Latest / Antisemitism Watch / England and Wales Hate Crimes Surge 10% Amidst Rising Antisemitism

Transcript

England and Wales Hate Crimes Surge 10% Amidst Rising Antisemitism · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. Today we're
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: also announcing the launch of Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, for focused
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: at clockworkmedia.org slash ma. We begin today with concerning data
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: from England and Wales. Recorded antisemitic hate crimes rose 10%
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: in England and Wales in the year ended March 2026,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: with offenses increasing from 2,000 874 to 3,162, according to
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: the latest data released by the British government's Home Office.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: The report shows that Jewish people continue to experience the
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: highest police-recorded rate per head of religious hate crime of
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: any faith group. Overall hate crime increased by 7% nationally.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband addressed the rise, stating, Antisemitism
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: has no place in our society. The Community Security Trust,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: a charity monitoring antisemitism, commented on X that the new
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: data show antisemitic hate crime remains at an unacceptably high
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: level and highlighted the disproportionate scale of anti-Jewish hatred. The
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: report indicates spikes in offences against Jews following public protests
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: and the start of the US war with Iran. The
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: number of recorded offences affecting Jews was the second highest
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: since the Home Office began keeping records in 2018. surpassed
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: only by the year ending March 2024. The rate for
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: Jews was 117 per 10,000 population, the highest for any
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: religious group, compared to 13 per 10,000 for Muslims, according
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: to the Home Office. This rise follows incidents such as
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: the torching of four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: service Hatzola and the stabbing of two Jewish men in
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: separate attacks. The report was published amid heightened sensitivity following
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: pro-Palestinian marches. On U.S. college campuses, an Israeli-American student at
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Seattle Central College is asking the district to investigate whether
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: student clubs participated in an October 7th anti-Israel protest suspected
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: of having ties to Samadown, a U.S.-designated terror organization. The student,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: who shared correspondence with the Seattle College's district, alleges the
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: protest was connected to Samadown. Protesters chanted, Long live October 7,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: and take another soldier out, and vandalized buildings on campus,
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: according to the school. The protest also saw vandalism and
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: anti-Israel graffiti in a nearby park. Adam Russell, director of
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: marketing and communications at Seattle Central College, told JNS that
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: the school did not organize, sponsor or otherwise participate in
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: the event and that individuals gathered independently. He added that
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: any participants were acting in their individual capacity and not
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: representing the college or any affiliated student group. and that
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: graffiti was removed the next day. The student questioned the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: school's response regarding posters on campus and the rules governing
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: outside organizations' use of college property, citing a watchdog report
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: from Honest Reporting that identified the protest organizer, Niddle Seattle,
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: as a branch of the Samadown Network. Lorraine Hill, director
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: of compliance for Seattle colleges, told JNS that an administrator
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: contacted the student to arrange a meeting. Meanwhile, at Haverford College,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Professor Guangxin Ha has been arrested and federally charged with
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: cyber-stalking a Jewish student. According to reporting from PJmedia.com, Ha
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: allegedly invoked Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust, called for the
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: extermination of Jews, threatened a repeat of the October 7 massacre,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: and warned a colleague that security measures would not protect
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: his family. The article broadly claims American academia is a
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Marxist indoctrination machine that blames Jews for global evils. A
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: student group at Haverford is reportedly hosting an event to
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: celebrate the October 7th massacre. The report also notes Nicholas, Nick, Rodrigo,
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: a professor at CUNY John Jay, is cited for reportedly
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: calling for support of the October 7th Hamas attack, and
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: San Francisco State University Associate Professor Rabab Abdelhadi responded, I never,
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: ever condemn Palestinian resistance, when asked to condemn the attacks.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: In the United Kingdom, public perception of the Green Party's
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: handling of antisemitism has worsened. According to YouGov polling, 34%
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: of Britons now believe the party has a major or
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: significant problem with prejudice against Jewish people, up from 25%
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: in May. This perception now matches that of Reform UK.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: This shift follows a controversial Zionism is racism motion passed
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: at the Green Party conference, which numerous Jewish groups have
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: condemned as antisemitic. The motion suggests support for a Jewish
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: state is a form of racism and could lead to
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: disciplinary action against Jewish members for attending Zionist synagogues. The
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: proportion of Britons seeing the Greens as having little to
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: no problem with antisemitism has fallen to 28%. The report
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: indicates that 22% of Green voters themselves believe antisemitism is
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: an issue within the party, up from 12% in May.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: In France, Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally Party,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: faces controversy over alleged antisemitic and conspiratorial comments made as
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: a teenager, as reported by Mediapart. Bardella has denied the allegations,
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: calling them crude fakes. This scandal, according to middle-east-online.com, tests
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: the RN party's claim to have shed its antisemitic past
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: and threatens Bardella's political assent and Marine Le Pen's presidential campaign.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: Political scientist Gilles Evaldi commented that, There's been packaging, cosmetics
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: and strategy, but the ideas persist. While loyal RN voters
