Anti-Semitism in the UK The following Statement was made in the
House of Commons on Monday 19 February. “Last week, the Community
Security Trust published its latest report on anti-Semitic
incidents. It made for deeply disturbing reading. It showed that
there were 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish racist hatred recorded
across the UK in 2023. That is the highest annual total ever
reported to the Community Security Trust. It is a 147% rise from
the 1,662 anti-Semitic...Request free
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Anti-Semitism in the
UK
The following Statement was made in the House of Commons on
Monday 19 February.
“Last week, the Community Security Trust published its latest
report on anti-Semitic incidents. It made for deeply disturbing
reading. It showed that there were 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish
racist hatred recorded across the UK in 2023. That is the highest
annual total ever reported to the Community Security Trust. It is
a 147% rise from the 1,662 anti-Semitic incidents the previous
year, and 81% higher than the previous yearly record of 2,261
incidents, reported in 2021. Most shockingly, more than
two-thirds of the incidents reported last year occurred on or
after 7 October, when Hamas perpetrated its barbaric terrorist
attack on Israel. The report also indicates that anti-Semitism
began spiking before Israel’s military response had begun: the
week immediately following 7 October saw 416 anti-Semitic
incidents reported to the CST, which is higher than any
subsequent week.
The CST’s findings, which tally with increases in offending
reported by the police, are nothing short of a disgrace and an
outrage. Examples highlighted in the report are shocking and
reprehensible. I urge all Members to read the report because it
shines a light on the scale and character of this disgraceful
problem. The only reasonable conclusion to draw is that members
of Britain’s Jewish community are suffering a level of hatred and
abuse which is frankly shameful.
There is no excuse for the behaviour outlined in the CST report
or seen in some of the shocking incidents that have occurred
recently. The situation in the Middle East does not and will
never give anyone the right to harass or intimidate others. I
repeat, no one ever has that right. This Government will not
stand for anti-Semitism of any kind. It is important to note that
the police have comprehensive powers to deal with abhorrent
conduct of this nature. For example, in the case of public order
offences, where there is proof of racial or religious hostility
on the part of the offender, offenders will be charged with
racially or religiously aggravated versions of those offences,
which will result in an uplift to their sentence. Furthermore,
inciting racial hatred is an offence under the Public Order Act
1986, and anyone engaged in that appalling behaviour should
expect to be arrested. Whenever and wherever criminality
involving anti-Semitism occurs, this Government expect the police
to investigate the incident fully and work with the Crown
Prosecution Service to bring the perpetrators to justice.
We have been clear both before and since the 7 October attacks
that we will do whatever it takes to keep Britain’s Jewish
community safe. We have taken strong steps to confront the poison
of anti-Semitism head on. We have increased funding to bolster
security at Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites. A total
of £36 million will be made available for these crucial
protective measures across 2023-24 and the following financial
year.
The Community Security Trust is an essential partner in our
efforts to keep the Jewish community safe, and I pay tribute to
it for the brilliant work that it does. The Home Office meets
regularly with CST staff and co-operates closely with them. We
keep dialogue open constantly, and both the Home Secretary and
the Prime Minister have regular meetings with them. None the
less, it should sadden us that these kind of precautions are
necessary in the UK, in 2024. The work of organisations such as
the CST is more important than ever, and we must remain vigilant.
That includes sending the message loud and clear from this
House—I hope from the whole House—that any instances of criminal
behaviour will be identified, and those responsible caught and
punished.
We are working closely with the police to ensure that hate crime
and expressions of support for terrorist organisations are met
with the full force of the law. The idea that anyone could
celebrate or valorise Hamas for the appalling terrorist
atrocities that it perpetrated on 7 October is beyond
comprehension. It goes completely against the values of this
country. Last month, we proscribed Hizb ut-Tahrir, an
organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism and
is responsible for spreading anti-Semitism. Hamas itself, of
course, is already a proscribed organisation. Anyone who belongs
to, or invites or expresses support for, a proscribed
organisation is committing an offence. The penalties on
conviction are a maximum term of 14 years in prison and/or an
unlimited fine.
