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Original poster

To be concerned about the rise of antisemitism in the UK?

285 replies

hibbledibble · 27/01/2022 16:17

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10447069/Terrifying-moment-Jewish-shop-owners-suffer-random-anti-Semitic-attack-London-street.html

Sorry that this is a daily mail article, but such events are common, but rarely reported on.

Antisemitism has increased at a worrying rate recently, and there seems to be little concern about this.

An example of antisemitism being tolerated, is that when footage of the above crime was posted to a local group on social media, some were saying that these men may have deserved the assault, and unpleasant comments made about Jews.

OP posts:
Bideshi · 27/01/2022 17:56

Not Jewish but at the last GE for the first time in a many general elections I couldn't bring myself to vote Labour. Not only the anti-semitism but the fact that nobody condemned it our even admitted it was happening. I raised it with somebody in the party who said 'Oh no. Can't be because we get very good polling returns from Stamford Hill.'

HobnobsChoice · 27/01/2022 17:55

My husband is Jewish, I am not and we don't live in a Jewish area but we hear and see what friends and family there put up with, horrible comments, grafitti and the ever present need for security at schools and synagogues. The number of antisemitic incidents is at its highest too
cst.org.uk/news/blog/2021/08/05/antisemitic-incidents-report-january-june-2021

Israel is a new convenient excuse for Jew bashing. Before that it was financial control of the world and before that it was that Jews killed Jesus. There's always some excuse for it somehow

EllaDisenchanted · 27/01/2022 17:55

Rabbi YY Rubinstein quit over this incident at the BBC.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10367821/Jewish-broadcaster-resigns-BBC-inexcusable-anti-Semitism.html

Twentypast · 27/01/2022 17:54

@Marimaur

Definitely on the rise. ‘From the left’ is disingenuous. Just as much anti-semitism and racism on the right, ime, if not more.
Ah, antisemitism. The only racism that comes from both left and right.
sadpapercourtesan · 27/01/2022 17:53

@Marimaur

Definitely on the rise. ‘From the left’ is disingenuous. Just as much anti-semitism and racism on the right, ime, if not more.
I agree with this. It isn't a left-wing problem.
AuntMasha · 27/01/2022 17:53

@Cornettoninja

I agree it’s frightening, my personal theory is the rise in mainstream conspiracy during the pandemic has fuelled it to an extent although I think it was increasing before that. Look closely at the origins of a large percentage of conspiracies and you will find anti-semitism. Add that to conflicts and politics and it fuels average people to become emboldened in their views.

I don’t know what the answer is.

Yes, historically antisemitism and other forms of racism rise during times of social change and upheaval, crisis and plague. In fact during the Black Death of the 14th century, the Jewish communities were blamed for the disease - it was rumoured that the Jews had deliberately poisoned the wells. Whole communities were massacred, their houses burned to the ground.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jews_during_the_Black_Death

In our own times, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a purveyor of a particularly repugnant set of conspiracy theories believed that the Californian wildfires were started by a Jewish cabal firing lazers from space. She is an elected politician.

Marimaur · 27/01/2022 17:52

Definitely on the rise.
‘From the left’ is disingenuous. Just as much anti-semitism and racism on the right, ime, if not more.

TrashyPanda · 27/01/2022 17:50

@Mrstamborineman

This is awful. Please safely put a candle in your window if you can for holocaust remembrance tonight. Travellers, Gypsies and Roma have long been considered to suffer the last acceptable form of racism too. It’s a difficult thing to come to terms with. Especially today.
Thank you for the reminder. Going to do that right away. My grandmother survived a concentration camp. And of course, the Romanies were also targeted for extermination by the Nazis.

A Jewish friend has been talking to me about anti-semitism she has experienced. It makes me so very sad and angry.

PerkingFaintly · 27/01/2022 17:48

Yes, I agree strongly, Cornettoninja. I'm definitely seeing it packaged with other conspiracy theories, and one used to feed the other.

Mickarooni · 27/01/2022 17:48

@Maireas

I will light a candle, I'm not Jewish. I am, however, it History teacher and have been teaching the Holocaust. Two students have claimed that it's made up, there's no such thing. This is what we're up against.
I am genuinely shocked that it’s really 1 in 20 who still deny the Holocaust. :( I always think that’s an exaggeration but I know it isn’t.
emuloc · 27/01/2022 17:48

[quote Twentypast]@emuloc Banning Wiley didn't stop Rashford posing with him last week. There were few comments on that. If the situation were reversed, if a white footballer was seen posing with a white artist who was known for racism against black or Muslim people I'm sure it would have caused an outcry.[/quote]
Oh I see. I cannot say that I agree with your example, but there must of been some condemnation.

Southbucksldn · 27/01/2022 17:44

It’s the additional security needed at synagogues in North London, that I have noticed has increased since the 90s.
It’s the same in France unfortunately and the upgraded security is really noticeable compared with a few years ago.

