “racist endeavour” in direct and deliberate contravention of the International Definition of Antisemitism, described Zionism as “antisemitic”, spoken of the “Zionist lobby” in the context of global capitalism, has reportedly backed the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson and has repeatedly supported the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn.
A further signatory of the letter is Tariq Ali. It is not clear if it is the same Tariq Ali who has previously tried to link Israel to the killing of George Floyd and declared that some Israelis “have learnt nothing from what happened in to them in Europe. Nothing. They talk a lot about saying all those marching for Palestine are antisemites. This of course isn’t true, but I will tell you something, they don’t like hearing. Every time they bomb Gaza, every time they attack Jerusalem – that is what creates antisemitism. Stop the occupation, stop the bombing and casual antisemitism will soon disappear.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Suspect arrested after allegedly performing Nazi salute before assaulting woman in Toronto subway
A man alleged to have performed a Nazi salute before assaulting a woman in a Toronto subway has been arrested.
It was reported by Toronto police in a statement that at approximately 12:30 on Saturday, a woman was sitting on a bench at Lawrence Station when a man approached her before assaulting her and fleeing the scene.
Sarah Gillis, who said that she is not Jewish, identified herself as the alleged victim and said that a man approached her while she was sitting on the platform and asked her twice: “Are you Jewish?”
Ms Gillis added: “He then did a Nazi salute and asked me if I knew what it meant. So I said to him, ‘Have a nice day.’ That’s when he said, ‘You are a Jew,’ and he came towards me.”
Ms Gillis alleges that the man then put her in a headlock before being pulled off by another man. The suspect reportedly then fled the scene by boarding a subway train.
“I wanted people to be aware that he was still out there and although he was saying hateful things towards Jewish people…it wasn’t necessarily Jewish people that he was targeting,” Ms Gillis said. She added: “It could’ve [been] anyone because personally I’m not Jewish but I still became a victim of him.”
Police released images of the suspect on Saturday and announced on Sunday that an arrest had been made. According to a police spokesperson, the suspect is the same individual who was arrested in connection with two previous antisemitism-related incidents.
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: Toronto Police Service
“Hitler, Kill you Jews, F**k Jews”: Man arrested in connection with alleged hate crime and possession of cocaine in East London
It was reported that a man who is alleged to have verbally abused Jewish people attending a synagogue was arrested for a hate crime and possession of cocaine in East London.
The suspect is alleged to have subjected members of the Jewish community to a “torrent of racist abuse” which included “Kill you Jews, F**k Jews” and invoking Adolf Hitler’s name.
The alleged incident took place on Clapton Common and was reported on 10th September 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 4717 10/09.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
Image credit: Stamford Hill Shomrim
“Jews did 9/11” and “Jews ran the slave trade” graffiti found in Toronto
Graffiti reading “Jews did 9/11” and “Jews ran the slave trade” has been discovered in Toronto.
The National Executive Director of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation reported that his friend took a photograph of the graffiti, which also included a reference to the hate website “Goyim.tv”, at the intersection of Knox and Eastern.
“We have a major antisemitism issue in Toronto,” Mr Yablonsky wrote. “We need more than words from our elected officials, we need action. The Jewish community need to feel safe in our city.”
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: Rafi Yablonsky
Concerns over Holocaust ignorance amongst teachers, leading to “real-life consequences”
Concerns have been raised over ignorance surrounding the Holocaust amongst teachers in England, including those charged with educating schoolchildren on the subject.
Although researchers from University College London’s (UCL) Centre for Holocaust Education said that there have been improvements since a similar study was conducted in 2009, nevertheless there remain significant causes of concern.
The research found that most teachers did not know where or when the Holocaust began or what proportion of the German population in 1933 was Jewish. Less than half of the teachers surveyed knew what the response of the British Government was to hearing about the genocide of European Jewry, and about a fifth of those with recent experience of teaching about the Holocaust had received no formal specialist training.
The result, according to Dr Andy Pearce of UCL, is that pupils could be developing “skewed and fundamentally erroneous impressions of this period.” He added: “If one of the aims of teaching and learning about the Holocaust is to prevent the repetition of similar atrocities in the future, then we need to have secure knowledge and understanding of why this particular genocide happened. As a society, we should have no tolerance for misunderstandings, myths and mythologies about the Holocaust. That can be a breeding ground for conspiracy theories and for revisionism and for denial and distortion. There are real-world consequences for these misconceptions and misunderstandings.”
The study was based on focus groups and a survey of 1,077 teachers, 964 of whom had recently taught the Holocaust.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has published curricula dealing more broadly with the topic of antisemitism. The curricula can be accessed here.
Tennants auctioneers pledges not to sell Nazi items in future after contact from CAA
Tennants has assured Campaign Against Antisemitism that they will not put Nazi items up for auction again in future, after we contacted the auction house in connection with an auction of Third Reich items last week.
In a message, Tennants auctioneers replied to us to say that “As a family business, our deep-rooted friendships with the Jewish community are our number one priority and I can confirm we are no longer handling or selling any such items.”
Tennants describes itself as “the UK’s largest family-owned fine art auctioneers, and a market leader with offices in North Yorkshire and London.”
The company was auctioning numerous Third Reich artefacts, including a tin of Third Reich machine gun magazines for £120-£180, a Third Reich SS Officer’s visor cap for £800-£900, a collection of Nazi medals for £100-£150, two Nazi Party badges for £100-£150, a “small quantity of German Third Reich related books” for £60-£80, various articles of Waffen-SS uniforms and a lot more.
Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to Tennants expressing dismay and outrage at the sale, which they have readily agreed not to replicate in future.
Recently, a BBC Bargain Hunt expert apologised after it was revealed that Nazi memorabilia was due to be sold at his auction house.
For the second time in under a month, vandals desecrate Jewish cemetery in Ioannina, Greece
For the second time in under a month, vandals have desecrated the Jewish cemetery of Ioannina, Greece.
In a statement, the Jewish Community of Ioannina said: “It is a sad event in a city where the Jewish community left a mark, where it coexisted harmoniously for centuries and where a handful of its remaining members are a part of its present.”
In a separate statement on Friday, the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) said: “Antisemitism targets even the dead. For the second time in less than a month a tomb was found vandalised at the Jewish cemetery of Ioannina. The vandals chose the period of the High Holidays of the Jewish faith for the manifestation of their antisemitic hatred with the hideous act of removing the tombstone of a grave. Shame!
“The state as well as the local authorities need to take all necessary measures for the safety of the Jewish Community and its sacred sites all over Greece, and particularly in Ioannina, where the Jewish cemetery has been the target of hatred attacks repeatedly in the past. Let the dead rest in peace!”
It was said that the grave had been smashed in “almost exactly the same way” as the grave in last month’s incident. The KIS said of last month’s vandalism: “We strongly condemn this shameful act of sacrilege which indicates that the hatred of the perpetrators leads to villainous manifestations of violence and fanaticism.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Image credit: The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece
Man convicted of repeatedly punching pregnant Jewish woman is sectioned
A man convicted of repeatedly punching a pregnant Jewish woman has been sectioned.
Keith Gowers, 59, appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Friday where he admitted one count of assault by beating.
On 18th March, Mr Gowers followed Beilla Reis down Manor Road in Stamford Hill at approximately 18:30 before placing a black pillowcase over her head and punching her several times in the face and torso. Ms Reis, 20, was 27 weeks pregnant at the time. She had her glasses broken and suffered a cut lip and thumb. Mr Gowers then fled the scene, leaving behind the pillowcase, while Ms Reis was taken to hospital.
The attack was initially reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, and Mr Gowers was arrested on 22nd March.
District Crown Prosecutor Varinder Hayre, from the north London Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was an unprovoked and shocking attack on a woman who was six months pregnant at the time. It is fortunate that her unborn child suffered no serious harm. The victim had never encountered Keith Gowers before and was left incredibly shaken.
“The prosecution case included CCTV footage of the disturbing attack on the lone victim which clearly identified Gowers as the attacker. He also admitted to being the person caught on camera. The CPS takes crimes against women extremely seriously and we will always work with the police and community to find and prosecute offenders.”
Speaking outside the court, Mr Gowers’ solicitor Jose Grayson said: “Although people at the time thought it was an antisemitic attack, it has been accepted by the Crown it was not racially motivated.”
Deputy Judge Richard Hawgood said: “It is obviously a very deeply unpleasant and serious matter. It is about as serious as a common assault allegation can be. All options will be considered by the court, including a custodial sentence.”
Mr Gowers has since been sectioned and released on bail on the condition he does not contact Ms Reis directly or indirectly, or visit Manor Road. He is due to be sentenced at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 1st October.
Afghanistan is now ‘Judenrein’ after last Jew flees country to escape Taliban and ISIS affiliate
Afghanistan is believed to have lost its last Jew after Zebulon Simantov fled the country out of fear of persecution by the Taliban and the local ISIS affiliate.
The 62-year-old has served as the keeper of the lone remaining synagogue in the country’s capital, Kabul, but left the Central Asian country last week with other fleeing exiles following the American and NATO retreat.
Two American Jewish philanthropists were reportedly involved in his extraction from the war-torn country following the fall of Kabul to the Islamist Taliban and the recent terrorist attack by ISIS-K, the local affiliate of the terror group, on refugees seeking passage from Kabul airport.
Mr Simantov was reportedly reluctant to leave Afghanistan both because he wished to stay and keep the synagogue, and also because it would likely mean granting a divorce to his wife, who lives in Israel (where authorities can pressure recalcitrant spouses to grant religious divorces when appropriate).
The danger from Islamist antisemitism in his native Afghanistan was, however, apparently severe enough to overcome his reluctance, which saw him decline earlier invitations to leave.
Mr Simantov’s flight represents the latest exile of a Jewish community from an entire country due to antisemitism, a trend with a history spanning millennia.
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.
Former Chairman of parish council under investigation over alleged antisemitic and discriminatory remarks
A former Chairman of a parish council has come under investigation over alleged antisemitic and discriminatory remarks.
Dr Chris Clews is accused of having made antisemitic, racist, homophobic, and sexist remarks in emails to former council colleague Philip Bond. It was also alleged that he insulted parishioners and held views that amounted to Holocaust denial, which would be a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.
It was reported that Dr Clews was initially reluctant to resign, but after mounting pressure from angry parishioners, he was forced to step down. In his resignation letter, he wrote: “I do talk a lot, but at least there is some thought to what I say”, and lamented that “it appears we are no longer entitled to express in private, alternative thoughts or ask questions about some matters and events”.
A council spokesman said: “There has been a thorough investigation which established that a significant proportion of the most offensive emails written by Mr Clews were done so privately over a long period of time with the complainant. The finding, after a significant investigation, was that they were not sent in his capacity as a councillor. The sanctions available to local authorities in England in cases where a councillor is found to have breached their code of conduct is restricted by law. In effect the strongest form of sanction available in most situations is censure – in other words a letter of rebuke. This was made clear to all complainants at the start of the process.”
