The Conservative Party will treat the rise in anti-Semitism as a national emergency.
The Golders Green stabbing this week was a symbol of our broken system: a man granted British citizenship and now at the centre of a suspected anti-Semitic attack. It’s time we talk about what is causing the torrent of anti-Semitic hate and have firm, concrete plans to deal with it, rather than just more warm words and expressions of solidarity.
There’s a lot I could say about the Shomrim volunteers who apprehended the man accused of the stabbing. They were incredibly brave, surprisingly calm and, like the victims, they were lucky to be alive – and they knew it. So many Jewish people in the community came up to me to tell me they were frightened. Whether it was the deadly attack outside Heaton Park Synagogue, the graffiti sprayed on businesses like Gail’s bakery, or the firebombing of ambulances, let’s be honest: Jews in our country are under siege.
That is why I am calling for a complete change of mindset from the Government and the authorities. Because seven months on from the scenes we saw in Heaton Park, the response has been too slow. British Jews are facing a sustained threat, and the state needs to start treating this situation as an emergency.
The Prime Minister gave an interview yesterday on the BBC’s Today programme, but he didn’t have any ideas on what to do to address this.
Here’s how I would treat this as a national emergency: I would ensure increased patrols and a visible, consistent police presence that deters threats before they escalate. There would be armed response capability and specialist units positioned to respond rapidly. I would make sure prosecutions involving anti-Semitic hatred and support for terrorism were expedited, coordinated, and treated with the urgency they deserve.
But we will still be on the back foot unless we tackle the root cause. The key danger to Jewish life today comes from Islamist extremism and a hard-Left anti-Zionist ideology that is uniquely obsessed with Palestine and refuses to be acquainted with the facts on the ground.
This is what the Green Party is pandering to – that alliance between the so-called progressive Left with the Islamist extremists – to the extent that they don’t even talk about the environment anymore. It is this ideology which has infiltrated many parts of our society and normalised hostility towards Jews.
The first place to start is a moratorium on marches relating to Israel and Palestine because they are being used as a cover to promote violence and intimidation against Jews. When these marches first started, I was Equalities Minister. My view then was that those who glorify the massacre of Jews have no place on our streets.
Next, we should crack down on hate preaching, extremist organisations, and ideologies that glorify violence and undermine Britain.
Back in 2021, a convoy of cars draped in Palestinian flags drove through Jewish neighbourhoods while a man’s voice, amplified by a megaphone, shouted: “F*** the Jews, rape their daughters.” These men were arrested, but the CPS dropped the charges. If people get away with this sort of hatred, and this sort of behaviour has no consequences, then these crimes will escalate.
The Prevent programme must be more vigilant when it comes to cases that pose a credible threat to Jews. There is a disturbing mismatch between the proportion of Prevent’s caseload on Islamist extremism, which is just 10 per cent, and the head of MI5 saying that three quarters of their counter-terrorism caseload is Islamist extremists.
The Golders Green stabbing suspect, Essa Suleiman, was known to Prevent, but his case was closed. Now is the time for a comprehensive audit of counter-terrorism investigations involving anti-Semitic motivation to ensure nothing is missed. The Prime Minister needs to be bold if he’s going to deal with this threat. Warm words and more money for security are not enough.
The Iranian regime and its proxies are fuelling anti-Semitism on British soil. Just this week we learnt that the Iranian Embassy in London urged Iranians in Britain to recruit their children as martyrs and “sacrifice their lives for the homeland”. Britain should not be a recruiting ground for extremism.
I have offered to work with Sir Keir Starmer to fast-track legislation to ban the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). But he should implement Jonathan Hall KC’s recommendations and designate the IRGC as a hostile force and criminalise recruitment or displays of support for them.
Britain has been a sanctuary for Jews for hundreds of years and must continue to be so. Israel cannot be the only safe country in the world for Jews, who have been driven out of so much of the Middle East. We must all play our part in making anti-Semitism shameful. It cannot remain acceptable in supposedly polite dinner party conversations.
The Conservative Party is clear: if you want to spread hatred and violence towards Jews, you are not welcome in Britain.