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: may remain unaffected, the controversy could impact Le Pen in
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: a runoff election by alienating more moderate conservative voters. In
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: the UK, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's rhetoric and policies concerning
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Israel have drawn sharp criticism. The Spectator.com article posits that
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: Miliband has done more to worsen the situation for British
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: Jews than than any other minister of any party in
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: living memory, by imposing sanctions on Israel and using language
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: that mirrors Jew haters. The author argues Miliband's criticisms of Israel,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: including references to ethnic cleansing and war crimes in Gaza,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: echo Hamas propaganda points. The piece calls his convening of
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: the J7 global task force hypocritical given his stance and
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: past as labor leader. It highlights that when political figures
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: attack Israel, It has consequences, noting that 53% of antisemitic
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: incidents in Britain last year referred to Israel or Gaza,
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: with Zionist often used as a stand-in for Jew. On
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: the international stage, the United States walked out of a
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: United Nations event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 2000
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: and one anti-Israel Durban Conference. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz stated
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: the original 2000, and one conference became a platform for
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: global bureaucrats to press that hateful ideology, fueling anti-Western sentiment
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: and antisemitism. The UN had voted to adopt a resolution
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: calling for the Durban Declaration to be adopted in full.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, stated during the
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: debate that images of Adolf Hitler were shared at the
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: 2001 conference, Zionism was equated with racism, and Jews were
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: physically attacked. He criticized the UN for celebrating this disgrace
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: and attempting to rewrite history, stating Israel would not support
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: a resolution legitimizing antisemitism under the guise of fighting racism,
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: and called for this stain to be removed from the UN. Internationally,
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: efforts to combat antisemitism are advancing. The J7 Task Force
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: Against Antisemitism met with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: discuss rising global antisemitism. threats from Iran, online hate, and
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: the demonization of Israel. The meeting resulted in a proposal
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: for the UK to host an inaugural intergovernmental ministerial task
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: force on antisemitism. This task force comprises major Jewish organizations
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: from the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Argentina, and Australia. Separately,
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: a joint statement from 33 nations, including the UK and US,
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: condemned Iran's violent attacks. including those targeting Jewish communities across Europe.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: The UK is committed to leading international efforts to combat
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: antisemitism and foster greater coordination. In the United States, law
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: enforcement is receiving specialized training. Approximately 80 officers attended a
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: forum in Philadelphia organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, CAM.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: The training aimed to equip police to recognize and counter antisemitism.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: including coded language and the use of terms like Zionists
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: or Israel as proxies for Jews. Speakers included Pennsylvania Attorney
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: General Dave Sunday and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel. Cam
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: noted the post-October 7th surge in antisemitism has created a
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: new baseline, emphasizing the need for law enforcement to understand
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: these evolving threats. Similar seminars have been conducted in other U.S. states.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: In the U.K., The Campaign Against Antisemitism, or CAA, has
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: publicly named five National Health Service employees as part of
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: its investigation into alleged anti-Semitic social media posts. As reported
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: by UN News, allegations include claims that Zionists control the
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: media and the world, references to homophobia, members as resistance,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: and wishes for the death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: The CAA's report names several individuals, including a registered midwife,
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: a hospital doctor, an occupational therapist, a psychiatrist, and an
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: emergency medicine practitioner. While some referrals concerning these individuals to
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: professional bodies or police were rejected, others are facing ongoing
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: action or challenging employer decisions. NHS England stated that antisemitism
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: and racism are unacceptable and that a zero-tolerance policy must
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: be applied, noting the implementation of mandatory antisemitism training. Online,
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: viral reports suggested that a Ukrainian strike on Russian servers
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: had eliminated bots spreading messages of genocide, and Free Palestine. However, JFeed.com
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: clarifies that while Ukraine did strike Yandex servers, damaging its operations,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: the anti-Semitic messages are still being spread. The drop in
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: bot volume was reportedly due to Yandex's own web crawlers
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: being disabled, not necessarily the propaganda bots themselves. Cloudflare recorded
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: no changes in automated traffic volume from Russia, indicating that
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: propaganda accounts likely remain active. Finally, an article published by JNS.org
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: argues for a strategic shift in combating antisemitism. It posits
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: that the primary target audience for cultivating support for Israel
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: and fighting antisemitism should be the 74.8% of the global
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: population that is neither Jewish nor Muslim, referring to them
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: as the ultimate swing vote. The author contends that Jews,
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: comprising 0.2% of the world, and Muslims, about 25%, are
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: not the decisive demographic. Instead, the focus should be on
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: convincing this broader population that supporting Jews and Israel is
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: in their own self-interest, framing it as a defense of
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: Western civilization. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: slash m-a. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: you don't miss the next update. This report was generated
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: details with primary sources.