The right to protest is of course a fundamental part of our
democracy, but that right cannot be exercised in a way that
intimidates others or invokes fear in them. It is totally
unacceptable for a small minority to incite hatred and commit
crimes. The police have powers to deal with that, and we expect
them to act. Where further powers are needed, we will not
hesitate to act, which is why we recently announced a new package
of measures to crack down on dangerous disorder—in particular,
that committed at protests.
The CST’s findings on incidents within the sphere of higher
education were especially disturbing. No one should be subject to
anti-Semitic abuse while at university. Every effort must be
taken to prevent hatred from flourishing in schools, universities
and colleges. That is why we announced a further £7 million of
funding to help to tackle anti-Semitism in education.
We are equally unwavering in our stance towards hatred and abuse
directed at British Muslims. The Government have been in regular
contact with representatives of the Muslim community, and we are
aware of an increased number of reports of anti-Muslim hatred as
well. That is of course unacceptable, and we have made additional
funding available for protective security measures at mosques and
Muslim faith schools.
Last month, we marked Holocaust Memorial Day. Just as we remember
the horrors of the past, we must remain alert to present-day
dangers. Anti-Semitism is an ancient hatred, which has reared its
ugly head in the most abhorrent and evil ways throughout history.
The CST’s findings show that we have much more to do if we are to
rid our society of this poison, but the Government will never
stop trying. We will never give up on this fight. It matters too
much. Of course, that extends to ensuring that Members of
Parliament are protected from acts of similar hatred, which some
have suffered. I am thinking particularly of my honourable friend
the Member for Finchley and Golders Green, , who is in the Chamber, whose
office suffered a terrible arson attack just a few weeks ago.
To the anti-Semites, we say this: ‘You will not win. You will be
shown up for the despicable racists you are’. To our Jewish
friends and colleagues, I say this: ‘We stand with you. We
understand your fears and we share your pain. We will protect
you—today, tomorrow and always.’ I commend this Statement to the
House.”
8.26pm
(Lab)
My Lords, I thank the Government for the opportunity to discuss
this important Statement today and, indeed, what the Government
have had to say in response to the appalling levels of
anti-Semitism detailed in the recent Community Security Trust
reports. I know that we will all wish to thank it for the truly
crucial work that it does, not only in monitoring anti-Semitism
but in the physical protection that it provides for Jewish
schools, synagogues and other community events. I have been to
see its work myself, and it will always remain with me. In
particular, there was the experience in a north London Jewish
school: an alarm was sounded and we, staff and children
automatically hid under desks or tables in case of a terrorist
attack on the school. It was truly shocking. That was in
London—in our country, in 2019, before the obvious increased
tension now.
The CST reported over 4,000 individual incidents of hate crime
against Jews in 2023, with 66% of those since 7 October. This is
a 147% rise. Assault is up by 96%. Threats are up by 196%. Abuse
is up by 149%. That is taking place in every part of the UK, as
the report makes clear. I know that the Government, as all of us
in this Parliament do, share the belief that anti- Semitism is a
stain on our society and must be tackled head on. What assessment
have the Government made of the use by the police of the powers
that they have to tackle anti-Semitism at marches, in
universities and across society more generally? Of course, this
is not for legitimate, peaceful protests but for those
individuals who glorify extremism or celebrate unimaginable
horror.
The Government rightly proscribed Hizb ut-Tahrir. What assessment
have they made of the impact that this has had? Are there any
other groups that they have considered proscribing to help deal
with this extremism? What is the number of arrests, if any, that
the Minister can say have taken place under this
proscription?
The Government announced a very welcome increase of £7 million of
funding, mentioned by the Minister in the other place in his
Statement, for helping to tackle anti- Semitism in education.
What progress is being made in distributing this extra £7
million? Education is a key to progress, as we see through many
initiatives: I am sure that many noble Lords have taken part in
the various visits with schoolchildren to Auschwitz.
