“We do not want people who have been brainwashed by Hamas to come to the U.K. We do not want to import antisemitism and religious intolerance. The answer is no, no, no.”
Richard Tice MP, Deputy Leader Reform UK
Can you blame British Jews for wondering whether they should pack up and go. There’s a nasty late-Weimar Republic vibe pervading British society.
It’s not entirely new. It is important to recognise that anti-semitism in Britain is not a new phenomenon. The portrayal of Jewish characters in British literature has a complex history. In the 20th century, stereotypes about Jews were pervasive, influencing literature, politics, and societal attitudes. Notable authors, including T.S. Eliot, Evelyn Waugh, and Graham Greene, depicted Jewish characters in ways that reinforced negative stereotypes, portraying them as materialistic or untrustworthy. These literary representations contributed to broader societal prejudices and have had a lasting impact on perceptions of Jewish identity in the UK.
Recent events show that these historical prejudices appear to persist in modern forms. Take the case of Jeremy Corbyn former leader of the UK Labour party who appeared to endorse a mural that reeked of anti-semitic stereotypes and at first thought it was perfectly acceptable.
In 2018 a mural was painted on private housing in London by street artist ‘Mear One’ (real name Kalen Ockerman), and depicted a group of Jewish financiers and white businessmen playing a Monopoly-style game on a board balanced on the backs of oppressed working people. Many MPs in his own party wanted an explanation for his support of such a depiction. Mr Corbyn was obliged to apologise, explaining he had not looked at it closely. Perhaps he should have gone to Specsavers? Corbyn’s Labour Party tried to dismiss any internal investigation into their behaviour concerning the mural.
…the ECHR found the Labour Party guilty of “committing unlawful harassment” against Jewish people.
What’s more, they allowed other Labour Party members to engage in anti-semitic behaviour resulting in complaints to the ECHR. After an investigation, the ECHR found the Labour Party guilty of “committing unlawful harassment” against Jewish people.
“We found specific examples of harassment, discrimination and political interference… But equally of concern was a lack of leadership within the Labour party on these issues, which is hard to reconcile with its stated commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism.”
Outside of politics, concerns have grown regarding the marginalisation of Jewish authors within the British publishing industry. Reports suggest some publishers are now hesitant to engage with works by Jewish writers or those featuring Jewish themes, citing fears of controversy or backlash.
Anti-semitism is now a feature of the left conjoined and fed by some Islamic groups. This trend has been noticeable following the events of October 7th 2023 when terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel. Over 1200 people, including babies, were slaughtered. Whole families were burned alive and 240 hostages, mainly young people, were taken hostage. Many young women were raped and tortured. Others were kidnapped and held hostages.
Israel responded with a huge offensive to eradicate the terrorist bases. Critics of Israel claim it to be disproportionate and certainly there were many civilian casualties. Huge numbers of civilian deaths were a consequence of Hamas using both their own population as human shields. The struggle is ongoing at the time of writing, with many of the hostages still in captivity. For many it is too late, having been raped and executed by their captors.
The Jewish literary community describes a new “chilling” cultural climate.
The fall-out for Jewish authors and artists has been shocking. They have reported increased marginalisation. Some have been dropped by agents or excluded from literary events, especially if they do not publicly criticise Israeli actions. The Jewish literary community describes a new “chilling” cultural climate, where expressing certain viewpoints or simply being of Jewish heritage can lead to professional ostracisation. Their accounts are disturbing for us, as Reform members, who believe in free speech, and the rule of law.
Ewan Somerville writing in The Telegraph reported instances where the author’s Jewish identity or the themes of work have led to rejections or demands for alterations. Jewish author Gillian Freedman recounted an experience where an editor attempted to remove references to Judaism from her book, suggesting that including such content “isn’t worth the hassle that will ensue.”
…the left’s obsession with ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ does not extend to British jews.
The marginalisation of Jewish authors reflects broader issues within the cultural sector, where debates over free expression, identity, and political correctness intersect. It’s quite clear that the left’s obsession with ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ does not extend to British jews. The exclusion of certain voices not only affects the individuals directly involved but also impoverishes the cultural and intellectual landscape by limiting the diversity of perspectives available to readers.