Warwickshire Police confirmed that they are currently investigating the situation.
Nicola Sturgeon under growing pressure over SNP deal with Scottish Greens, who oppose International Definition of Antisemitism, after CAA revelations
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is under growing pressure over the SNP’s deal with the Scottish Greens due to the Party’s opposition to the International Definition of Antisemitism and other controversial policies revealed by Campaign Against Antisemitism and others.
In 2015, the Scottish Greens adopted a motion, which has never been rescinded, condemning “Israel’s claim to be ‘the Jewish State’” and “Zionism as a racist ideology.” According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.
The motion also committed the Party to opposing “Aliyah” (Jewish immigration to Israel, including by British Jews) and Israel’s Law of Return, the Jewish state’s answer to centuries of persecution of Diaspora Jewry. The motion further called for the removal of Hamas, an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation, from its designation by the British Government as a terrorist organisation, and supported the BDS movement—the campaign to boycott the Jewish state—the tactics of which an overwhelming majority of British Jews find intimidating.
The debate on this motion was held on a Saturday, when observant Jews would be unable to participate, and it passed easily. It became Party policy and remains so even as the Scottish Greens recently joined the Scottish devolved Government for the first time. Indeed, it is the first time that a Green Party has joined any Government in the United Kingdom. The two leaders of the Scottish Greens—Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater—are now ministers in Ms Sturgeon’s Government.
Although the agreement between the SNP and the Scottish Greens excludes international relations, as one journalist has pointed out this is the worst of both worlds, as it means that the two parties and their politicians can speak freely on the subject, allowing the Scottish Greens to promote their Party’s positions without the hindrance of collective responsibility.
Prior to inviting the Scottish Greens into her administration, Ms Sturgeon sought to reassure the Jewish community that she is “committed to tackling” antisemitism after the recent surge in racism against Jews in the UK.
Now, Ms Sturgeon is under pressure over her agreement with the Scottish Greens, with the Conservatives calling on the SNP to scrap the deal. Campaign Against Antisemitism remains deeply troubled by the aforementioned policies of the Scottish Greens, the Green Party’s branch in Scotland.
In a statement, the Scottish Greens said: A spokesman for the Scottish Green Party said: “The Scottish Green Party abhors antisemitism. There is absolutely no place for any anti-Jewish prejudice in society. Green politics is rooted in environmentalism, peace, social justice and democracy. Our party’s position on international affairs, including Palestine and Israel, is guided by these pillars. We will continue to raise our voice in support of a human rights based outcome that allows everyone in the region to live in peace, free from oppression or occupation.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We remain absolutely committed to action to address antisemitism, which is utterly unacceptable. There is no place for it in Scotland.”
Joe Glasman, Head of Political Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “The positions adopted by the Scottish Greens in 2015 and not since rescinded are abhorrent to British Jews and to opponents of antisemitism everywhere. All decent Scots will have been appalled by the surge in racism against the Jewish community during the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel, which saw demonstrations featuring antisemitic chanting and the display of the Hamas insignia. Now, as campaigns for Hamas to be proscribed in full by the British Government are in full swing, a Party whose stated policy is the very opposite now sits in the Scottish Government.
“The Party’s rise to national prominence in Scotland demands immediate review of its position on Zionism, ‘aliyah’ and Hamas. With the privilege of participation in national government comes the responsibility to govern on behalf of all Scotland, including its minorities.
“Nicola Sturgeon, who invited the Scottish Greens into her administration, must also urgently clarify the policy of the Scottish Government. If she fails to control the extremist elements of her new governing partner, she will be to blame for elevating those views into Scotland’s national conversation and giving such views standing within the UK polity.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has extensively documented alleged antisemitism among officers of the Green Party of England and Wales, including the Party’s former Equalities and Diversity Coordinator who now holds the International Coordinator portfolio, on which the Green Party has failed to act. We are also monitoring the Greens’ leadership primary, where differences on whether and how to address antisemitism have arisen.
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.
Investigation underway at Tufts University after student’s mezuzah is removed from dormitory
An investigation is underway at Tufts University after a student’s mezuzah was removed from his dormitory, University President Anthony Monaco said on Wednesday.
A mezuzah is a decorative case containing a Jewish prayer that is traditionally fixed to the doorpost of a Jewish home. The student reportedly woke up to the sound of laughing on Saturday – the day of the Jewish Sabbath – to find that the mezuzah had been removed.
In an email, President Mocano wrote: “Regardless of intent, the removal of this important symbol of Jewish faith is antisemitic and has caused harm. All members of our community should feel comfortable displaying and expressing their faith, and all members of our community should respect those displays and expressions. We are all responsible to each other.” He added that Tufts University Police Department had launched an “extensive investigation” but that no suspects had been identified.
Rabbi Naftali Brawer of Tufts Hillel said that the Jewish campus organisation was “offering support to the student” and “liaising with Tufts university administration and police,” adding that the University had “responded swiftly, thoroughly, and empathetically.”
Rabbi Brawer added: “We are deeply concerned about this antisemitic act and will continue to forcefully call out any act of antisemitism on campus.”
Last month, a student’s mezuzah was ripped off its doorpost at the University of British Columbia.
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.
Slovakia apologises for imposing antisemitic laws during the Second World War
This week, Slovakia’s Government apologised for imposing antisemitic laws during the Second World War.
Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of the adoption of the Order on the Legal Status of Jews, also known as the “Jewish Code”, a policy that limited the civil, social, religious, and property-related rights of Jewish citizens.
The Slovakian Government released a statement on Wednesday that said: “The Slovak cabinet feels a moral duty to publicly express regret over the crimes committed by the ruling power of that time, especially over adopting a condemnable regulation restricting the fundamental human rights and freedoms of citizens of Jewish origin on September 9, 1941.”
Slovakia adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism last year.
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.
In fawning obituary, The Guardian omits antisemitism of self-avowed antisemite
In a fawning obituary, The Guardian has omitted the antisemitic beliefs of self-avowed antisemite, Mikis Theodorakis.
Mr Theodorakis, the Greek composer known for writing the scores to Zobra the Greek and Serpico, said on television in 2011 that he was “anti-Israel and antisemitic.” He also said that “everything that happens today in the world has to do with the Zionists” and that “American Jews are behind the world economic crisis that has hit Greece also.” It was reported that in November 2003, he branded Jews “the root of evil” and in 2004, it was alleged that he claimed that Jews owned the world’s banks and media. Mr Theodorakis allegedly later apologised for these comments.
While The Guardian does not mention his self-reported hatred for Jews in its obituary of nearly 2000 words, it does describe his politics as “firebrand” that may have been “naïve”. The article also states that “he was criticised for his politics, his music, his private life,” but leaves out specifically Mr Theodorakis’ perpetuation of antisemitic conspiracy theories. The Times also produced an obituary but included the composer’s record of antisemitism.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Mikis Theodorakis was a self-described antisemite who unashamedly spouted racist rhetoric on television. It is inconceivable that The Guardian would omit his views were they directed at any other minority, and sadly unsurprising that it has whitewashed his self-confessed antisemitism. The newspaper must apologise and amend the obituary to give a fuller picture of Mr Theodorakis.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism monitors traditional media and regularly holds outlets to account. If members of the public are concerned about reportage in the media, they should contact us at [email protected]
Hundreds of Jewish graves smashed in Argentina
It has been reported that hundreds of Jewish graves have been smashed in Argentina.
The desecration that occurred at Buenos Aires’ Tablada Cemetery was discovered this past Sunday, only days before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The vandalism at the Jewish cemetery located in La Matanza, an eastern district of the Argentine capital, was condemned by AMIA, the umbrella of Jewish communities in Argentina.
The organisation also criticised the “neglect and lack of control” by law enforcement around the cemetery, and reiterated previous wishes of enhanced security to prevent other potential crimes. According to AMIA, robberies were also committed in addition to vandalism.
Police are investigating, but have not yet confirmed the motivation behind the act.
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.
Police search beach for stolen Torah scrolls in Long Island
On Tuesday, police divers searched the waters around a Long Island beach for Torah scrolls and artifacts that are believed to have been stolen.
A 23-year-old man was charged with burglary and other charges after two Torahs went missing from Chabad of the Beaches at Temple Beth El in Long Beach. The man, who was arrested by Long Beach police last month, was reportedly found naked, apart from wearing a Jewish prayer shawl, and was holding a spear.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said that he did not believe the incident to be caused by antisemitic intent, and noted that the man appeared to be under mental distress. Commissioner Ryder said: “There is a rise of antisemitism around the country, but not so much in Nassau County and we want to keep it that way.”
The man is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
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.
Outrageous website that compares Israeli policies to the Holocaust attacks CAA
An outrageous website that compares Israeli policies to the Holocaust has now chosen to attack Campaign Against Antisemitism.
Shoah.org.uk, a website that launched in 2011 and joined Twitter earlier this year, says that its “aim is to give a voice to the millions of ordinary people around the word who want to end to the ‘Zio-Nazi’ oppression, environmental destruction of Palestine.”
The Shoah is the Hebrew name of the Holocaust, the genocide of six million Jewish men, women and children at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators.
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.
It is believed that the website is managed by Sammi Ibrahem, a former council candidate for the Birmingham Workers Party and may now be a member of the Communist Party. He has also reportedly been praised by the antisemite Gilad Atzmon, who has previously been forced to make a humiliating apology to Campaign Against Antisemitism following defamation proceedings.
According to the JC, a Twitter profile with a picture matching the logo of the website tweeted last year: “inshalla [G-d-willing] we see another Holocaust so will be no Zionist at all [sic].”
The website reportedly responded to the JC’s request for comment saying: “The views in our articles are those of the authors and not necessarily reflect those of shoah.org.uk.”
This week, the website republished an article recycling criticisms of Campaign Against Antisemitism common on the far-left. The article was originally published in 2018 on a different website.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is sometimes said that one is known by one’s adversaries. If our organisation is despised by people who equate Israel with Nazis, make light of the Holocaust and fraternise with those who call for another genocide of the Jewish people, then we must be doing something right.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Aristocrat Piers Portman convicted of calling CAA Chief Executive “Jewish scum”
The Hon. Piers Portman, the youngest living son of the 9th Viscount Portman and heir to 110 acres of West End real estate, has been found guilty of calling Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chief Executive “Jewish scum” in a confrontation at a courthouse in 2018.