The Government’s Statement also draws attention, quite rightly,
to the shocking and totally unacceptable increase in abuse and
hatred of Muslims, as highlighted by Tell MAMA and others.
Funding has been made available for security at Muslim schools
and mosques. Can the Minister tell us how much and how it is
being distributed?
There are also questions for the Government about when we will
see the new law to deal with hateful extremism. It is eight years
since the counter-extremism strategy was updated, and the
Government continually say that this will be done in due course.
Action is needed now. Can the Minister give us any update on
that? Will the Government look again at their decision to
downgrade the reporting of non-crime hate incidents, which
particularly affects the recording of anti-Semitism and
Islamophobia? How is it that anti-Semitism can seemingly flourish
online and remain there? Will the new Online Safety Act deal with
this now, so that some of the hateful and extremist comments that
we see online can be dealt with?
We all agree that abuse, discrimination and hatred have no place
in our society. Too many people, including in Parliament, are
threatened and intimidated because of who they are. We must all
stand against that. I do not want to wake up, as I did yesterday,
to read that a statue of Amy Winehouse has been defaced, with the
Star of David covered by a pro-Palestinian sticker. We all know
the intent behind that action. I do not want to read, as I did
today, of a Jewish couple receiving a birth certificate with
“Israel” scrubbed out. What is happening with respect to the
investigation that the Government have launched into that? Can
the Minister give us any update?
The extremism that we have seen is not our country, nor is it the
country whose people, with others, fought and died to stamp out
the evil of Hitler and his disgusting programmes of
extermination. It is not true either of the vast majority of
British people, who abhor such actions and extremism. Debate,
protest and argument are all part of a healthy democracy. Hatred,
prejudice and anti-Semitism in all its forms are not. We must
stand together to stamp it out.
of Childs Hill (LD)
My Lords, I thank the Minister for the Statement. It is warming
to see the Government taking things seriously. I will not raise
many more questions as to what they are doing because I think we
all want to do something to cut down on anti-Semitism.
I welcome the comments on and compliments to the Community
Security Trust, which the noble Lord, , referred to. I must declare
that I am a member of the CST’s advisory board, although my
advice is rarely sought. It does an incredible job, not only on
the statistics on which we base a lot of our information but in
the security it presents to the Jewish community in the UK. I do
not know whether anyone has had a chance to go to the CST’s
headquarters in Hendon. It has an array of television monitors
that are the envy of Scotland Yard. There are rows and rows of
them. How do they cope with recording things at each individual
site? They are monitored and are activated by movement, so
although you might have 100 monitors they may be covering 1,000
sites, because they do not come on until there is physical
activity in that area. It is state of the art and quite
amazing.
We all decry anti-Semitism, but it appears, sadly, that no
political party is immune from it. It is rampant in the UK, and
if it is rampant in the UK it will be rampant in organisations,
including political parties. When it comes up in any political
party, it is the duty of that political party or administration
to stamp on that anti-Semitism. Take politicians as an example:
they stand for the local council or for Parliament and people
carry out due diligence, but sometimes they do not come out, at
that time, with the feelings that are abhorrent to us all.
It was a horrific time, on 7 October, when there was a massacre
on the borders of Gaza, in Israel. People were killed, murdered
and slaughtered. A couple of hundred people were taken hostage,
some of them from a music festival. The other day, I met here in
this House a woman in her early 20s who was at that music
festival—a gig that many of us, our children or our grandchildren
might have gone to if it had been in the UK. She survived because
she was underneath all the dead bodies. What trauma that is. That
is a harsh example of anti-Semitism.
We are thankful to the CST for giving us this information: Israel
had not yet responded on 7 October but there were 31 incidents of
anti-Semitism in the UK that day. This continued until it peaked
on 11 October, with 80 incidents in the UK. The week following 7
October saw 416 anti-Semitic incidents. The speed and number of
these incidents on or after 7 October appear to show that this
increase in anti-Jewish hate—that is what it is—was a celebration
of Hamas’s attack. It was not just what everyone wants to
believe: they were actually celebrating the attack. The
subsequent response has added fuel to the flames.