A recent report by The Times reveals that this attitude extends beyond the publishing sector. Now British Jewish artists and performers are also being “frozen out.” Kow-towing to the left and some Islamic voices, Britain’s cultural sector is marginalising Jewish creatives if they refuse to label Israeli actions in Gaza as genocidal.
Anonymous and public accounts provided insights into this disturbing environment where any dissenting view on the assertion that Israel is a genocidal monster and Hamas is an innocent victim, leads to exclusion. This is despite Hamas being officially proscribed as a Terrorist organisation by the UK Government.
Key examples include:
• A prominent Oscar nominated film producer, Leo Pearlman, called the British Film industry “institutionally antisemitic.”
• Emmerdale actress Louise Clein, said she has felt the need to hide her Jewishness at times in her career and spoke about instances where she has felt excluded from mainstream acting work.
• The UK Jewish Film Festival facing difficulties booking venues with publicly funded cinemas such as Chapter in Cardiff “which, for the fifth consecutive year, are so ‘incredibly busy’ that they don’t have time to respond to booking requests. Cinemas across the UK from Northampton to Sheffield play a similar game.
• The art world facing boycotts and disputes, such as pressures on the Tate gallery regarding its funding.
In response to these challenges, initiatives have emerged advocating for greater inclusion and sensitivity towards Jewish authors. The Jewish Publishing Circle, for instance, has called for introducing training targeting anti-Jewish racism across the industry and the use of Jewish ‘sensitivity readers’ for books where cultural sensitivities should be considered. These measures aim to address the subtle forms of discrimination that contribute to the exclusion of Jewish voices in publishing. As Nigel Farage asserted in March of last year, the new mood of anti-semitism is growing and pervading our state institutions.
“I sense that there is a growing prejudice against Israel and the people from Israel, beginning to run right through our public services.”
That includes the UK’s state funded legacy TV channels. In August 2024 a letter was sent to the BBC from “BBC staff, contractors, suppliers and contributors from across the television and film industries, the majority of whom are Jewish” decrying that their complaints about “systemic” anti-semitic coverage and social media posts had been ignored. They expressed “anguish and disbelief” at their plight. The cited posts from Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, a previous The Apprentice contestant, and members of the BBC Arabic staff.
The state funded Channel 4 also came in for criticism regarding a Channel 4 News segment that criticised the International Definition of Antisemitism without offering a Jewish perspective. A complaint registered by the Campaign Against Anti-semitism (CCA) was summarily dismissed by Ofcom. The CCA’s Antisemitism Barometer 2020 revealed that almost half of British Jews consider Channel 4’s coverage of matters of Jewish interest and antisemitism to be unfavourable.
Almost every area of UK cultural life has been affected by this growing anti-semitism, including academia. Douglas Murray (author of the Strange Death of Europe and The Madness of Crowds) shared his outrage and frustration at this trend as far back as 2015 in an article for the Daily Express.
Murray highlighted how some university campuses have become hubs for extremism and hatred, referencing the case of Mohammed Emwazi (“Jihadi John”) and the hosting of radical preachers.
He criticised the Cambridge Union for repeatedly debating motions that portray Israel as a “rogue state,” while ignoring similar debates about other countries like Pakistan. Murray stated the comparison of Israel’s policies to Nazi crimes by some speakers is seen as an attempt to provoke and harm Jewish communities, rather than fostering genuine academic discourse.
In a message, we in Reform should take onboard, Murray urged non-Jews to stand against rising hatred, advocating government funding cuts to universities that allow such events to take place without ensuring balanced discussions. A Reform policy perhaps?
The response from university authorities was slow and inadequate…
Anti-semitism has spread across many University campuses. T
here was a harrowing story published by the Guardian in November 2023. Written by a Jewish student attending Oxford university, the article described the rise in antisemitism on British university campuses since October 7th 2023. At Oxford University, acts of hatred, hostility, and a lack of empathy have created a challenging environment for Jewish students. Students have reported experiencing antisemitic messages online, threats, and offensive slogans during protests that blur the line between anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism. Some students posting pictures of paragliders, celebrating Hamas’s massacre of Jews. It became so bad some Jewish students felt the need to conceal their religious identity for safety.