Mr Portman, 50, was prosecuted after approaching Gideon Falter, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Chief Executive, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 14th June 2018 following the sentencing of Alison Chabloz, a notorious Holocaust denier and antisemite. Campaign Against Antisemitism had brought a private prosecution against Ms Chabloz which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) took over, and which ultimately led to a conviction and landmark legal precedent. Mr Falter had testified against Ms Chabloz, who has since been repeatedly sent to prison over her antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust and claiming that Holocaust survivors had invented their suffering for financial gain.
Mr Portman followed Mr Falter out of the courtroom and confronted him in the lobby of the court building. He extended his hand to Mr Falter, who refused to shake it because the building was filled with what he told Southwark Crown Court was a “Who’s Who of Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis and far-right extremists”. As Mr Portman extended his hand, Mr Falter replied, concerned that Mr Portman might be part of Ms Chabloz’s entourage: “I’m very sorry but I can’t shake your hand because I don’t know who you are.”
At this point, Southwark Crown Court heard that Mr Portman became “very enraged”, coming close to Mr Falter and saying: “I’m Piers Portman. I have written to you before. Come after me, you Jewish scum. Come and persecute me. Come and get me.” Mr Portman was then told to leave by security staff at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. When police arrived, Mr Portman had left the area.
Campaign Against Antisemitism then checked our systems for e-mails received from anyone with the name Piers Portman, finding a 1,527-word screed in which Mr Portman denounced his former wife and her divorce lawyer, Baroness Fiona Shackleton each as a “greedy, grasping and lying manipulator of the system that happens to be Jewish.” He accused his former wife of “playing the Talmud inspired ‘Tyrant posing as a victim.’” Noting that he had a “Harrow Public School education”, Mr Portman defended the term “Holohoax”, writing that “I fail to see how the fabricated word has anything to do with hating anyone. Surely it is merely an expression created by people that believe they have been lied to,” and questioning how the terms “Jew” and “Jewboy” could be antisemitic.
He concluded his e-mail by taunting Campaign Against Antisemitism to “Come and pick on me…come and have a do with me…come and perform your charity on me.”
Under cross examination by Crown Prosecutor Notu Hoon, Mr Portman said that he had been attending Ms Chabloz’s case — the only criminal proceedings he said he had attended — in order to “learn more about my own circumstances”, claiming that he was being “persecuted by Jewish tyrants posing as victims”.
Mr Portman claimed that he felt that the conviction in June 2018 of Ms Chabloz was “unfair”. Ms Chabloz, who has been imprisoned over various crimes since, had been convicted on that occasion over songs in which she claimed: “Now Auschwitz, holy temple, is a theme park just for fools, the gassing zone a proven hoax, indoctrination rules.” In another lyric referring to Jews, she sang: “History repeats itself, no limit to our wealth, thanks to your debts we’re bleeding you dry. We control your media, control all your books and TV, with the daily lies we’re feeding.”
At one point during his testimony, His Honour Justice Gregory Perrins had to tell Mr Portman to stop talking about his divorce from his ex-wife as he was breaching a court injunction against doing so.
Mr Portman hired one of the UK’s most expensive criminal barristers, Lewis Powers QC to defend him. Mr Powers at one point was called out by the judge over his baseless statements to the jury. The defence case was that Mr Falter and a colleague, Mr Orkin, had in fact “fabricated” the fact that Mr Portman had said “Jewish scum”.
Mr Portman was accompanied throughout the proceedings by conspiracy theorist Matthew Delooze, who appeared to be his only supporter in the public gallery. Mr Delooze is the author of various essays entitled: “The Conspiracy to Rule the World: From 911 to the Illuminati” and “Reasons To Believe We Are Enslaved By The Serpent”.
In a majority verdict, ten out of twelve jurors at Southwark Crown Court today found Mr Portman guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm and distress. Mr Portman will be sentenced next month.
His Honour Justice Perrins warned: “I am not ruling any sentence out”. The CPS has confirmed that it will be seeking a hate crime sentence uplift.
Campaign Against Antisemitism wishes to thank the Community Security Trust (CST) for once again providing specialist protection officers to keep our personnel safe at court.
Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This is a good result for British justice and British Jews. This despicable, unrepentant antisemite instructed his lawyer to tell the court that he is an honourable man being framed by lying Jews. The jury saw straight through Mr Portman, whose hatred of Jews speaks for itself. This verdict reaffirms my belief in the justice system of our country. It shows that even the wealthiest and most privileged cannot escape British justice and will face the consequences of their anti-Jewish racism.”
Sati Dhadda, from the CPS, said: “Antisemitism has no place in our society and will not be tolerated. Piers Portman’s conduct was disgraceful and utterly audacious in a courthouse. No-one should be subjected to such abuse based on their race or religion.”
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: Piers Portman, right, leaves Southwark Crown Court with conspiracy theorist Matthew Delooze
Israeli tourist assaulted and hospitalised in Pisa, Italy after being told Jews “were killers”
Italian Police are investigating an incident in which an Israeli tourist visiting Pisa was assaulted, suffering head injuries.
On 31st August, Elad Forgash was shopping for souvenirs in the Tuscan city and was chatting to the sales assistant. Mr Forgash said that after telling the man that he was from Israel, the man allegedly said that he “hated Israel and the Jews because they were killers.”
Mr Forgash said that he remained calm, merely handing back the sculptures and saying he would “rather not buy from him.” Mr Forgash said the man then hit over the head with the sculptures.
“Luckily, there were tourists who filmed him,” said Mr Forgash. Police arrived and an ambulance took him to hospital. He reported suffering a fractured eye socket and a broken nose, which he said would need surgery in Israel.
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.
Why on earth is this auction house selling Nazi medals, weapons, books, uniforms, badges, cutlery and other memorabilia?
Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to Tennants auctioneers over its sale of a trove of Nazi memorabilia, including medals, weapons, books, uniforms, badges and cutlery.
Tennants describes itself as “the UK’s largest family-owned fine art auctioneers, and a market leader with offices in North Yorkshire and London.”
As the company claims that it “has the knowledge and experience clients can trust,” it cannot rely on ignorance to explain how it has come to be selling numerous Third Reich artefacts, including a tin of Third Reich machine gun magazines for £120-£180, a Third Reich SS Officer’s visor cap for £800-£900, a collection of Nazi medals for £100-£150, two Nazi Party badges for £100-£150, a “small quantity of German Third Reich related books” for £60-£80, various articles of Waffen-SS uniforms and a lot more.
Recently, a BBC Bargain Hunt expert apologised after it was revealed that Nazi memorabilia was due to be sold at his auction house.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These items belong in a museum, not in the hands of sick collectors acquiring them from an auction house that stands to pocket thousands of pounds from these sales. We shall be writing to the auctioneers to inquire why it is offering for sale memorabilia and mementos from a genocide.”
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.
“Jew process” councillor and leading union boss reportedly receive warnings of auto-expulsion from Labour Party
A controversial councillor infamous for using the term “Jew process” and a leading union boss have reportedly received warnings of auto-expulsion from the Labour Party.
Jo Bird, a councillor for the Bromborough Ward on Wirral Council, reportedly faces expulsion due to her alleged association with antisemitism-denial group Labour Against the Witchhunt, a faction that Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved to proscribe several weeks ago. Last month its members began receiving letters of automatic expulsion.
Cllr Bird re-joined the Labour Party in 2015, when Jeremy Corbyn was running for the Party’s leadership, and has a long history of controversy relating to Jews, including renaming ‘due process’ in the Labour Party as “Jew process”, for which she was suspended. She was suspended a second time but was readmitted on both occasions. She was apparently investigated for a third time after reportedly suggesting that antisemitism is being privileged over other forms of racism.
Cllr Bird is also a member of Jewish Voice for Labour, the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, and she has described Labour’s institutional antisemitism as based on mere “accusations, witch-huntery and allegations without evidence”. She failed in her bid for election to the NEC, and had been tipped to succeed Dame Louise Ellman, a Jewish MP who quit Labour prior to the election due to antisemitism, as the MP for the constituency.
Cllr Bird apparently intends to appeal the possibility of expulsion.
Recently, it was reported that Labour Against the Witchhunt suggested to its members that they may lie about their political affiliation to avoid being kicked out of the Labour Party, although there is no evidence to indicate that Cllr Bird will avail herself of this advice. Indeed, she has reportedly expressed her pride at speaking at a Labour Against the Witchhunt event.
Also reportedly facing expulsion for alleged association with a proscribed group is Ian Hodson, the elected president of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU). The union has 17,000 members and is apparently threatening to break away from the Party in protest at the threat to its boss.
It has not been reported which of the banned factions – Labour Against the Witchhunt, the disgraced former Labour MP Chris Williamson’s Resist group, Socialist Appeal and Labour In Exile Network – he is alleged to be associated with. However, it has been reported that in 2017 Mr Hodson promoted an article that claimed that Labour’s Jewish affiliate had been “implicated” in the “efforts of the Israeli embassy to damage a Corbyn-led Labour Party with confected allegations of antisemitism.”
It has also been reported that a criminal defence solicitor and Campaigns Officer at Liverpool Riverside Constituency Labour Party has been suspended from the Labour Party for 24 months following an investigation into allegations involving antisemitism.
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.
Suspect appears in court over series of Stamford Hill assaults
A 28-year-old man has appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court accused of attacking five people in Stamford Hill last month.
Abdullah Qureshi, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, has been charged with one count of racially or religiously aggravated wounding or grievous bodily harm, four counts of racially or religiously aggravated common assault and one count of racially or religious aggravated criminal damage.
The charges relate to five incidents on 18th August investigated by Metropolitan Police’s Central East Command Unit. Groups including Campaign Against Antisemitism and Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, put out witness appeals following the incidents, as three of the five alleged incidents were caught on video.
In one incident at 18:41, an Orthodox Jewish man was struck in the face with what appeared to be a bottle. In another at 19:10, a child was slapped on the back of the head, and in yet another at 20:30, a 64-year-old victim was struck and left unconscious on the ground, suffering facial injuries and a broken ankle.
It is understood that two further incidents have been alleged.
A trial has been scheduled for 1st October at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These attacks were not ‘random’ in the usual sense: these victims were chosen because they are Jews. We applaud the police for their swift investigation and expect the authorities to ensure that justice is done for the victims of these violent hate crimes.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
Head of UNRWA grilled over alleged antisemitism and incitement to Jihad in textbooks
Philippe Lazzarini, the Head of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), was told last week by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to take “concrete steps” towards reform following allegations that textbooks used in UNRWA schools contained antisemitism, incitement to Jihad and the rejection of peace-making.
At a hearing of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET), Mr Lazzarini claimed UNRWA had revised the textbooks following the allegations of antisemitism and other problematic content, revealed by a recent report from educational monitoring organisation IMPACT-se, as reported by CAA.
Mr Lazzarini’s acknowledged that “there are a number of issues needing to be addressed” but this did not satisfy MEPs. Germany’s Dietmar Köster said UNRWA had “admitted” that “its own education directors” had produced educational material between March and November 2020 “branded with UNRWA logo” that “incites to violence, calls for jihad and rejects peace-making.”