I have seen this anti-Semitism in my own locality. There is a
kosher supermarket which I patronise. On a week when I was not
there—otherwise I could have been a hero—a man with a knife
attacked the shop owners in Golders Green. Recently, there have
been a number of incidents; it is hard to pick them out. One of
the most horrifying ones was in a theatre in London, where the
stand-up comedian decided, as part of his act, to wave a
Ukrainian and a Palestinian flag, and invited the members of the
audience to stand up and clap those flags. One guy in the
audience was an Israeli, there enjoying the show, and he did not
stand up—he did not make a fuss but he did not stand up. The
comedian picked him out and he and the audience forced the guy
out. The anti-Semitism forced him out of the theatre. This is the
reality of how anti-Semitism is working in many fields.
I understand what is sometimes behind many of the people on the
marches which take place—a horror at the Palestinians’ suffering
in Gaza. I sympathise with and understand that. But I must say
that, as an Orthodox Jew in the UK, I am reminded somewhat of the
Duke of Wellington’s comment “I don’t know what effect they will
have on the enemy but by God they frighten me”. I do not know
what effect they are having on people in Parliament, but I will
tell you the effect they have on the UK Jewish community.
The CST, which has been mentioned, works in schools in the UK to
protect the people of those schools. At the moment, there are
Jewish parents who are not sending their children to their Jewish
schools because they are frightened. If they are sending them,
they are telling them not to wear the school blazers or their
yarmulkes—their head covering—because it will identify them. This
is the UK, this is the country we live in, and this is not how it
should be. My local synagogue has had security outside it
forever; I used to do the security until they decided they would
probably kill me first. But it is just something in practice.
So anti-Semitism is here, and it is rampant. The noble Lord,
, asked a number of questions; I
will not repeat any of them because, in fact, the Government have
understood what the problem is. The Labour Front Bench
understands it and my Front Bench understands it. We must support
the police, and support the Government, of whatever hue they are,
in dealing with the dreadful horror of anti-Semitism that sadly
exists in this country.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office () (Con)
My Lords, I thank both noble Lords for their comments. On 19
February, my right honourable friend the Policing Minister made a
very powerful Statement in the other place. He stated very
clearly:
“This Government will not stand for antisemitism of any
kind”.—[Official Report, Commons, 19/2/24; col. 500.]
He added that nothing could ever be used for its justification.
He is, of course, right. Anti-Semitism is deplorable, and it is
worse now than I have ever known it.
I turn to the late, great Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, formerly of your
Lordships’ House, for some words to sum up my feelings on this.
With the House’s indulgence, I will repeat them and I sincerely
hope I speak for many. He said:
“Jews cannot fight antisemitism alone. The victim cannot cure the
crime. The hated cannot cure the hate. It would be the greatest
mistake for Jews to believe that they can fight it alone. The
only people who can successfully combat antisemitism are those
active in the cultures that harbour it. Antisemitism begins with
Jews, but it never ends with them. A world without room for Jews
is one that has no room for difference, and a world that lacks
space for difference lacks space for humanity itself”.
I think that is very powerful.
I join both noble Lords in praising the work of the Community
Security Trust, which I hope to visit very soon. I hope that my
private office is busy, as we speak, arranging that. I also join
the noble Lord, , in noting that the rise in
some of these incidents spiked after 7 October, but before there
had been any military response by Israel, which really
illustrates the pernicious nature of what we are talking
about.
If I may, I will get on to the specific questions. I was asked a
lot, and unfortunately, owing to my long-windedness, I will
probably go a little over time—but I will not apologise for that
as I would rather answer the questions.
The noble Lord, , backed up by the noble Lord,
, asked what we are doing to
protect Jewish schools. Department for Education Ministers have
written to university, school and college leaders, urging them
all to ensure that Jewish students are protected and, of course,
are offered our support. That is part of the continued engagement
with the sector to ensure that settings have the tools they need
to act swiftly to tackle anti-Semitic abuse and discriminatory
rhetoric.