The response from university authorities was slow and inadequate. The Jewish student reported it took five days for the university to condemn “appalling attacks by Hamas” and stress “that there is no place for antisemitism or hate of any faith at Oxford”.
In another instance, reported in The Times December 2024, a debate at the Oxford Union labelled Israel an “apartheid state responsible for genocide.” It was accompanied by accusations of antisemitism and intimidation of Jewish students.
There was freedom of speech for those who were hostile to Israeli policies and not for those who wished to defend them and that’s not a debate …
The renowned academic, Sir Vernon Bognador, a former professor of politics at the University of Oxford stated,
“There are no grounds for stopping a debate on the Gaza war and Israeli policies in the Union. There should be such a debate and students are entitled to feel strongly on both sides of the issue. But … There was freedom of speech for those who were hostile to Israeli policies and not for those who wished to defend them and that’s not a debate … It casts a light on the attitudes of students.”
Echoing Douglas Murray, Sir Vernon also called for funding cuts to universities failing to address such issues effectively.
Antisemitism is not acceptable. As the vast majority of Reform supporters will be aware, Nigel Farage has condemned antisemitism and fully supports Israel and its people. Whilst we can verbally call out anti-semitism, what can we as members of Reform UK and the leadership practically do to stamp out antisemitism within our academic and cultural institutions? Funding cuts to universities not dealing with the issues of antisemitism from inside our universities as called for by Douglas Murray and Sir Vernon Bognador is one way.
You have only to look at social media, especially Bluesky, to see hateful and disgusting statements directed at British Jews, our fellow citizens. It appears to be endemic in the left wing who appear to have fully adopted the antisemitism that emanates from parts of the middle east towards Jews and Israel.
Let’s be clear, ‘from the rivers to the sea’ is an explicit call for the genocide of a people… the ethnic cleansing of men, women and children.
Extremist pro Palestinian demo has been an almost weekly occurrence in London since last November. As Richard Tice said,
“Hateful, terrorist supporting, pro Hamas anti-semitic marches continue on London’s streets because of weak gutless leadership of Sadiq Khan.”
Unfortunately, a naïve young generation accepts this rhetoric and engages in what they see as virtue signalling. Cries of ‘from the River to the Sea’ can be heard at protests in support of Palestine by many students and young people. And yet, when questioned, many young people do not even know what this means. Let’s be clear, ‘from the rivers to the sea’ is an explicit call for the genocide of a people… the ethnic cleansing of men, women and children.
Keir Starmer has promised mandatory education about the Holocaust in schools, but we need to address this now. These are weak platitudes from a Prime Minister. Reform MP Rupert Lowe MP, called out Starmer and Labour for their craven, mealy-mouthed response.
“Taking the knee to BLM is required, but showing real solidarity against Hamas terrorism is too far. Cowards.”
Jewish Labour members understand the problem. Labour Against Anti-Semitism (LAAS) accuses Starmer of empty promises.
“It is not good enough to promise that school children will learn about the Holocaust when you are allowing Jewish children to be bullied on our streets… you need to put actions to your words…”
This is a situation occurring right now in our communities and we must take action to show anti-Jewish thuggery will not be tolerated. There cannot be two-tier policing. How is it protesters against the Southport murders were swept off the streets and swiftly sentenced, but gangs of pro-Hamas supporters sporting anti-semitic placards and chanting vile slogans are not?
The worst thing is more of these extremist Jew-haters are flowing into this country every day. As Richard Tice says,
“We do not want people who have been brainwashed by Hamas to come to the U.K. We do not want to import antisemitism and religious intolerance. The answer is no, no, no.”
We, in Reform, must standup and be counted. It’s wrong that a section of our community should be targeted and hounded this way, and we should be forthright in saying so.
