The primary threat to London’s Jews comes from terrorism. This affects all Londoners, but as was shown in Copenhagen (Febuary 2015),Paris(January 2015),Brussels(May 2015)and Toulouse(March 2012),there is a specific terrorist threat to Jewish communities.

Since 2010, government has supported the Jewish community by providing funding for security at grant maintained Jewish schools. In 2015, this funding was extended to include all Jewish schools and an additional provision was made for the cost of security guarding at sensitive communal buildings.Since 2014 The Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime(MOPAC) has partially funded CST’s (Community Security Trust) work in supporting victims of antisemitic hate crime in London.¹

CST’s monitoring of antisemitism has recorded a long-term rise in incidents of antisemitism in the UK since 2000. CST has recorded record breaking numbers of antisemitic incidents in the UK for the past three years, with 2019 seeing a total incidents figure of 1,805. Fifty-two percent (947) of these antisemitic incidents took place in Greater London, 76 took place in Hertfordshrie, and 21 in Essex. We have tended to see an increase in antisemitic incidents during times of increased tensions in the Middle East.

As the figures show, this increase in antisemitism is keenly felt in London and its surrounds due to the large proportion of Jews and Jewish institutions based in the capital. It is exacerbated by the emotional impact of extreme anti-Israel activity, such as protesters demonstrating sympathy with antisemitic terrorist organisations like Hizballah and Hamas, and the divisive Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns. These activities contribute nothing to peace-making in the Middle East but frequently negatively impact on Jewish communal life, including in the Kosher sections of supermarkets, on university campuses and on transport networks.

In recent years,  following interventions from London Jewish Forum, City Hall has worked well with Transport for London and local authorities to remove hostile graffiti and posters, and that should be continued.

Elected officials have a responsibility to forcefully reject extremist rhetoric, including those that use antisemitic tropes, and call out those who indulge in such hate speech. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism as adopted by the GLA – of which its examples are a fundamental and inseparable part – is the internationally respected guidance on considering whether rhetoric is antisemitic. It is critical that it is implemented in practice, both through its continued use by the police to assess suspected hate crimes; by incorporating into relevant Codes of Practice; and by employers, political parties and venues who are looking to judge whether an employee or potential speaker is suitable.

Support for Jewish communities and opposition to antisemitism should be fully integrated into equalities training for City Hall, Transport for London and London Fire Board staff, and should be developed in partnership with relevant Jewish communal organisations, such as the Antisemitism Policy Trust.

We ask London’s politicians to agree to the following pledges:

For example, in February 2016, London Jewish Forum played a leading role in combating anti-Israel subvertisments on London’s tube network. We would like to see a continued effort within City Hall and Transport for London to tackle these types of divisive actions.