The government will work to speed up sentencing on antisemitic attacks, the PM said. #BBCNews
The UK Prime Minister addressed the issue of antisemitism, calling it a deep-rooted hatred that is being dismissed by too many people. He warned that participating in marches alongside people displaying pro-terror symbols or chanting calls for violence against Jews amounts to complicity, and pledged to speed up sentencing for antisemitic attacks.
Summary
In a statement covered by BBC News, the UK Prime Minister delivered a forceful condemnation of antisemitism, describing it as an ancient and persistent hatred whose roots run deep. He argued that too many people in Britain either fail to recognize antisemitism or deliberately choose to ignore it, allowing it to resurface and grow.
The PM specifically addressed the recurring protest marches taking place across Britain, acknowledging the importance of free speech and peaceful protest while drawing a firm line at what he described as implicit endorsement of violence against Jewish people. He argued that marching alongside individuals displaying imagery of paragliders — a reference to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 — without condemning it constitutes a form of veneration of the murder of Jews.
He further stated that standing with those who chant 'Globalize the Intifada' amounts to calling for terrorism against Jewish people, and called for the prosecution of individuals who use that phrase, classifying it as racism — and specifically 'extreme racism.' The PM concluded by highlighting the human impact of this climate, noting that it has left the Jewish community in Britain feeling scared, intimidated, and questioning whether they truly belong in the country.
Key Insights
- The PM argues that antisemitism is a deeply rooted, historical hatred that grows back whenever society looks away from it, framing it as an ongoing and cyclical threat rather than a resolved issue.
- The PM contends that marching alongside people displaying paraglider imagery — referencing the Hamas October 7 attack — without calling it out constitutes veneration of the murder of Jews, even if the marcher does not actively display such imagery themselves.
- The PM argues that chanting or standing alongside those who say 'Globalize the Intifada' is equivalent to calling for terrorism against Jews, and that such speech should result in criminal prosecution.
- The PM classifies the use of the phrase 'Globalize the Intifada' as not merely offensive speech but as 'extreme racism,' signaling an intent to treat it as a serious criminal matter rather than protected expression.
- The PM describes the cumulative effect of unchecked antisemitism as having left the Jewish minority community in Britain feeling scared, intimidated, and uncertain about whether they belong in the country.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Anti-semitism is an old old hatred. History shows that the roots are deep and if you turn away it grows back. Yet far too many people in this country diminish it. They either don't see it or they don't want to see it. Take the marches that happen regularly across Britain. [0:31] Of course, we protect freedom of speech and peaceful protest in this country. But if you are marching with people wearing pictures of paragliders without calling it out, you are venerating the murder of Jews. If you stand alongside people who say globalize the interifard, you are calling for terrorism against Jews. And people who use that phrase [1:02] should be prosecuted. It is racism, extreme racism.…
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