Spanish MEP Jose Ramon Bauza Diaz, said “mentions of terrorism in certain texts” made it “very serious” if European taxpayers’ money was used “to pay for encouragement of terrorism or to foster corruption.”
Slovak MEP Miriam Lexmann, demanded to know “what concrete steps” Mr Lazzarini had taken. “What has been done to collect these materials back from 320,000 students,” she asked. “We know if these books remain with the students, they will create further damage.” Ms Lexmann also recalled that a U.S. State Department report on UNRWA said that UNRWA teachers had “refused to take part in training for tolerance and conflict resolution.”
Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen said the recent IMPACT-se report showed that “in the new textbooks of UNRWA” there was “daily mention of violence, rejection of peace and denial of the legitimacy of Israel.” Mr Ruissen added: “I think there is a question of how long we can tolerate this.”
The European Union is UNRWA’s largest institutional donor. Earlier this year, it passed a resolution condemning UNRWA and demanding that problematic material be “removed immediately.” In doing so, it became the first legislature to censure UNRWA over alleged teaching of hate and incitement to violence. The European Commissioner for UNRWA aid also said earlier this year, that there was “a need” for reform in Palestinian education and called on the EU to consider making aid to the education sector conditional on “full adherence to UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, co-existence [and] non-violence.”
A cross-party group of 26 MEPs from sixteen countries also called for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to investigate UNRWA, created to aid Palestinians, and to take disciplinary action against it over its alleged teaching of 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.
Ben & Jerry’s Chair accused of self-dealing as her institution is revealed to support groups that refuse to sign anti-terror clauses that would prohibit funds going to antisemitic terrorist groups
The Chair of the Board of ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings Inc., is embroiled in a financial scandal alleged to involve antisemitic terrorist groups.
Anuradha Mittal, who has been Chair of Ben & Jerry’s since 2008, has a history of defending the antisemitic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and is claimed to be behind the company’s recent boycott of Jewish Israeli communities across the Green Line (the 1949 armistice line) as part of the BDS campaign.
However, Ms Mittal is now facing an allegation of self-dealing. A complaint by a watchdog to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) alleges that Ben & Jerry’s charitable foundation, of which Ms Mittal is Vice President, donated over $100,000 between 2017 and 2018 to the Oakland Institute, where Ms Mittal is the Executive Director and allegedly the sole salaried employee.
According to IRS filings, Ms Mittal was paid a salary of $156,000 by the Oakland Institute over the same period that Ben & Jerry’s charitable foundation donated $104,000 to the California-based institution.
It is understood that part of the Ben & Jerry’s contribution funded the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, a group that last year had its EU funding pulled after it refused to sign an ‘anti-terror’ clause in its funding contract that would bar it from diverting any of the EU’s funds to antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hizballah.
An overwhelming majority of British Jews find the tactics of the BDS movement—the campaign to boycott the Jewish state—intimidating.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist us with this project.
Outrage over council leader’s refusal to act against fellow councillor’s anti-Israel rally that featured swastika placard and antisemitic chanting
The Leader of Calderdale Council has refused to act against a fellow councillor who organised an anti-Israel rally last month, where it was reported that antisemitic chanting and a sign bearing a swastika were present, causing outrage.
Labour Party Cllr Tim Swift was urged by members from both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to take action against councillor and Cabinet member Jenny Lynn, who organised the event in Halifax, and who was allegedly filmed raising her fist in the air while the crowd chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
The chant, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state – and its replacement with a State of Palestine – and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination.
It was also said that a sign depicting swastikas alongside former Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on a wanted poster was present.
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, which Calderdale Council has adopted, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” and “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” are both examples of antisemitism.
It is understood that one of the invited speakers at the event was the disgraced conspiracy theorist Rev. Dr Stephen Sizer who, in 2015, was ordered by the Church of England to stop using social media after he claimed that an Israeli conspiracy was behind 9/11, which the Church denounced as “clearly antisemitic”.
Holly Lynch, the Labour MP representing Halifax, was also due to speak but said on Twitter that “upon seeing the speaker list” for the rally, she was “very clear” that she would “not share a platform with one of the speakers” and refused to attend.
Mr Swift was contacted by Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Baker and Conservative group leader Steven Leigh, who both urged him to take action.
Cllr Baker said: “Last year the whole council agreed to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Some of the views expressed by speakers at this event would clearly be seen as antisemitism under this definition. We are pleased to see Holly did not share a platform with them but it’s not acceptable that a Labour councillor and Cabinet member was involved in organising this.”
Ms Lynn appeared to deny any wrongdoing, stating: “There is nothing incompatible about my role as chair of a community based organisation – Halifax Friends of Palestine – and my role in supporting all our communities and I will stand on my record on that. There is nothing antisemitic about standing up for the rights of Palestinian people.”
Lord Austin, an honorary patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism who quit the Labour Party in opposition to antisemitism, said: “Of course Cllr Lynn cannot be the Cabinet member for Communities and take part in events like this. The council leader needs to act.”
However, Mr Swift declined to take action on Cllr Lynn, saying that “Councillor Lynn has a long track record of working for equality and cohesion in Calderdale, both as a community activist and a councillor, and has a proven record of working in harmony with people of all faiths and none”.
In July, Hastings Council reportedly refused to condemn the same antisemitic “from the river to the sea” chant.
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.
Image credit: Twitter via the JC
Austria records its highest number of antisemitic incidents in last twenty years
A Jewish group in Austria has reported that this year, it has received its highest number of recorded antisemitic incidents for the last twenty years.
The report, conducted by the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), also found that the 562 recorded antisemitic incidents in the first half of 2021 had more than doubled since the first half of 2020, which produced 257, and was only marginally less than the 585 recorded incidents for the whole of last year.
The incidents of antisemitism included 58 cases of damage to property, such as antisemitic graffiti, along with eleven threats and eight physical attacks.
Oskar Deutsch, President of the Jewish community of Vienna, said: “Even if the numbers seem catastrophic at first glance, they do reflect reality. We rely on the cooperation with civil society, politics and the authorities in order to continue to secure self-confident Jewish life.”
The influx is believed to be in part due to both the rise of anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks, which have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes, and the clashes between Israel and the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Hamas, back in May.
Approximately half of these incidents’ perpetrators were believed to have been motivated by right-wing ideologies, about 100 by left-wing motives, and 71 cases were alleged to have had Muslim involvement.
“The sharp increase in the number of antisemitic incidents in Austria unfortunately confirms to me that we must continue the fight against antisemitism consistently and uncompromisingly,” said Wolfgang Sobotka, President of the Austrian National Council. He added: “It is a shame that the number of attacks, threats and insults against Jewish fellow citizens is increasing more and more.”
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 deeply troubled by policies of Scottish Greens, now in Scottish Government, who believe Zionism is a “racist ideology”, oppose ‘aliyah’ and want Hamas taken off list of terrorist groups
Campaign Against Antisemitism is deeply troubled by certain policies of the Scottish Greens, the Green Party’s branch in Scotland which as of this week sits in the Scottish Government.
In 2015, the Scottish Greens adopted Policy Motion 2 (which has never been rescinded), which “condemn[ed] Israel’s claim to be ‘the Jewish State’” and “condemn[ed] Zionism as a racist ideology based on Jewish supremacy in Palestine.” The motion went on to declare that “Israel’s claim to be a Jewish and democratic state, the home of all Jews in which non-Jews have inferior rights, constitutes apartheid and is unacceptable. It is not supported by the Scottish Green Party.”
The Party also “call[s] on Israel to repeal its ‘law of return’ as this is incompatible with the full exercise of human rights and is discriminatory” and the Scottish Greens pledge to “work towards…repeal of Israel’s law of return (Aliyah).”
The motion also called for “the removal of Hamas from the designation as a terrorist organisation” and supported the BDS movement—the campaign to boycott the Jewish state—the tactics of which an overwhelming majority of British Jews find intimidating.
Hamas is an antisemitic genocidal terrorist organisation, and Campaign Against Antisemitism has written to the Home Secretary calling on her to proscribe Hamas in full, and has urged all MPs to do the same.
The debate on Policy Motion 2 was held on a Saturday, when observant Jews would be unable to participate, and it passed easily. It became Party policy and remains so even as the Scottish Greens join the Scottish devolved Government for the first time. Indeed, it is the first time that a Green Party has joined any Government in the United Kingdom.
Recently, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who invited the Scottish Greens into her administration, sought to reassure the Jewish community that she is “committed to tackling” antisemitism after the recent surge in racism against Jews in the UK. The Scottish Greens are currently led by Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.
Although the agreement between Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP and the Scottish Greens excludes international relations, as one journalist has pointed out this is the worst of both worlds, as it means that the two parties and their politicians can speak freely on the subject, allowing the Scottish Greens to promote their Party’s positions without the hindrance of collective responsibility.
Joe Glasman, Head of Political Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “The positions adopted by the Scottish Greens in 2015 and not since rescinded are abhorrent to British Jews and to opponents of antisemitism everywhere. All decent Scots will have been appalled by the surge in racism against the Jewish community during the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel, which saw demonstrations featuring antisemitic chanting and the display of the Hamas insignia. Now, as campaigns for Hamas to be proscribed in full by the British Government are in full swing, a Party whose stated policy is the very opposite now sits in the Scottish Government.
“The Party’s rise to national prominence in Scotland demands immediate review of its position on Zionism, ‘aliyah’ and Hamas. With the privilege of participation in national government comes the responsibility to govern on behalf of all Scotland, including its minorities.
“Nicola Sturgeon, who invited the Scottish Greens into her administration, must also urgently clarify the policy of the Scottish Government. If she fails to control the extremist elements of her new governing partner, she will be to blame for elevating those views into Scotland’s national conversation and giving such views standing within the UK polity.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has extensively documented alleged antisemitism among officers of the Green Party of England and Wales, including the Party’s former Equalities and Diversity Coordinator who now holds the International Coordinator portfolio, on which the Green Party has failed to act. We are also monitoring the Greens’ leadership primary, where differences on whether and how to address antisemitism have arisen.
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.
Harry Kane suffers antisemitic abuse while black England players also on receiving end of racist chanting at qualifier match in Hungary
Harry Kane, the captain of England’s football team, has reported that he suffered antisemitic abuse at a match in Hungary yesterday.
England defeated Hungary 4-0 in the Budapest qualifier match for the World Cup, with Mr Kane, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, reporting that he received antisemitic abuse at the game, possibly due his connection with his Premier League club’s long association with Jewish fans.
Mr Kane called on UEFA, the umbrella body for European football, to take action in response to the appalling abuse that he and his teammates received, particularly England’s black players.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called on FIFA, football’s global body, to “take strong action” against those attendees at the match who behaved shamefully.
