The wheels of justice turn slowly. CAA is here to give them a push.
We would like to update you on a number of cases that we have working on.
You may recall this video that was posted back in March and circulated on TikTok. It threatened violence against a named individual, saying that he was being hunted to “dish out the justice” and that once found, they would “drag him away from his family in front of his family”.
We reported the individual to counterterrorism police and commenced a private prosecution. We can now confirm that the CPS has taken up the case and the individual in the video has been charged with communications and terrorism offences and is awaiting trial.
In another case, last October, a social media user published these posts in the wake of a terrorist rocket that fell short and killed people in a Gaza hospital. The explosion was blamed by the BBC and other media outlets on Israel, fuelling antisemitic rhetoric like this. Apologies from the media, even after the damage was done, were few and far between.
One of the posts showed images of long knives. The posts threatened that “There won’t be a f***ing Jew walking the streets of London if this carries on!”
We argued that there is a direct link between inflammatory, unverified, incorrect reporting on Israel and this kind of reaction. We reported the case to the police and, after a considerable period of inaction by the police, we can now confirm that the individual has been charged.
The LGBTQ+ nightclub Adonis announced in its Instagram bio that “definitely no f***ing Zionists” were welcome at its club nights. The promoters also claimed that “Zionism has no place in queer spaces”. After an outcry, the bio was amended to read “no genocidal maniacs plz xx.”
We consider that Adonis’ ban on “Zionists” entering its events may breach criminal, equality, and licensing laws. We wrote to the co-Directors of DL Food and Drink Limited, the company that holds the licence for the premises, The Cause, that hosts Adonis at Silver Building in the Docklands. The company has now announced that Adonis’ event on 7th September will not take place on its premises.
Whilst Adonis sought to backtrack on its inflammatory online comments, the harm has already been done and our lawyers are examining various potential courses of action closely.
There have been several instances of Jewish people being actively or implicitly excluded from LGBTQ+ spaces and parades, and we will always act to ensure that all spaces — especially those that pride themselves on their “inclusivity” — understand that ostracising Jews carries consequences.
In addition, we continue to write to venues alerting them to Reginald D. Hunter’s recent conduct at the Edinburgh Fringe and his social media activity since then, and we are pleased to report that several have already cancelled his bookings. We are continuing to work with the victims and our lawyers are examining legal options.
These are only a selection of the cases that we are working on, and they represent only a fraction of the matters that we have reported to the police. These prosecutions are likely to take months, if not years, but we will see them through to the end.
Doing our part to help the hostages
We were delighted by the news today that one of the hostages, Qaid Farhan Al-Kadi, has been rescued from Gaza.
In just over a week’s time, 7th September 2024 will mark eleven months since Hamas abducted 251 Israelis and other nationals from Israel and took them into captivity in Gaza.
Of those 251 hostages, 117 have been returned alive, and 30 bodies have been repatriated. Over 100 still remain, including four who have been held by Hamas since before October 2023.
In a month’s time, on 7th October 2024, we will be marking the one-year anniversary of the massacre perpetrated by Hamas. We must do whatever we can to ensure that no hostage is still in captivity by that date.
That is why we are launching a campaign encouraging everyone to write to their MP to educate our Parliamentarians — including the hundreds of new MPs — about this issue and put the hostages back on the agenda.
You can write in two easy steps.
First, download this Word document, which contains a draft letter that you are welcome to use or amend as you please before sending either as a hard-copy letter, or as an e-mail attachment, or simply as text in the body of an e-mail. Remember to add your MP’s name and your name and postcode so that they know that you are a constituent and that they should respond.
Second, find out who your MP is and how to contact them, by clicking here.
If you get particularly supportive or hostile responses, you are welcome to share them with us by forwarding them to [email protected].
For those interested, we recently interviewed Eylon Keshet, a relative of the Bibas family, for our podcast. It has been over ten months since Hamas terrorists kidnapped Yarden and Shiri Bibas and their children, baby Kfir and Ariel. You can listen here.
Book now to hear Stories from Students
Since 7th October, Jewish student life on campus has been turned on its head.
CAA has therefore brought together current students and recent graduates from universities across the country to share their stories and answer questions from prospective students and their parents, as well as current students and other interested members of the Jewish community.
This event, taking place at 18:30 on Thursday 5th September in North London, is an important opportunity to hear directly from Jewish students.
It is also a chance for us to come together to show our support and solidarity with those who faced this new generation of hate head-on.
British Jews, how are you?
Do want to say your piece on antisemitism in Britain for one of our videos? If British Jews do not speak out about how we are feeling right now, we are less likely to get the action from the authorities that we need.
If you want to speak to camera or would like more information, please e-mail us now at [email protected] with the subject: “British Jews”.
Are you a medical professional, or a recent patient?
We are collecting testimonies on antisemitism in the medical field.
We are interested to hear from doctors and other medical practitioners, staff, patients and anyone else who has encountered antisemitism in medicine over the past year.
If you have been affected, please e-mail us confidentially at [email protected] with the subject: “Medical”.
Become a CAA Student Ambassador!
Are you a student at university in 2024-2025, or do you know somebody who is? CAA’s Student Ambassador programme is an exciting opportunity to work with us in a prestigious year-long initiative.
Student Ambassadors will work closely with our Education Officer and wider team to help us to expose and challenge the rising tide of antisemitism overwhelming UK university campuses.
The contributions of our students is more important now than ever before to the fight against antisemitism.
For further information and details about the programme please visit antisemitism.org/become-a-student-ambassador.
We are grateful to all of you who have answered our invitation to speak on camera about antisemitism or our call for evidence of antisemitism in the medical profession, or applied to become a Student Ambassador or have RSVPed to our Stories from Students event. It is only with the active help of the Jewish community and our allies that we can continue to raise awareness of antisemitism, confront it and deliver justice.
All of the legal cases that we are working on are likely to take months, if not years, before they reach an outcome. But, no matter how slowly the wheels of justice turn, CAA will be there to give them a push.
