Antisemitic Attacks in the UK - A Statement by Hastings Jews for Justice

On all the 35 London marches the Jewish bloc is a large and warmly welcomed presence

Hastings Jews for Justice (HJJ)  is deeply saddened by the shocking attack on two Jewish men in Golders Green on 29 April and the antisemitic attacks that preceded it.

We acknowledge and are concerned about what appears to be a rise in antisemitism in Britain. Antisemitism — hatred of, prejudice against and discrimination of Jews simply because they are Jews — is unacceptable and has no place in any society. Most of us have experienced antisemitism and sadly we know only too well where it can lead.

We recognise, appreciate and sympathise with British Jews who are hurting, fearful and feel at risk in Britain, their home country. 

We are also worried about the reporting of and political fall-out from this attack, which was speedily described by the police as a “terrorist attack”. Initially several media outlets, including the Associated Press and the BBC, as well as the Metropolitan Police, made no reference to the stabbing of a third man, Ishmail Hussein, a Muslim. This was a grave oversight; we sincerely hope it was not deliberate. 

It also disturbs us that the government’s immediate response was to consider banning the pro-Palestine marches that have taken place regularly in central London since October 2023. The charge that these marches are “hate marches” which encourage antisemitism and attacks on Jews is not new. On 30 October 2023 the then home secretary Suella Braverman described them as “hate marches”.  Immediately following the Golders Green attacks, Prime Minister Starmer, Chief Rabbi Ephraim and Jonathan Hall likewise called for these marches to be banned on exactly the same grounds, again arguing that they promote antisemitism and therefore put Jews at risk. 

"A dangerous conflation for political ends"

These dubious claims and the consequent attacks on civil liberties and the right to protest are not just worrying but dangerous. They reflect the fact that since October 2023, and well before, there has been an increasing tendency to define criticism of the Israeli government as antisemitism. This permeates the 2016 IHRA definition of antisemitism, despite it stating that Israel can be criticised in some ways, and has since then found widespread expression in the mainstream media, Jewish organisations such as the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and from members of various political parties, including the Labour Party. Indeed, commitments made in the Britain Israel Roadmap for Bilateral Relations 2030, signed by the Conservative Sunak government in 2023 and upheld by the Starmer government, encourages the weaponisation of antisemitism and makes official agreement to block criticism of Israel both domestically and in international fora.

We reject absolutely the view that the pro-Palestine marches are antisemitic or that they endanger Jews in Britain. Many Jews are horrified by the actions of the Israeli government and its genocidal attacks on Gaza as well as its breaches of international law; these marches are one way in which Jews can express these views peacefully and democratically and in fact the Jewish bloc is one of the largest groups on the marches. The right to do this is fundamental to civil liberties in this country. There is no evidence that Jews are being put at risk and Jewish people on the marches have never felt threatened – quite the reverse: we are welcomed warmly. 

At the most recent London march for Palestine a Jewish protestor makes clear his feelings

What makes the situation so dangerous is this very conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism, a conflation that is deliberately promoted by the Israeli government and reinforced by prominent parliamentarians including Kemi Badenoch and Kier Starmer. The result is to weaponise antisemitism, what British-Israeli author and analysist Daniel Levy has described as “playing fast and loose with what is and what isn’t antisemitism” in order to prevent criticism of Israel and effectively support its actions. In this way, anyone who opposes Israel and supports the struggle of the Palestinian people is, ipso facto, defined as antisemitic.

Since the attacks in Golders Green, this trend has intensified, extending most recently to the Green Party, who have made clear their support for Palestine and have recently been described as an “antisemitic party” by Margaret Hodge among others. The consequences are both bizarre and dangerous. It is a cruel irony that among those who who visited Golders Green to show their support for the Jewish community was Nigel Farage, a man who in his younger days expressed strong Nazi sentiments, something that he shrugs off and for which he has never apologised. Even more bizarrely, speakers invited to address a rally protesting antisemitism on 10 May included Nigel Farage but did not include Zack Polanski, the only Jewish leader of a British political party. 

"There is no one special form of racism -we must fight hate together."

Antisemitism is horrific and its impact cannot be minimised. But rushing to ban pro-Palestinian marches and to curtail freedom of expression will not reduce antisemitism or ensure more safety for Jews. Instead it will destroy our civil rights and freedom of expression. Furthermore, by continuing to distort the meaning of antisemitism for purely political reasons, most particularly to suppress any criticism of Israel, it will ultimately put more Jews at risk.

On a recent London march a Jewish group demonstrated their opposition to the weaponisation of antisemitism

It must be noted that there has also been a huge rise in Islamophobia. Anti-Muslim hate is now at record levels, fuelled by divisive and irresponsible rhetoric, resulting in attacks on mosques, people and communities. There is no one special form of racism. We can only fight hate and division together: safety can only be assured through solidarity.

And with that in mind, it was heartening that when the Golders Green attack happened, British Muslim leaders immediately expressed strong statements of solidarity, while Jewish, Muslim and Christian women came together to walk in solidarity in Golders Green. Their actions strike a positive and hopeful note in dark times.