The terrorist atrocities carried out against the people of Israel
are of course horrifying, and anti-Semitism in British society
will not be tolerated. This extends to our schools, colleges and
universities. So the department is working with all relevant
authorities to keep Jewish pupils, students and educational staff
safe. We are providing an additional £3 million for the Community
Security Trust to provide additional security at Jewish schools,
synagogues and other Jewish community buildings. The Government’s
Educate Against Hate website provides support for pupils to
challenge racist and discriminatory beliefs, and we are due to
imminently send letters to schools outlining advice on managing
sensitive discussions around anti-Semitism.
The funding for the Community Security Trust will be maintained
next year, with a total of £36 million available for the
protection of UK Jewish communities between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The Prime Minister has also announced a number of other aspects
to this funding. As I mentioned already, it is to provide
security at schools, synagogues and other community sites.
I will also comment on the remarks made by the noble Lord, ; I was talking to somebody who
works at the Community Security Trust. They pointed out, in a
very powerful comment, that in most schools the alarms are for
people to get out. In Jewish schools, they are for people to stay
in and hide under a table. That is what we are talking about. The
Chancellor’s Autumn Statement confirmed that protective security
funding for the Jewish community would be maintained at £18
million in 2024-25.
The noble Lord, , also raised the important
subject of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate. The Government have
made an additional £4.9 million of funding available for
protective security at mosques and Muslim faith schools, which
brings the total funding to £29.4 million for both 2023-24 and
2024-25. We obviously have to listen to the concerns with the
same attentiveness. The Government have made additional funding
available. The total funding is a good number and is, I believe,
delivering the appropriate safeguards. We have also extended the
deadline for the protective security for mosques scheme and
continue to invite mosques and Muslim faith community centres to
register for protective security measures. I am grateful to the
noble Lord, , for referring to the work of
Tell MAMA, which he will know has been supported by DLUHC to the
tune of £6 million, I think, since its inception.
I will move on to the subject of the police and their powers. The
police are fully aware of the powers available to them. I believe
there have been more than 600 arrests so far. I take this
opportunity to thank the police for their work; six officers were
injured over the weekend in these protests, and I wish them a
speedy recovery, as I am sure all noble Lords do. Of those 600
arrests, I believe that more than 30 were made for
terrorism-related offences.
That the police are fully aware of their powers has been
repeatedly demonstrated, most recently with respect to a convoy
planned from the north of England to north London, many parts of
which have Jewish communities. The police stopped that convoy
because they were concerned it would inflame tensions and engage
in intimidatory behaviour. Under Sections 12 and 14 of the Public
Order Act 1986 the police have powers to impose conditions on
protests to prevent specific consequences, including serious
public disorder, serious disruption to the life of the community
or intimidation. The police can impose any condition they deem
necessary to prevent these harms occurring and have made repeated
use of these powers—for example, to prohibit protests outside the
Israeli embassy and to ensure that vulnerable communities are
protected.
The recent protests have seen a small minority dedicated to
causing damage and intimidating the law-abiding majority. We
respect the right to protest, which we regard as paramount in our
country, but dangerous behaviour must not be tolerated. Noble
Lords will remember that we announced new powers last week—for
example, banning the use of face coverings, about war memorials,
on using flares and so on.
As regards the recent protests, the Chancellor set out in his
Autumn Statement that we are giving organisations such as the
Holocaust Educational Trust £7 million over the next three years.
That, as I said, goes into the overall protective security
funding for the Jewish community.
However, we need to be very careful when we are criticising the
police for actions they may or may not have taken at individual
marches. It is difficult to judge what it is like when you are in
a protest and trying to police it. We should trust the police. We
know that they have good advice in the control rooms and so on,
and that they are doing their very best under difficult
circumstances. Once again, I praise their efforts.
The noble Lord, , asked about the hate crime
strategy and action plan. We are not intending to publish a new
plan at this time, but we remain committed to continuing to
protect all communities from crime, and we have a number of
programmes in place to do so. Our absolute priority was to get
more police on the streets. I will not rehash the numbers, but
noble Lords will know that we were successful in that
endeavour.
