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

[hibbledibble]

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.

There's only around 300k Jews in the UK. A tiny proportion of the population. I

met someone on a Job Centre course (after I was made redundant in 2008) who blamed his being out of work on Jews. When I questioned him, it turned out he'd never worked (through choice but now his benefits were being cut). I asked him how many Jews he'd met and he couldn't say he'd met any. But Jews run the country so it was definitely their fault.

We're always worrying a bit too much, eh? Shame about those people who were taken hostage in Texas by a British man.

I do feel that it's not a left or right specific problem, though. As you get to the extremes at either end it all starts sounding remarkably the same.

@EdithStourton if you were invited to my wedding at the synagogue, you would have been asked to bring your passport! my synagogue takes security very seriously! Part of my wedding budget consisted of paying for security guards. The security is quite expensive too though there are volunteers; when corbyn was running for PM, there were rumours that he may have cut back on the security budget which would have made synagogue a lot more cash strapped and unsafe. I support having security guards; there are lots of crazies out there!

I try to visit synagogues when I go on holiday, I have never done a walk in. In fact when I wanted to worship with a reform congregation in singapore, i had to send them scans of my passport prior to attending.

It doesn't make it right, that was my point. I think that's what other people think though.

No I wasn't saying you were excusing it I'm just confused that it's acceptable to think like that when racism towards others is not tolerated.

@Twentypast

I'm concerned. I'm Jewish and I've experienced antisemitic abuse. It's definitely getting worse It's the last acceptable form of racism.

Even things like the photo of Marcus Rushford proudly posing with his arm round Wiley last week. The same Wiley who has been banned from multiple social media sites for his antisemitic rants. If this had been someone who had been banned for any other form of racism or bigotry there would have been an outcry.

There was an outcry, that is why Wiley was banned. So not sure what your point is.

Its frightening. I dont understand why its rising and i dont understand why its accepted.

Really interesting that when discussing this with my very lefty family there was a lot of minimising. I said that I will not let a man tell me what is and is not sexism so I will defer to Jewish people on antisemitism. That seemed to move the discussion along.

[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]
What’s wrong with this? Genuinely, I don’t know, so I’m asking and I apologise if that offends anyone. Why shouldn’t all the victims of the Holocaust be acknowledged on Holocaust Memorial Day? I’d have thought that was a good thing.

@EdithStourton

I'm not Jewish, but it was deeply unsettling to attend the bar mitzvah of a friend's son a few years ago and find that the synagogue had big burly security guards at the door. How is it so unremarked that this is necessary? Many people in that congregation came from families that fled anti-semitism in Arab countries, only to find it here. My friend's family came from a country that once had a thriving Jewish community. There are just a tiny handful left.

The whole Corbyn episode disgusted me. When the Labour candidate came knocking at the last election I quizzed him about this. He said he was getting many such questions.

When we got married the synagogue asked if we wanted to use their security or if we'd hire our own. I didn't think twice about this - I'm used to walking past security to get into the synagogue but my non Jewish friends were horrified it was even a conversation.

I'll be honest I know it's happening and on the rise but ignorant as to why. Not that there's any acceptable reason, but what! I'm going to look into it and better inform myself, but I agree it's sickening.

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.

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

Tory Britain

Yanbu in the slightest. It's disgusting.

[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?

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

This.

@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.

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'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.

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.

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.

@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.

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..

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 😔

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.

[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.