Mr Kane has previously suffered antisemitic abuse in England.
Antisemitism and racism have no place in sport, which should bring nations, communities, ethnicities and those of all faiths and none together.
English football’s governing body, the Football Association (FA), has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.
Arrest made in connection with series of violent assaults in Stamford Hill
A 28-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a series of assaults in Stamford Hill on 18th August.
The Metropolitan Police’s Central East Command Unit has been investigating, with groups including Campaign Against Antisemitism and Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, putting out witness appeals.
The suspect is being held at an East London police station on suspicion of five racially aggravated assaults.
Three of the five alleged incidents were caught on video, including one at 18:41 when an Orthodox Jewish man was struck in the face with what appeared to be a bottle, another at 19:10, when a child was slapped on the back of the head, and yet another at 20:30, when a 64-year-old victim was struck and left unconscious on the ground, suffering facial injuries and a broken ankle.
It is understood that two further incidents have been alleged, but the victims have not yet contacted the police directly.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These attacks were not ‘random’ in the usual sense: these victims were chosen because they are Jews. We applaud the police for their swift investigation and expect the authorities to ensure that justice is done for the victims of these violent hate crimes.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
70 Jewish U.S. State Department officials urge Secretary of State to fire “openly antisemitic” employee
A group of 70 Jewish officials from the United States Department of State has urged the Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is also Jewish, to fire an “openly antisemitic” employee.
This is the second time this year that the Secretary of State has been called upon to fire Fritz Berggren, a Foreign Service officer at the State Department, who allegedly has a long history of posting antisemitism material online, including calling Jews a “brood of vipers” and “the founders of the original Anti-Christ religion.”
Mr Berggren’s posts allegedly also advocate a white supremacist ideology. They have included: “Europeans must reclaim their blood and faith”; “The revival of Christian nation-states is required for the advancement of Truth”; and “…the world cheers the elimination of White culture from whole regions of the earth” which “will not stop until White people stop it.”
The group of Jewish officials penned a letter to Secretary Blinken on 28th July, in which they said: “Unfortunately, there is an openly antisemitic Department employee who continues to have a home in our midst. Foreign Service Officer Fritz Berggren, currently stationed in Washington, regularly posts virulent antisemitic content on his personal website bloodandfaith.com. He has written that ‘Jewish ideas poison people,’ that ‘Jews think all non-Jews are made to serve them,’ and that ‘Satan led the Jews astray as they elevated their ‘traditions’ over the commandments of God,’ to give just a small selection of his abhorrent writings.”
Referring to the swastika that was carved into a wall in the State Department in July, the group said that while there is no evidence that Mr Berggren was responsible for the act, it stated that “his continued employment with seemingly no consequences sends a message of impunity that has undoubtedly contributed to the atmosphere in which someone would dare to do such a thing.”
The officials argued that Mr Berggren “must be held accountable as an employee spewing hate speech directed against Jews” and that “his continued employment is an affront to all of us and the values we share.” Alleging that the Foreign Service officer had been posting antisemitic content since 2017, the group said that “not only is his propagation of antisemitic ideas highly disturbing and offensive to Jewish and non-Jewish employees alike, but as Jewish employees, we feel his presence at the Department is threatening.” It added: “The connection between beliefs and his presence at the Department is threatening. The connection between beliefs and action sis [sic] real and has been proven time and again, and someone who spews such vile thoughts may soon act on them.”
The group acknowledged that “there may be HR processes underway” and that Secretary Blinken would not be able to share any progress that may have been made, but went on to state that it believed that the “only appropriate personnel action is his separation from the Department”. The group said: “No one who so openly and unabashedly promotes these ideas should have a home here, and we believe the Department’s own regulations give ample opportunity to make a case that would result in Berggren’s separation.”
Secretary Blinken responded to the group on 9th August, writing: “I want to assure you that the Department treats reports of alleged misconduct with the utmost seriousness.” Stating that he could not comment on specific cases “for privacy reasons”, the Secretary of State added that employees who displayed discriminatory actions could face disciplinary charges “up to and including separation when warranted.”
Mr Berggren, posting the full letter on his website, responded in a blog post on Tuesday that said: “I am heartened to know that I have Jewish readers — I truly hope that they, like Saul, come to know Jesus Christ as literally the Son of God. Saul, renamed Paul, converted and began preaching the message: Jesus is the Son of God! If even one Jew or Gentile is converted then it is well worth the trouble.”
In another blog post published today, titled “Prissy Girls and Diplomats”, Mr Berggren wrote: “I feel like I’m in junior high school again listening to prissy girls whining about the boy who said bad words…I’m the naughty-words boy. I say things that are ‘sexist, racist, homophobic, queerphobic, transphobic, intolerant, divisive, and antisemitic.’ The girls can’t believe someone like me exists. Their pony tails unravel, they stutter, their fancy shoes fall off. I’ve violated their high-minded moralities. ‘What is to be done!’ they shriek…Ugh. This generation owes an apology to the Puritans.”
He added: “Americans have to stop being afraid…One can sense the delicate change of tide in the country. We are finding our voice again. From military officers to policemen, atheists to Neo-pagans, Christians to Jews, homosexuals, teachers, doctors, and moms, Blacks, Hispanics, Whites…we are sick of being told what we can say and can’t say.”
In June, Secretary Blinken called for reforms of UNRWA textbooks including “taking steps to ensure the content of all educational materials currently taught in UNRWA-administered schools and summer camps is consistent with the values of human rights and tolerance and does not induce incitement.” He stated that UNRWA “disseminates antisemitic and anti-Israel material in its curricula,” and advised that the State Department would be “looking very, very carefully” at the processes UNRWA uses to deal with hateful educational materials.
Last month, The Chinese state news agency, Xinhua News, was condemned for posting an “antisemitic” cartoon of Secretary Blinken.
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.
BBC Bargain Hunt expert apologises for sale of Nazi memorabilia at his auction house
BBC Bargain Hunt expert Tim Weeks has apologised after it was revealed that Nazi memorabilia was due to be sold at his auction house.
Some of the items that were listed in Mr Weeks’ Wessex Auction Rooms auction included a £2,000 Third Reich banner, a £300 swastika and a collection of badges. The items have since been removed from the auction which is being held today.
Mr Weeks apologised for the incident, stating: “Upon learning that a number of Third Reich items are listed for auction I have contacted the head of our militaria department to withdraw them immediately from sale as we would never wish to cause any offence. We apologise if any has unintentionally been caused.”
Victoria becomes first Australian state to ban display of Nazi symbols
Victoria is expected to become the first Australian state to ban the display of Nazi symbols, it was announced today.
The proposed law is expected to come into effect during the first half of next year and would ban the public display of swastikas and other Nazi symbols, but not for educational or historical purposes.
Jaclyn Symes, the State of Victoria’s Attorney-General, said that the move would “send a strong signal” to Victorians, adding: “This abhorrent behaviour has no place in our state. The fact that you’re having to ban something that shouldn’t be happening in 2021 is quite sad, but it’s necessary.”
The announcement comes weeks after the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, condemned antisemitism in the Australian State of Victoria as “unacceptable and evil”.
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.
Hours after coming under fire, Greece’s new Health Minister apologises for inflammatory Auschwitz comment from 2009
Hours after coming under fire for inflammatory comments he made in 2009 when defending his father who was accused of inciting racism, Greece’s new Health Minister has apologised.
Thanos Plevris, a lawyer who is reported to have a “far-right, anti-immigrant and extremist background”, became Greece’s new Health Minister on Tuesday. However, The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) expressed concern regarding this new appointment owing to Mr Plevris’ 2009 comments during a trial in which he was defending his father, who said that Auschwitz concentration camp should be kept in “good conditions” so that it may be used again.
The KIS issued a statement demanding an apology for the comments Mr Plevris made before the Greek Court of Justice, where he reportedly said: “I will refer to issues that have puzzled you. You are concerned about the reference to Auschwitz. The one that says ‘to keep the camp of Auschwitz in good conditions’. I will examine the most extreme interpretation. That the defendant with this reference means: ‘Keep the camp of Auschwitz in good conditions because I want, at some point, the national socialist regime to come back, Hitler to come back, take the Jews and put them in Auschwitz’. What kind of instigation is this? What incitement is this? Is it that one is not allowed to believe and want to believe that ‘I want to exterminate someone’?”
The KIS continued: “We expect Mr. Thanos Plevris to apologise to the Jewish people for this reference and express his unequivocal condemnation of intolerance, antisemitism and Holocaust denialists, conforming with the declared positions of the Greek prime minister. We also hope that the new minister will address all citizens equally, regardless of skin colour, race or religion.”
Hours later, Mr Plevris stated that the KIS’ concerns were “understandable” and that he “fully disagrees” with his father’s views.
He added: “But I never wanted to insult the Jewish people, and I apologise if I did. I am certain that…as health minister, I will leave not the slightest grounds for reservation for those who doubt my respect for the Holocaust, and they will see that under no circumstances do I harbour antisemitic sentiments.”
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 Monkey” graffiti scrawled across bust of Italian anti-fascist
This week, a bust of the Italian anti-fascist Guglielmo Miliocchi was defaced with graffiti that says “Scimmia Ebrea” (Jewish Monkey).
The bust is located in the gardens next to the church of Sant’Ercolano in Perugia, in central Italy.
Andrea Romizi, Mayor of Perugia, said that there will be an investigation. A statement on the official website of Umbria, the region in which Perugia is the capital, said that “the vandalism was strongly condemned by the entire administration”.
It added: “It offends the Perugian community and will be the subject of a thorough investigation by the local police to reach the authors as soon as possible.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Image credit: StopAntisemitism.org
Founder of French far-right party faces trial after being charged with inciting antisemitic hatred
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the French far-right party National Front (now National Rally), faces trial after being charged with “inciting antisemitic hatred”.
The charge against Mr Le Pen originates from a 2014 video on the Party’s website, in which Mr Le Pen reportedly denounced several celebrities who disagreed with his political views. When asked about the French singer and actor Patrick Bruel, who is Jewish, Mr Le Pen seemingly mocked the Holocaust and Mr Bruel, saying: “I’m not surprised. Listen, next time we’ll do a whole oven batch!”
Mr Le Pen reportedly denied the allegation of Jew-hate, claiming that his comments carried no antisemitic messages “except for my political enemies or imbeciles”. It is understood that Frederic Joachim, Mr Le Pen’s lawyer, is seeking to have the charges dismissed. Mr Joachim reportedly said: “This case is based only on part of a phrase taken out of context.”
This is not the first time that Mr Le Pen has faced trial due to antisemitism-related comments. In 2018, France’s Court of Cassation upheld a conviction against Mr Le Pen for Holocaust denial after he said that the Holocaust was “a detail” of World War II. Subsequently, National Front’s Leader Marine Le Pen, the daughter of Mr Le Pen, expelled him from the Party.
