Antisemitism in the United Kingdom

During the second half of the 20th century, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, undisguised, racial hatred of Jews became unacceptable in British society. The Jewish community was largely unaffected by outbursts of antisemitism emanating from far right groups, whose energies were focused on hostility to other minorities. There was an awareness that antisemitism had always existed within some elements of society, but it seemed that decades of progress were set to continue and that antisemitism had finally been pushed into the very margins of the British society.[1]

During the 21st century, antisemitism appeared to be based on racism.[2] Jews were no longer accused of killing Christ, or possessing sinister racial traits. Contemporary antisemitism in Britain has become more subtle while its nature is complex and multifaceted – not one-dimensional. It is perpetrated in different ways by different groups within society and for this reason it is hard to identify. Therefore, antisemitic words and acts can be separated into the following two groups: Acts of violence and abuse against Jews or their personal and communal property; Antisemitism in public and private discourse, for example the language and tone adopted by the media, political groups, organisations and individuals.[1]

Analysis

Sources of contemporary antisemitism

In the early 21st century, the dominant source of contemporary antisemitism in the UK was the far right. Although in the aftermath of the Holocaust far right extremism became marginalised, Holocaust denial and Jewish conspiracy theories remain core elements of far right ideology. Nevertheless, contemporary antisemitism is to be found as well on the left of the political spectrum. Criticism of Israel, especially from the left, has been fuelled further by the second Palestinian Intifada and by the invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, scholars, such as Professor Cesarani, have found it hard to define and contest "because it no longer has any resemblance to classical Nazi-style Jew hatred, because it is masked by or blended inadvertently into anti-Zionism, and because it is often articulated in the language of human rights". Sociologist Dr. David Hirsh sees anti-Zionism as a political discourse that places anti-imperialism at the centre of an absolutist ideology that divides the world into two camps, a discourse that may take on antisemitic form, or merge with an antisemitic discourse, but might not in itself be consciously antisemitic.[3] The major source of contemporary antisemitism is to be found in parts of the British Muslim community. The roots of this kind of antisemitism are complex – from a mixture of historical attitudes, domestic and political tensions between communities to the globalisation of the Middle East conflict. One assumption is that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has fuelled a sense of anger and injustice among the British Muslim community and therefore created a climate that is more hospitable to radical Islamist ideology, such as contemporary antisemitism.[1][4]

In December 2014, the Department of Communities and Local Government of Britain published a report that describes the government action on antisemitism. According to this report, there is a 25% increase in the number of antisemitic incidents occurring on social media. That stands in reverse to the fact that during 2013\14 there was a decline in the whole number of antisemitic incidents in the country comparing to 2013\12. The report also reveals that the majority of reports of antisemitic hate crime are focused in three police force area: Metropolitan, Greater Manchester and Hertfordshire, where the overwhelming majority of Jews live.[5]

Antisemitic Incidents Figures Since 1997[6][7][8][9]

Data

The levels of antisemitic incidents in the UK often rise temporarily, in response to 'trigger events', often but not always related to Israel or the wider Middle East. Such trigger events are: the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas and the terrorist shooting at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school in Toulouse, France in 2012; the second Lebanon War in 2006; the Iraq War in 2003; the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001; and the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000.[7]

The Community Security Trust published in 2015 a report that indicated a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents during 2014 in the United Kingdom. The report said that, the number of anti-Semitic incidents more than doubled in 2014 compared to the previous year, reaching 1,168 hate-crimes. Anti-Semitic reactions in Britain to the conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip is named by CST as the largest contributing factor, with the highest-ever monthly total of 314 antisemitic incidents recorded in July 2014 (the same month of the operation protective edge).[10] Despite these findings, research published in June 2015 by Pew Research Center showed that out of six countries participating, the population of the UK had almost the most favorable views of Jews.