As regards non-crime hate incidents, the Government introduced a
new code of practice to make the processes surrounding the
recording and retention of personal data subject to stronger
safeguards. The code better protects the right to freedom of
expression, while respecting the operational importance of NCHI
recording for the police in protecting vulnerable people and
communities from harm. However, the code makes it clear that
instances that include personal data can and should be recorded
if the event presents a real risk of significant harm and if
there is a real risk that future criminal offences may be
committed. We would like to make it absolutely clear that the
code relates only to non-crime hate incidents; it does not amend
the hate crime framework in any way, shape or form.
The noble Lord, , asked about the birth
certificate incident that was widely reported. I happened to be
with the Home Secretary when we were made aware of that, and he
immediately asked officials to investigate the matter.
Appropriate action will be taken, but at the moment
investigations are ongoing.
On online hate crime, again the Government are clear that online
offending is as serious as offline offending. We have very robust
legislation in place to deal with threating and abusive behaviour
or behaviour which is intended or likely to stir up hatred. This
applies whether it takes place online or offline. The Home Office
regularly engages with the tech companies about unlawful conduct
on their platforms and shares information about the threat
landscape. I believe the Home Secretary is visiting the west
coast of the USA shortly, which will allow him to raise these
matters with the companies concerned.
The Government have worked with the police to fund True Vision,
which is an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that
victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to
report. The Government continue to fund the national online hate
crime hub, which is a central capability designed to support
individual local police forces in dealing with online hate crime.
We also made hate crime a priority offence in the Online Safety
Act, which received Royal Assent in October last year.
Finally, the noble Lord, , gave us some personal
reflections on the kosher supermarket and restaurants. I saw a
clip of that online, and I appreciate the points that he made.
Let me be clear: in this, as in all the other subjects that are
under discussion this evening, we have a robust legislative
framework in place. We expect the police to fully investigate
these sorts of offences and make sure that those who commit them
feel the full force of the law. Anti-Semitism, or indeed any
other form of intolerance of that type, is completely
unacceptable in this country, and we have to be vigilant in our
efforts to combat it.
8.50pm
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’
Interests. I would like to confirm with the Minister, and thank
him if it is the case, that he announced three-year funding for
the Community Security Trust. That is a welcome change of policy
that for some years I have pressed the Government for, and it
will make the trust’s work much easier.
In my view, there is a sinister change in what is going on with
anti-Semitism beyond the noise, which is bad enough: it is the
very specific, organised and co-ordinated targeting of individual
Jewish people, at work and in their accommodation, in ways that
we have never seen before. I do not mean awful random violent
acts of anti-Semitism, which of course are dangerous and
threatening for all of us and something that we need to deal
with, but the co-ordinated targeting of people, isolating them
and organising pile-ons to force them out of workplaces—in some
cases off student courses and in other cases out of
accommodation, but particularly from the workplace. That
co-ordination is something that we have not seen in this
country.
I urge the Minister to agree with me that, for the Jewish
community to be safe, this crisis of anti-Semitism is going to
require the maximum detailed co-operation between all parties in
this House, because this scourge is already out of control and
lives are being ruined that we are not even seeing. We are going
to see more of that as they surface, because people are alone and
terrified and are being picked off.
(Con)
First, if I make a correct the record, I may have said three-year
funding but I should have said two-year funding. If I mis-spoke,
I apologise.
On the points that the noble Lord raises, I completely agree. The
targeted stuff that he refers to is a particularly pernicious
form of anti-Semitism, and I too have seen evidence of it. The
police are aware of it, and I hope they will crack down on the
perpetrators. The noble Lord is right that it needs a cross-party
response, but to some extent he is missing the point: it needs a
cross-society response. It is not just us in here; everyone has
to get on board with this.
(Con)
My Lords, I thank the Minister for bringing this Statement to the
House and I thank the Government for making it.