In June, President Macron condemned antisemitism in an historic ten-minute long video address to the American Jewish Committee. Reiterating how important it was for France to have adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism, he went on to say that the Definition alone “is not enough”, and that France needs to strengthen their actions.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Greece’s new Health Minister comes under fire for inflammatory Auschwitz comment from 2009
Greece’s new Health Minister has come under fire for inflammatory comments he made in 2009 when defending a man accused of inciting racism.
Thanos Plevris, a lawyer who is reported to have a “far-right, anti-immigrant and extremist background”, became Greece’s new Health Minister on Tuesday. However, The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) expressed concern regarding this new appointment owing to Mr Plevris’ 2009 comments during a trial in which he was defending a man who said that Auschwitz concentration camp should be kept in “good conditions” so that it may be used again.
The KIS issued a statement demanding an apology for the comments Mr Plevris made before the Greek Court of Justice, where he reportedly said: “I will refer to issues that have puzzled you. You are concerned about the reference to Auschwitz. The one that says ‘to keep the camp of Auschwitz in good conditions’. I will examine the most extreme interpretation. That the defendant with this reference means: ‘Keep the camp of Auschwitz in good conditions because I want, at some point, the national socialist regime to come back, Hitler to come back, take the Jews and put them in Auschwitz’. What kind of instigation is this? What incitement is this? Is it that one is not allowed to believe and want to believe that ‘I want to exterminate someone’?”
The KIS continued: “We expect Mr. Thanos Plevris to apologise to the Jewish people for this reference and express his unequivocal condemnation of intolerance, antisemitism and Holocaust denialists, conforming with the declared positions of the Greek prime minister. We also hope that the new minister will address all citizens equally, regardless of skin colour, race or religion.”
Last month, the KIS condemned the vandalism of a Jewish grave in Ioannina, stating: “We strongly condemn this shameful act of sacrilege which indicates that the hatred of the perpetrators leads to villainous manifestations of violence and fanaticism…We call upon the competent authorities to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The Jewish cemetery of Ioannina is…a place of memory and cultural heritage for the city of Ioannina as a whole.”
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.
Quentin Tarantino says Hollywood made fun of 1980s Israeli directors “in an antisemitic way”
Quentin Tarantino has said that the Hollywood community made fun of two prominent Israeli directors “in an antisemitic way”.
Last week, the prolific director spoke in a Jerusalem Film Festival panel, where he expressed the admiration of both himself and his Pulp Fiction partner, Roger Avery, for Israeli directors Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus and their company, Cannon Films. “I loved Cannon Films in the ’80s. I was really enamoured with that company. We thought if we could meet Menahem and Yoram, they would give us a chance,” he said.
He added that “the American press and trade papers would make fun of them, the Hollywood community would make fun of them and not take them seriously and frankly, in an antisemitic way.” Mr Tarantino added: “What me and Roger saw were two guys trying to take on the industry, trying to take on Hollywood and make the movies they wanted to make.”
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.
Student who downloaded nearly 70,000 neo-Nazi and bomb-making documents spared jail, instead told to read classic literature
A former De Montfort University student who downloaded nearly 70,000 documents pertaining to neo-Nazism and bomb-making has been spared jail, and instead was told to read classic literature.
Ben John, 21, was convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court on 11th August of possessing information likely to be useful for preparing an act of terror – a charge that carries a maximum jail sentence of fifteen years.
Ben Lloyd, prosecuting, told the court at the sentencing yesterday that Mr John had previously failed to heed warnings by counter-terrorism officers.
The court heard that Mr John was labelled a terror risk only days after his eighteenth birthday. He was referred to the Government’s counter-terrorism scheme, Prevent, but continued to download “repellent” right-wing documents, which included the Anarchist Cookbook, a guide to making bombs and illegal drugs at home, written during the 1970s. The author of the book has since stated that he was motivated by anger at the time of writing and said that the “basic premise behind the Cookbook is profoundly flawed”.
In addition to this, the court also heard that in January 2018, Mr John had come to the attention of, and had meetings with, Prevent officers. In May 2018, Mr John wrote a letter called “Eternal Front”, where he claimed to be a member of the Lincolnshire Fascist Underground and railed against gay people and immigrants. This prompted further meetings with Prevent officers and a psychiatric evaluation.
It was said that by April 2019, Mr John had accumulated over 9,000 right-wing and terror-related documents, which by August 2019 had increased by 2,600. In January 2020, he was arrested and charged with offences under the Terrorism Act, including possessing documents on combat, homemade weapons and explosives.
Eventually, Mr John had collated 67,788 documents which contained a large quantity of National Socialist, white supremacist and antisemitic material, as well as information relating to a Satanic organisation.
Lincolnshire Police said that Mr John “had become part of the Extreme Right Wing (XRW) online, and was studying Criminology with Psychology in Leicester when he was arrested”.
Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands (CTP EM) Detective Inspector James Manning, who led the investigation in partnership with regional and national agencies, said: “The terrorist material he was found in possession of is extremely dangerous, and he acquired this to further his ideology. It indicates the threat that he and other followers of this hateful ideology pose to National Security. It was not light reading, or material most would concern themselves with for legitimate reasons. This has been a long and complex investigation over the course of eleven months.”
Judge Timothy Spencer QC said he believed that Mr John’s crime was likely to be an isolated incident and “an act of teenage folly”. He labelled Mr John as a “lonely individual with few if any true friends” who was “highly susceptible” to recruitment by others more prone to action. Judge Spencer went on to say that he was “not of the view that harm was likely to have been caused”.
However, stating that the material was “largely relating to Nazi, fascist and Adolf Hitler-inspired ideology” as well as “a substantial quantity of more contemporary material espousing extreme right-wing, white-supremacist material”, he rejected Mr John’s assertion at his trial that the material was “mere academic fascination”. “My view is that to a significant degree you have aligned with these ideologies and to a significant degree have adopted the views expressed as your own,” said the judge.
Harry Bentley, the barrister for Mr John, said that “violence is the necessary ingredient of terrorism. It is not the prosecution case he was planning a terrorist attack.” He added: “[Mr John] was fascinated by extreme right-wing views and shared those views himself. He was a young man who struggled with emotions, however he is plainly an intelligent young man and now has a greater insight. He is by no means a lost cause and is capable of living a normal, pro-social life.” Mr Bentley also said that the whole case was “really about not deleting items on a computer”, an argument which the judge dismissed as an “over-simplification” of the case.
Speaking directly to Mr John, Judge Spencer asked him: “Have you read Dickens? Austen? Start with Pride and Prejudice and Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.”
The judge told the defendant to “think about Hardy. Think about Trollope”, before adding: “On 4th January you will tell me what you have read and I will test you on it. I will test you and if I think you are [lying to] me you will suffer. I will be watching you, Ben John, every step of the way. If you let me down you know what will happen.”
“He has by the skin of his teeth avoided imprisonment,” the judge told Mr Bentley.
Mr John will have to return to Judge Spencer every four months in order to be tested on his reading. In addition, he was handed a two-year jail sentence suspended for two years plus a further year on licence, monitored by the probation service.
Mr John was also given a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order requiring him to stay in touch with the police and let them monitor his online activity and up to 30 days on a Healthy Identity Intervention programme.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is inexplicable that a man who collected nearly 70,000 neo-Nazi and terror-related documents could avoid a maximum jail term of fifteen years and leave court with no custodial sentence whatsoever. Instead, the judge has let off Ben John with a mere suspended sentence and some English homework. Yet for all the novels that the judge has ordered Mr John to peruse as he enjoys his unearned freedom, it was notable that Crime and Punishment was not among them. Perhaps the judge himself ought to review that classic as he reflects on the risk that his sentence poses to the public.”
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.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford to join Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Loach at The World Transformed event, while #ItWasAScam meme migrates from Twitter to Labour conference
The Welsh First Minister is under fire for agreeing to appear at an event with the suspended Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and the outspoken filmmaker Ken Loach, who was recently expelled from the Labour Party.
Mark Drakeford is among the speakers at The World Transformed event in Brighton next month, timed to coincide with the Labour Party conference being held in the city.
The ticketed event is billed as a “welcoming space for a new generation of young activists who supported Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership” but feel “increasingly alienated” by the Party under current leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party after downplaying the Party’s antisemitism crisis after the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) report. Campaign Against Antisemitism has two outstanding complaints with Labour against Mr Corbyn, who was permitted back into the Party but remains suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Mr Loach was recently expelled for his association with the newly-proscribed Labour Against the Witchhunt. The proscribed group intends to stage its own parallel events in Brighton as well.
The World Transformed event is also due to feature John McDonnell MP, the controversial former Shadow Chancellor who is also President of the Labour Representation Committee, as well as Zarah Sultana MP, who has a long record of inflammatory comments relating to the Jewish community and against whom Campaign Against Antisemitism has an outstanding complaint with the Party, and Jon Trickett MP, a close ally of Mr Corbyn’s.
Sir Keir has previously pledged to sanction Labour politicians and members who appeared on platforms with former members expelled in relation to antisemitism.
Meanwhile, at the conference itself, a number of activists have announced their intention to distribute pamphlets describing Labour’s antisemitism scandal as a “scam”. The suggestion that Jews concoct allegations of antisemitism for ulterior purposes is itself antisemitic and was recognised by the EHRC as an example of unlawful victimisation of Jewish people.
After the meme “#ItWasAScam” trended on Twitter – with the social media company predictably failing to do anything about it – the activists have produced a hard copy pamphlet that claims that “Antisemitism accusations have been used as a weapon against the Left” and declares that “the antisemitism smearing industry must now be held to account for its fraudulent accusations.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is extraordinary that the First Minister of one of the nations of this union could believe it appropriate to share a platform with figures like Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Loach. This year’s Labour Party conference will be one of the most important moments yet in Labour’s struggle against its own institutional antisemitism, with evidence mounting of how far antisemitism-deniers are prepared to go to prevent the Party making progress. Mark Drakeford’s decision will do nothing but undermine those in Labour trying to steer the Party back to its anti-racist roots.”
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.
Jewish hotel manager abused and assaulted in Italian lake resort
A 76-year-old Israeli man was physically assaulted and subjected to antisemitic abuse in the Italian resort of Sirmione.
Italian-born Eli Danzig, 76, is the manager of the kosher Olympic Hotel on the shores of Lake Garda and was reportedly assaulted and abused by the manager of a nearby hotel. The assailant allegedly called Mr Danzig “a s**t of a Jew” three times and spat in Mr Danzig’s face.