EngTech · 27/01/2022 17:44

How soon we forget 😔

My son and granddaughter were told of the Holocaust by me as they were not taught it in schools

He made a point of going to one of the camps in Poland, he came back visibly shocked and horrified as to what had gone on there 😔

I think it should be taught as if we do not learn from history, we will allow it to happen again 😔

FreedomFaith · 27/01/2022 17:43

People are still on this bullshit?!

Jesus I give up on humanity. We deserve to be eradicated thanks to thugs like this. Can we have a disease than can target racist twats please? Any scientist on here able to create it? Shame covid didn't kill them off..

sadpapercourtesan · 27/01/2022 17:43

@Cornettoninja

I agree it’s frightening, my personal theory is the rise in mainstream conspiracy during the pandemic has fuelled it to an extent although I think it was increasing before that. Look closely at the origins of a large percentage of conspiracies and you will find anti-semitism. Add that to conflicts and politics and it fuels average people to become emboldened in their views.

I don’t know what the answer is.

I think there's a lot of truth in this. Conspiracy theories have exploded in their reach with social media, and with Trump/populist right wing govts elsewhere/the pandemic it's a perfect storm. Most of these ideologies are deeply rooted in antisemitism.

I personally think this is a bigger factor than lefties criticising the Israeli government.

Boood · 27/01/2022 17:42

This upsets and angers me so much. I thought it was a thing of the distant past, and that nobody in this country would think and behave like that. It’s absolutely shameful that that isn’t the case. And it shows such shocking ignorance of the length of time Jews have been a part of British society- that they should be viewed as “others” is just horrible. The synagogue in my expensive, middle class area bristles with barbed wire and cameras. The churches don’t. The mosque doesn’t. Why is it different? Why don’t people notice and demand action?

I also really, really hate the way that Jews feel obliged to denounce the state of Israel as if doing so is the only way their existence can be tolerated. Anyone who expects Muslims to apologise for Islamist terrorism is rightly immediately called out, but the same rules don’t apply.

I often wonder if Jews suffer from the same “unfashionable minority” problem as women. Yesterday’s issue- just not an edgy enough form of oppression for anyone to care about.

Redbeanpasta · 27/01/2022 17:41

There was an outcry, that is why Wiley was banned. So not sure what your point is.
You are willfully missing the point then. It's explained in her post. Rushford partying with a huge Antisemit will be brushed away with hardly a care in a way that it wouldn't be if he was partying with any other racist figure.

IlIlI · 27/01/2022 17:40

I'm not Jewish but have noticed it. I think there has been a rise in all sorts of hatred too. Jews, Muslims, black, Asian, everybody. It's scary. I hope it doesn't go back to how it used to be where this sort of behaviour was common, horrible ideas of people as a whole were just accepted and nobody speaks out unless it affected them personally and people openly distrusting somebody for no reason is just accepted because "they're Jewish/black/Asian/Muslim, of course they're bad"
It's really scary and dangerous that it's so open. Huge Jewish community where I live and I know they've always faced really bad ignorance because I see it in local news but it seems to have ramped up and become more violent. Before it was "just" words but now they're actually being physically assaulted too, and not just one off incidents. So scary.

Cornettoninja · 27/01/2022 17:40

I agree it’s frightening, my personal theory is the rise in mainstream conspiracy during the pandemic has fuelled it to an extent although I think it was increasing before that. Look closely at the origins of a large percentage of conspiracies and you will find anti-semitism. Add that to conflicts and politics and it fuels average people to become emboldened in their views.

I don’t know what the answer is.

Twentypast · 27/01/2022 17:40

@emuloc Banning Wiley didn't stop Rashford posing with him last week. There were few comments on that. If the situation were reversed, if a white footballer was seen posing with a white artist who was known for racism against black or Muslim people I'm sure it would have caused an outcry.

LondonWolf · 27/01/2022 17:39

There’s a bizarre pernicious hierarchy of racism from the left which is stubbornly invading our culture.

This.

emuloc · 27/01/2022 17:38

[quote Sashimimimi]People, especially in the Labour part and on the “left”, are in denial that it’s on the rise.

The guardian chose to All Lives Matter the holocaust today 🙄

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/27/black-people-were-hitlers-victims-too-that-must-not-be-forgotten[/quote]
Really? Do you think that it should not be mentioned that other groups of people were killed as well in the Holocaust? Why is that?

MissVictoriaPlum · 27/01/2022 17:38

Yanbu in the slightest. It's disgusting.

LampLighter414 · 27/01/2022 17:37

Yes big increases in all types of racism since the Brexit referendum

Tory Britain

Duke4 · 27/01/2022 17:37

Very concerned. I spend an extraordinary amount of time challenging antisemitism online. The “but Israel” drives me nuts - they just don’t get it. It pains me that my beloved Jewish friends question their time left in this country.
There’s a bizarre pernicious hierarchy of racism from the left which is stubbornly invading our culture.