I too welcome the Community Security Trust. The noble Lord,
, referred to the reported
figures of anti-Semitic incidents being up by 147% last year on
the previous year. One such incident, which was reported on 12.55
pm on 7 October, was of a car passing a synagogue in
Hertfordshire with a Palestinian flag raised and an occupant
inside putting his fist and arm out, shaking his fist in the air
towards the synagogue that he was passing. By Monday 9 October
other crimes were on the increase. A piece of graffiti was
sprayed on a bridge in Golders Green, saying “Free Palestine”. I
ask the Minister: what steps have been taken to find the
perpetrators of each of the incidents that have been reported and
recorded? No perpetrator should go without the sanction of the
law.
The noble Lord, , referred to the pro-Palestine
demonstrations that we see on our streets in this country. In
today’s protest outside Parliament, crowds were chanting “Free
Palestine” and waving Palestine flags. They were right up to the
metal barriers of this Parliament. Does the Minister not consider
that if the police do not have the powers under the Public Order
Act 1986 to impose conditions, perhaps that Act might be
considered so that such conditions could involve moving those
crowds across the road, so that they are not intimidating people
trying to get into Parliament? Whether those are
parliamentarians, members of their teams or people working on the
Parliamentary Estate, it is something of an ordeal to have to
pass through those crowds. Now I hear that the people working in
this Parliament must leave the estate by an exit where they will
not encounter these crowds. In another age, they might have been
called mobs.
Do the Government not think it a stain on the honour not only of
the country but of the way we are conducting our policing for
such marches and intimidation to take place? There is a very fine
line dividing the words “From the river to the sea, Palestine
will be free” from the slogans we see on the railings at our
entries to Parliament of “Free Palestine” and the flag waving. I
would like to know whether there are powers to impose conditions
of moving them away from these Houses of Parliament, where we
applaud free speech and no one should feel intimidated when
coming in. What powers are needed?
I am glad about the increased funding but I would like the
Minister to think further. Can he say whether, in providing all
this money to protect synagogues, we need to do more to protect
people going about their normal business when they are
interrupted or intimidated by marchers?
(Con)
My noble friend asks a number of questions which I am afraid
impinge on the operational activities of the police. I am
obviously not able to comment on those. On whether we are
satisfied that the police are sufficiently aware and have
sufficient powers to stop marches and control public protest, we
are, and I went into that in some detail earlier. Crowd policing
is a very difficult thing to do, for obvious reasons. In some
cases, I would absolutely defend the police’s right to carefully
gather evidence and consult the experts whom they have available
to them before potentially inflaming tensions—this is me
dangerously straying into operational areas; I probably should
not say even that—because the decisions that the police take have
to be context-specific. It is not right for us to second-guess
those decisions; the police could of course be challenged on them
afterwards if they are found wanting.
We need to be careful when talking about these things, but we are
confident that the police have the right powers. I am not aware
of any particular incidents today. I did not feel particularly
intimidated, although I completely accept that my noble friend
might well have done. I am sure all those feelings and thoughts
are being taken into account by the House authorities and by
other police when they keep us safe.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, I really thought that the noble Lord, , spoke very powerfully and that
it was not hyperbole. We almost cannot describe how serious the
mood is at the moment. This is a serious time, historically, in
terms of anti-Semitism, and this is not just some rhetorical
flourish. I want to have that on record.
I am not frightened by the phrase “Free Palestine”, and I do not
want to give the Minister any more excuses to clamp down on
demonstrations or free speech, because goodness knows he has done
a fair amount of that over the period I have been here. However,
it is grim, or maybe fitting, that this Statement on the
frighting rise of anti-Semitism is against the backdrop of the
debate today on a Gaza ceasefire in the other place—albeit
performative, because I note that not one life will be saved and
there will not be a ceasefire as a consequence of this. That
debate descended into a nasty mood of sectarianism. Worse,
tonight we are hearing dark allegations that physical threats
were made to elected Members, poisoning the democratic procedures
of this Parliament. You associate anti-Semitism with those kinds
of dark stories. We are in a building that has witnessed it
today, never mind the protestors outside.