Mr Danzig was allegedly kneed in the groin and pushed to the ground. His assailant also allegedly called him a “dirty Jew” and said: “You tried to…take advantage of me like all Jews do.” When Mr Danzig managed to stand up, he was allegedly further assaulted and told “get out of here dirty Jew.”
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.
Doctor fired over posts accusing Israel of “genocide” and “cannibalism” files complaint for discrimination
A doctor fired from a leading American children’s hospital following social media posts in which she accused Israel of “genocide” and “cannibalism” has filed a formal complaint for discrimination with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, claiming she was “singled out” for her posts.
Dr Fidaa Wishah was fired after a screenshot was circulated online of a Facebook post in which she allegedly wrote that Palestinians would “expose the massacre and genocide you Zionists are proud of.”
Her post allegedly continued: “A state based on atrocity, inhumanity, racism and cannibalism never lasts long…Hey Israel…your end is coming sooner than you think.”
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour)” is an example of antisemitism.
The American website StopAntisemitism.org tweeted about the alleged posts. In response, Phoenix Children’s Hospital said that those in its care received “the best possible health care regardless of…religion…or national origin.” Subsequently, the hospital issued a statement saying that “after a thorough review of the facts” the doctor was “no longer providing care.”
Liora Rez, Executive Director of StopAntisemitism.org, issued a statement congratulating the hospital for “taking a brave step in fighting antisemitism” and for making sure their patients were “protected from hatred and bigotry.” She added that “when scrolling through Fidaa Wishah’s social media posts her disdain for the Jewish people” became “clear and undeniable.”
Dr Wishah’s complaint – filed with the Civil Rights Division of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office – alleges that she was subjected to “discrimination, retaliation, disparate treatment and unlawful termination.”
In the complaint, she claims that she was “singled out” over her posts and that “other employees who commented publicly about…human rights abuses” had not been fired.
Her posts, she claims, resulted from her “experiences as a Palestinian woman” but despite her “experiences” and views, she claimed she had “never discriminated against a Jewish person” in her personal or “professional life.”
She was suspended on 22nd June and fired the following day on what she calls “the pretext” that she “lacked professional judgement.” She went on to allege that the hospital acted on “racially and religiously motivated criticism” in firing her.
In a statement, Azza Abuseif, Executive Director of the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the hospital “jumped at the opportunity to destroy the livelihood of a Palestinian woman.”
Ms Abuseif claimed there was a “willful misrepresentation” of Dr Wishah’s statements and that the hospital’s response was “bigoted.”
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.
JVL’s Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi’s suspension from Labour Party is inexplicably lifted
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi has claimed that her suspension from the Labour Party has been lifted.
Ms Wimborne-Idrissi is the Media Officer of Jewish Voice for Labour, an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation. She was also previously the Vice-Chair of Chingford and Woodford Green Constituency Labour Party (CLP) before reportedly being removed earlier this year.
She was suspended from the Party, it is believed, following a rebellious meeting of her CLP late last year.
Ms Wimborne-Idrissi reports that a panel of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee has lifted her suspension but given her a “reminder of conduct”, which will remain on her Party record for twelve months. She described this sanction as “explicit threats to keep our heads down and stay in line – simply not acceptable in a party that claims to represent values of democracy, justice and freedom.”
In reality, the reminder of conduct is a slap on the wrist, and we agree with Ms Wimborne-Idrissi that it is an unacceptable outcome to the investigation into her conduct. However, we consider that much more stringent sanctions would have been appropriate for her and Jewish Voice for Labour.
Ms Wimborne-Idrissi reveals that one of the testimonials in her defence was provided by the controversial actress Miriam Margolyes, who has, for example, previously claimed that former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn was “forced” to resign due to “a conspiracy within the Party motivated from Israel”.
Ms Wimborne-Idrissi recently lost the first stage of a libel lawsuit brought by John Ware, the maker of the BBC Panorama documentary “Is Labour Antisemitic”.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Jewish Voice for Labour is an antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation. To give one of its leaders a mere ‘reminder of conduct’ is a slap on the wrist and entirely the wrong message to send to a faction that has no place in the Labour Party if it wants to return to its anti-racist roots.”
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.
Following Government inquiry, imam who labelled Israel a “terrorist state” and referred to “Jewish, Zionist politicians” is reinstated into counter-extremism role
An imam who labelled Israel a “terrorist state” and referred to “Jewish, Zionist politicians” in a speech has reportedly been reinstated into his counter-extremism role.
Mr Chishti co-founded the company Me and You Education, a partner of the Government’s counter-terrorism scheme, “Prevent”, where it is reported that Mr Chishti “fights radicalisation for up to £1,500 a day.”
During May’s conflict between Israel and Hamas, the antisemitic genocidal terrorist group, Imam Irfan Chishti, MBE made a speech in Rochdale, in which he reportedly said: “We ask you Allah that you accept every single shahid (martyr) who has given their life for Palestine.”
He allegedly added that Israel was “this terrorist state forcing terror upon our brothers and sisters” and that Muslims must be smart, as “our Jewish brethren” are “a lot smarter than us”.
He went on to say that Muslims knew “exactly the strategy that those Jewish, Zionist politicians are doing and we also know how to respond. It’s got to be long term, it’s got to be economic, it’s got to be with strategy.”
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.
Following this, the Home Secretary launched an inquiry into Mr Chishti, with the Home Office calling his comments “completely unacceptable” and warned they risked “damaging community relations and undermining Prevent’s important work.”
However, following the investigation, Mr Chishti has returned to his role.
When asked about his comments shortly after he made them, Mr Chishti said that he was “jolted” upon reading back his speech and admitted that he “could have chosen better and less equivocal words” to encourage “the expression of opinions”.
He added: “Some of my words reflect a clear error of judgment, in the heat of the moment and do not reflect my sentiments or the sentiments of the audience. I now appreciate that my ill-chosen words will have caused offence and hurt to the Jewish community and I tender my most profound apologies.”
Antisemitic abuse on the street leaves well-known Jewish journalist “shaken”
A well-known Jewish journalist was left “shaken” after being subjected to antisemitic abuse on Shabbat afternoon on his way to synagogue in North London.
James Marlow was holding a siddur when he was accosted by a passer-by described as “Asian”, according to the Jewish Weekly newspaper, for which Mr Marlow writes.
The incident came just hours after Mr Marlow was physically attacked on the way to a different synagogue that morning in Hendon by a woman on a scooter, who punched him, causing minor injuries. The police informed Mr Marlow that the woman is known to the force and has a medical condition.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
Image credit: Google
Controversial Warsaw art exhibition features artist previously jailed for placing swastikas at Jewish community centre
An art exhibition at a Polish state museum has been criticised for giving a platform to antisemitic and racist messages.
The “Political Art” exhibition at Warsaw’s Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art features the work of 30 artists in what organisers say is a celebration of free speech, a challenge to political correctness and the “cancel culture” of the left-wing.
Poland’s Jewish community has criticised the exhibition and strongly protested the inclusion of Swedish artist Dan Park, who was jailed in Sweden in 2009 for hate crimes. In an open letter to the museum’s Director, Piotr Bernatowicz, rabbis and Jewish leaders argued that promoting such artists offends “all people” in a country where “six million Polish citizens – half of whom were Jews – were murdered during World War II.”
Poland’s Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said that while free expression was “essential to a democratic society”, free expression “still has limits.”
The Warsaw art centre, which has showcased avant-garde art for 30 years, says that the “Political Art” exhibition provides a space for artists excluded elsewhere. It features works that use swastikas or other symbols rooted in the Holocaust in an apparently ironic way but the most controversial inclusion is Mr Park, who was jailed in Sweden after placing swastikas and boxes labelled “Zyklon B”, which was the gas used in the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust, outside a Jewish community centre in Malmo. Among works by Mr Park at the exhibition is a pastiche of an advertising poster that shows the Norwegian right-wing mass murderer Anders Breivik as a model for a well-known clothing brand.
Protesters carrying a large banner that read “State promotion of fascism” confronted Mr Park at the exhibition opening,
Museum director, Mr Bernatowicz, was appointed in 2019 by Poland’s Law and Justice Party. Since coming to power in 2015, the Party has been accused of using Poland’s cultural institutions to promote conservative values.
At a news conference, Mr Bernatowicz said that he acknowledged that some of the work was “provocative” and “controversial,” and that he could understand the position of the Jewish organisations, but that Jewish representatives should “see the exhibition” before condemning it. He added: “I am not creating a platform propagating any types of Nazi or neo-Nazi views.”
Mr Bernatowicz said that he was “creating a platform” for art to be expressed. At the news conference, several artists, including two Jewish artists, defended the exhibition as an important platform. Israeli artist Marc Provisor said that while he found some of the images “not only disturbing but offensive”, he thought that it was important for those who protested to view the exhibition to “see what disturbs you.”
Separately, an anti-fascist network in Poland condemned “the attempts to use Polish art institutions to platform artists infamous for their neo-Nazi sympathies.”
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.
New FBI report reveals that of all reported hate crimes committed in 2020 against a religious minority in America, almost 60% were against Jews, consistent with previous year
A new report on hate crimes released this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has shown that 57.5% of hate crimes against a religious minority in the United States are “motivated by offenders’ anti-Jewish bias”.
Given that Jews represent only around 2% of the entire population of the United States, this figure is remarkable. It is also consistent with the figures for 2019, which showed that 60.2% of reported hate crimes motivated by religious bias were against Jews.
It is notable that these figures reflect only reported hate crimes; many antisemitic crimes, however, go unreported. Moreover, the FBI only records hate crimes against Jews as motivated by religious bias rather than racial or ethnic bias.
In light of these figures, it is vital that federal and state authorities take antisemitism seriously, particularly given the surge in antisemitic hate in 2021.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist us with this project.
Canadian university plans course on antisemitism taught by academic who tweeted “Zionist pig” and that Jews had “actively contributed” to “genocide”
The University of Victoria in the Canadian province of British Columbia is planning a course on antisemitism to be taught by academic Shamma Boyarin, who has allegedly posted tweets calling a former ADL President a “Zionist pig” and claiming that Jews had “actively contributed” to “ethnic cleansing and genocide.”
Mr Boyarin has taught religious studies and medieval studies at the University since 2008. The course description initially stated that “even the most fundamental aspects of antisemitism” were “controversial” and that students would “develop the ability to examine…instances of antisemitism with a critical eye.”
Following a protest by B’nai Brith Canada expressing concern that the course could become a “forum for antisemitic views” due to the academic teaching it, the course description was changed to state that students would “learn about antisemitism” through “key texts and moments,” and by exploring “the particular role” of Christianity in “developing and sustaining antisemitism in Europe.” However, the course was still being taught by Mr Boyarin.
In a Twitter post in May, Mr Boyarin allegedly called Abe Foxman, the former President of the ADL, a “Zionist pig.” In June, he allegedly tweeted that North American Jews had “actively contributed” to “ethnic cleansing and genocide” and had “raised our kids to take part in it.”