While 78% of Europeans have a favorable opinion of Jewish people (13% did not however), in UK 83% of the population hold positive views, and only 7% hold unfavorable opinions of them. This can be contrasted with Muslims (81% favourable) and Roma (63%).[11]

In July 2015 the Community Security Trust published an antisemitic incidents report for the first six months of the year. The report showed an increase of 53% compared with the previous year's results, with 473 incidents across the UK. Most of the incidents (353) were under the category of "abusive behavior". There were significant increases in the violent categories ("violent assault" and "extreme violence") with 44 incidents, which is double the number for the previous year. In 36% of the total number of incidents there was a political reference: 32 incidents referred to Israel and Zionism, 16 incidents mentioned Islam and 122 incidents included far right discourse.[12]

Annual Incidents Figures by Category 1997–2012[6][7]
Category 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
1. Extreme violence 4 0 0 2 1 5 0 4 2 4 1 1 3 0 2 2
2. Assault 19 17 33 51 40 42 54 79 80 108 116 87 121 114 93 67
3. Damage and desecration 58 31 25 73 90 55 72 53 48 70 65 76 89 83 64 53
4. Threats 19 16 31 39 37 18 22 93 25 27 24 28 45 32 30 39
5. Abusive behaviour 86 136 127 196 122 216 211 272 273 365 336 317 609 391 412 467
6. Literature 33 36 54 44 20 14 16 31 27 20 19 37 62 25 7 12
TOTAL 219 236 270 405 310 350 375 532 455 594 561 546 929 645 608 640

Antisemitic discourse

Trends in Anti-Semitic Attitudes in United Kingdom[13][14][15][16][17]
Percent responding "probably true"
10
20
30
40
50
Jews are more loyal to Israel than to this country
Jews have too much power in the business world
Jews have too much power in international financial markets
Jews still talk too much about the Holocaust
  •   2004
  •   2005
  •   2007
  •   2009
  •   2012

According to the Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism, "Antisemitic discourse is, by its nature, harder to identify and define than a physical attack on a person or place."[18] It is not normally targeted at an identifiable victim, but at Jews as a group. It influences and reflects hostile attitudes to Jews and Jewish-related issues, and can fuel antisemitic incidents against Jews and Jewish institutions. It may be found in the media or in more private social interaction and often reflects some of the features of old antisemitism, playing on Jewish stereotypes and myths, and seldom uses expression of contemporary antisemitism.

Antisemitic discourse, in the 21st century in the UK, includes several manifestations:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism" (PDF). All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  2. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/topic/anti-Semitism
  3. ↑ Sicher, Efraim (2011). "The Image of Israel and Postcolonial Discourse in the Early 21st Century: A View from Britain". Israel Studies 16: 1. doi:10.2979/ISR.2011.16.1.1.
  4. ↑ Gunther, Jikeli. "Antisemitism Among Young Muslims in London" (PDF). International Study Group Education and Research on Antisemitism Colloquium I: Aspects of Antisemitism in the UK.
  5. ↑ "https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/390904/Government_Action_on_Antisemitism_final_24_Dec.pdf" (PDF). GOV.UK. Department for Communities and Local Government Britain. Retrieved 17 January 2015. External link in |title= (help)
  6. 1 2 "ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS REPORT 2006" (PDF). Community Security Trust. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS REPORT 2012" (PDF). Community Security Trust.
  8. ↑ It should be noticed that despite improvements in reporting, it is to be expected that antisemitic hate crime and hate incidents, are significantly under-reported. This is particularly the case where the victims are minors; where the incident is considered of 'lesser' impact by the victim; and for incidents that take place on social media. Hence the statistics should be taken as being indicative of general trends, rather than absolute measures of the number of incidents that actually took place in the UK.
  9. ↑ Boyd, Jonathan; Staetsk, Daniel. "Could it happen here? What existing data tell us about contemporary antisemitism in the UK". Institute for Jewish Polict Research. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "Report Says Number of Anti-Semitic Incidents in UK Doubles in 2014". Sputnik (Community Security Trust). 5 February 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Stokes, Bruce. "Faith in European Project Reviving". PEW research center. PEW research center. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Antisemitic incidents: Januar-June 2015" (PDF). Community Security Trust. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "Attitudes Toward Jews, Israel and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in Ten European Countries – April 2004" (PDF). ADL. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Attitudes Toward Jews in Twelve European Countries – May 205" (PDF). ADL. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "Attitudes Toward Jews and the Middle East in Six European Countries – July 2007" (PDF). ADL. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "Attitudes Toward Jews in Seven European Countries – February 2009" (PDF). ADL. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "Attitudes Toward Jews in Ten European Countries – March 2012" (PDF). ADL. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism: Government Response - One year on Progress Report." GOV.UK. 12 May 2008. 29 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "Antisemitic Discourse in Britain in 2009" (PDF). Community Security Trust. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "Antisemitic Discourse in Britain in 2011" (PDF). Community Security Trust. Retrieved 25 May 2013.

Further reading

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