A much smaller incident that I would like the Minister to comment
on is one that cheered me up. It might sound minor, but, after
the unpleasant incident earlier this week of the Star of David
necklace on the statue of Amy Winehouse being covered up, which
the noble Lord, , rightly referred to—it was so
shocking, even though it seemed so small—I was pleased to see
that a non-Jewish member of the public had gone out of their way
to skive off work and scrape off the sticker from the statue. I
know that because it was reported by the group Our Fight, a new
grass-roots campaign of non-Jews challenging British
anti-Semitism, which was set up after 7 October.
Would the Minister agree on the importance of such solidarity,
which cuts across identity politics and all sorts of party
tribalism? This was summed up by the New York mayor, Eric Adams,
when he said in a speech:
“Israel, your fight is our fight”.
So much of the anti-Semitism we are seeing today, and much of the
reaction to the war in Gaza, is, I am sad to say, around
religious and racial identity and some of the most divisive,
regressive sides of society. We should call for a universal
condemnation of the racism of anti-Semitism.
(Con)
I agree entirely with the noble Baroness. She will know that I am
not brave enough to restrict her freedom of speech in any way. I
think this goes back to what I said when I quoted Rabbi Sacks. He
pointed out that anti-Semitism may begin with the Jews but it
does not end there, so it is for all of us to combat it.
(Con)
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his words, and particularly
for reminding us of the wise words of the late Chief Rabbi,
of Aldgate. I echo the comments
of the noble Lord, . It is as he says, but it is
actually worse.
I was talking to a beauty journalist yesterday and she was
telling me of the tweets going around about beauty products,
telling people not to buy from certain businesses as they are
owned by a Jewish person and not to buy from certain businesses
as they are owned by a person who supports Israel. It is biting,
and it is not just beauty products but clothing products and any
Jewish business. This is truly shocking. This last happened 70
years ago. It is spiralling out of control. Jewish businesses are
being targeted because they are owned by Jewish people, and
people are responding to it. I do not know what the Government
can do about that.
As I mentioned earlier in this Chamber, I am president of
Westminster Synagogue. On Saturday, the police told us that they
would protect us. They sent 20 police officers and four vans,
because the demonstration walked past our synagogue, and they
felt that was necessary. That demonstration included people
chanting anti-Semitic slogans and the expression “From the river
to the sea”, which means genocide of the Jewish people in the
State of Israel. Of course, the police did not do anything to
stop those chants and protests. They did, however, take one
person away. That person was standing behind a railing with a
banner saying, “Hamas are terrorists”. He was manhandled by the
police, his arms were locked and he was walked away. My noble
friend the Minister says that the police are restricted in what
they can do; they seem to be selective in deciding what to
do.
Of course, I do not expect my noble friend the Minister to have
answers to all these specific instances tonight, and I can only
add to the praise of CST, of which I am proud to be a supporter.
I commend Sir Gerald Ronson’s incredible work in promoting CST to
the organisation it has become.
I add that it was extremely disheartening to see the disgraced
academic David Miller allowed to tweet out his vile abuse of
Jewish charities, and it was very disappointing that the
University of Bristol failed in its case. One can only think that
it did not try particularly hard. I hope the Government will
think through how they can take action to stop people like David
Miller from posting such vile abuse to people who are just trying
to be philanthropists and to help others in need.
(Con)
I thank my noble friend. I heard his comments about the synagogue
and the march this afternoon in another Question. On that
incident, as I said, it is very difficult to second-guess the
police after the fact. I appreciate where my noble friend is
coming from. The decision obviously has to be context specific.
But the police are accountable for their actions and, speaking
from a personal point of view, I read a good article in the
Spectator yesterday by our noble friend . He was right to raise the
questions that he raised in that article, and we are all right to
question the police, after the fact, about why they did what they
did, how they did it and all the rest of the operational matters
that they have to remain responsible for. On the targeting of
businesses, I have seen some of this stuff online, and I am
afraid it disgusts me as well. I am not sure what the Government
can do, but this is obviously noted, and I will take it back to
the Home Office.
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