Mr Boyarin allegedly has a “protected” Twitter account under the name “Motley Jëw.” A protected account means that he can deny “follow” requests and that Tweets are only visible to his followers and cannot be retweeted.
In a letter posted on Twitter by B’nai Brith Canada (BBC) entitled “Academic Freedom Is No Excuse for Antisemitism,” BBC CEO Michael Mostyn wrote that moving the course away from modern antisemitism was “an important first step.” However, he added there was still concern “that instead of educating students on the scourge of Jew-hatred,” there was a small risk that “hostility toward Jews” would “be promoted.” He called on the university to “provide assurances to the Jewish community” that academic freedom would not be used as a “cover to falsely accuse Jews… of contributing to genocide” or “other antisemitic canards.”
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 biggest video-game streaming site tries to curb “hate raids”
Twitch, the world’s biggest streaming site for watching video games, announced that it would introduce new measures to prevent “hate raids” that include antisemitic abuse, images of swastikas, and other racist or homophobic abuse.
The move follows complaints from users in minority groups after some users of Twitch were subjected to high levels of abuse in recent months in so-called “hate raids.” Founded in 2011 and bought in 2014 by Amazon, Twitch receives more than 30 million site-visits per day.
The hate raids vary in scale from a handful of abusive messages to hundreds. It is thought bots may also be used for posting offensive spam or ultra-violent images.
Twitch came under increasing pressure to act after the hashtag “#TwitchDoBetter” was launched on Twitter and became a magnet for complaints by regular victims of “hate raids.” In August, Twitch announced that new measures such as “account verification improvements” would be introduced later this year.
In the meantime, however, players say the abuse continues. A New York-based gamer of Jewish and Chinese background who uses the name Chonki said that his stream had been inundated with antisemitic messages and images of swastikas. “The hate raids have not slowed down whatsoever; they only seem to be getting worse,” he said.
Players have tools designed to filter abuse but hate raid victims say that hacker-slang which purposely misspells words and banned terms is used to evade filters. Mark Griffiths, Director of Nottingham Trent University’s International Gaming Unit, said that “determined trolls” would “always find ways around” the tools designed to stop them.
Streamers such as Chonki who are angry that Twitch has failed to keep hate-raiders off of the site have suggested various ways in which Twitch could act. Twitch, said Chonki, was “taking 50% of my income” and that “they can’t even protect us from hate raids.”
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.
Mosque manager in Birmingham prompts outrage after comparing Israel to Nazis and praising the Taliban
The manager of a mosque has prompted outrage after reportedly comparing Israel to the Nazis and praising the Taliban.
Saddique Hussain, the general manager of Birmingham’s Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif mosque, reportedly shared a clip of Taliban fighters showing off assault rifles whilst reciting quotes from the Quran and wrote: “How beautiful and civilised and no ‘I’. May Allah SWT guide us on to His beautiful religion.”
It was said that Mr Hussain also shared a post which said that Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian children “for fun”. He allegedly shared a video clip from the news outlet TruNews, which has been described as a “far-right conspiracy theory and fake news website”, and according to the ADL has “increasingly featured antisemitic and anti-Zionist content, and also has a long record of disseminating radical Islamophobic and anti-LGBTQ messages”. The clip in question was from Rick Wiles, a pastor who has previously labelled Jews as “deceivers” who “plot” and “lie”, in which Mr Wiles compared Israel to the Nazis.
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.
Mr Hussain allegedly shared another clip which stated that “Zionist lobbying” could have a Sky News video that reported on Israeli military actions removed if they wanted, while another shared video reportedly contained text that said: “I am Israel – I have the power to control American policy. My American Israel Public Affairs committee can make or break any politician of its choosing.”
According to the Definition, “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 group Muslims Against Antisemitism denounced Mr Hussain’s posts, stating: “Promoting views and associations between ‘media control’ and depicting ‘Zionists’ as having ‘control’ shows the conspiratorial mindset of the person in question. Focussing on Israel and blaming Israel for actions that it is not even associated with, shows the frothing and foaming nature of the antipathy that some hold.”
After a police warning, Mr Hussain claimed that he “does not and never has supported the Taliban”.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These posts clearly contravene the International Definition of Antisemitism and are integral to the broader Islamist ideology that has fuelled antisemitism on the streets of Britain in recent months. For such material to be promoted by anyone in a position of responsibility is deeply concerning, especially when they have already come under investigation over extremist views quite recently. These revelations should cause the Charity Commission serious concern and urgent action must be taken.”
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: Facebook screenshot via the JC
Swastika graffiti found outside sheltered accommodation for Jewish ex-servicemen in North London
Graffiti of a swastika was found outside of Ajex House in Stamford Hill, a block of sheltered housing that is tailored towards Jewish people with priority given to ex-servicemen and their families.
The incident was reported yesterday by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol.
Hackney Police are reportedly investigating. If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD 3103 30/08/21.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
Charred cross found laying in yard of Jewish couple in New Mexico
A Jewish couple in the New Mexico town of Mountainair who found a charred cross on their lawn has said that it is just the latest example of antisemitic harassment.
Tom Bigham, 76, said that the Ku Klux Klan symbol is the latest example of antisemitic harassment suffered by him and his wife, Merrie, since moving to Mountainair almost two years ago. Mr Bigham claims they have been threatened in other ways, and that the residents of the town know that they are Jewish as they decorate their fence with Stars of David.
“Someone in a car or a pickup truck would run up on our bumper, then back off and do that a few times before speeding up alongside and then passing,” Mr Bigham said. “This is way beyond someone just being a rude driver.”
All of these incidents, Mr Bingham said, “make us feel unsafe and fearful more than you can know.”
FBI spokesman, Frank Fisher, has confirmed that the FBI is looking into the incident.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Orthodox Jewish man confronts woman for using “dirty Jew” slur and gets slapped by her husband
It was reported this week that an Orthodox Jewish man confronted a woman for using the slur “dirty Jew”, at which point he was slapped by her husband.
The incident took place last Sunday at the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort in Aventura, Florida. It was alleged that after a Jewish woman’s “bathing-suit water fell on [the husband’s] towel”, his wife called the woman a “dirty Jew”.
Alain Altit, the Orthodox Jewish man who witnessed this interaction, reportedly confronted the woman for using the antisemitic slur but was then himself on the receiving end of abuse when the woman’s husband, Marcos Rodriguez, slapped Mr Altit in front of his wife and five children. Mr Rodriguez allegedly later told police that Mr Altit initially threatened him, causing Mr Rodriguez to slap him.
Speaking on the incident, Tanya Cohen, Mr Altit’s wife, said: “It’s 2021, this shouldn’t be happening anymore. There’s no room for antisemitism. It’s enough.”
Aventura Police Major Michael Bentolila said: “We take any threat to anyone seriously, especially if it has to do with race, religion, ethnicity, anything along those lines…If our investigation does lead us any further, there could be a possibility of an enhanced hate crime.”
The investigation continues.
In May, a man was arrested after a van covered in antisemitic, pro-Nazi slogans was seen driving through Boca Raton and Miami.
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.
Leader of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for threatening antisemitism activists and journalists
A leader of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for threatening journalists and advocates against antisemitism.
Atomwaffen Division is a paramilitary neo-Nazi group that trains its members in the use of firearms and reportedly seeks to ignite a race war in the United States. In April, the group’s leader Cameron Shea, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit three offenses against the United States: interference with federally-protected activities because of religion; mailing threatening communications; and cyberstalking. He also pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a federally protected activity because of religion.
The group made posters featuring Nazi symbols and threats, after which Mr Shea ordered the members to put them up at the homes of journalists in cities around the US, including Tampa, Seattle and Phoenix. Mr Shea also posted some himself, including one to a member of the ADL that read: “Our patience has its limits…you have been visited by your local Nazis”.
Mr Shea was sentenced on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington for federal conspiracy and hate crime charges, specifically for threatening journalists and advocates who worked to expose antisemitism. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said: “This conduct cannot be tolerated. This kind of conduct has consequences…It is so serious that it requires a serious sentence.”
Two of Mr Shea’s co-defendants also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charges and were sentenced in December. The fourth, Kaleb Cole pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in September.
In April, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, called for the proscription of the neo-Nazi group. This would make membership of the group punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
Village of Great Neck, New York adopts International Definition of Antisemitism
The Village of Great Neck in the State of New York has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.
The village’s Mayor said that it was “an important message to give”, adding: “Obviously there has been a significant rise in antisemitism with all of the discussions and writings that people make on social media as well as different channels…I think it’s important to really speak in a unified voice against antisemitism or any other racism.”
The Village of Great Neck has a large Jewish population, with a 2013 report citing Jews as making up 71% of the wider Great Neck peninsula.
Campaign Against Antisemitism applauds the decision. 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. Earlier this month, we reported that South Korea had adopted the Definition.
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.
Congressman Thomas Massie tweets and deletes image comparing vaccine passports to the Holocaust
Congressman Thomas Massie has reportedly tweeted and deleted an image that compared vaccine passports to the Holocaust.
The Republican representative for the State of Kentucky’s 4th congressional district posted the tweet on Wednesday. The image depicted an arm with numbers written on it in a style reminiscent of the tattoos forced upon Jews in Nazi concentration camps. Accompanying the image, it says: “If you have to carry a card with you to gain access to a restaurant, venue or an event in your own country…that’s no longer a free country”.
Comparisons between vaccines and the Holocaust have been made across the world, including in the United States, Canada, Ukraine and elsewhere, as anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination networks have become known as hotbeds of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.
Campaign Against Antisemitism recently published a resource on Instagram detailing why it is wrong to compare vaccines to the Holocaust.
Rabbi Shlomo Litvin of Lexington, Kentucky condemned the tweet in a statement, writing: “This shameful tweet shows tremendous ignorance of public policy, history, and a horrible lack of judgment. While we are relieved the congressman deleted the ill-thought-out tweet, such comments must be repudiated. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson my personal mentor and the foremost Jewish leader of the modern era, spoke often about the need not only for education but for moral education. Ignorance like this lays to bare that need in our society today, and I have reached out to Congressman Massie’s office with an offer to share our communities perspective and to educate.”
In April, Rabbi Litvin criticised Kentucky’s Libertarian Party after it compared vaccine passports to the yellow stars which Jews were forced to wear by the Nazis during the Holocaust as “morally wrong”, adding that the comparison minimised “the horrors inflicted on millions of people.”
On Monday, we reported that Wellstar Health System, an American healthcare company based in the State of Georgia, confirmed that an employee who made a TikTok video making a similar comparison was no longer employed by the organisation.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has long called for tougher regulations on social media sites and that social networks proactively search for and remove hate speech from their platforms.
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.