Antisemitism Has Become ‘Socially Inexpensive’ In Britain | Louis Danker

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]This is a moment where Jews need to be reminded that we belong in Britain. And in order for that to be the case, we need allyship from non-Jewish people and from leaders. We need people not to show institutional timidity, but real bravery and standing alongside us, calling out anti-Semitic hatred, and taking strong action where needed.

[00:00:18]>> The Prime Minister's been holding an anti-Semitism summit at Downing Street.

[00:00:22]It brought together groups from across society. It included business, education, policing. And here is the Prime Minister speaking earlier. Make no mistake. This crisis it's a crisis for all of us.

[00:00:35]It is a test of our values.

[00:00:38]Values that aren't guaranteed.

[00:00:40]They are earned every single day through our actions.

[00:00:46]So, it's not enough to simply say we stand with Jewish communities.

[00:00:55]Of course, we do, but we must show it and act it.

[00:00:58]That's the Prime Minister speaking earlier. And today's summit comes after recent anti-Semitic attacks in Britain.

[00:01:05]Dame Louise Ellman is a former Labour MP, now joint independent chair of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. And she spoke to Fee and Jane earlier on and said being Jewish would had become a no-go area. Really, now it's just a start and he's got the event that's taking place today in Downing Street, I understand, talking to leaders in education, the National Health Service, and in the arts to try and explain where we are and to call for further action.

[00:01:31]And it's really awful it's taken all this time and all these events to get to this position. You know, there are numerous reports of Jewish artists, Jewish performers simply being cancelled because they're Jewish. And it's almost becoming a a no-go area to be a mainstream Jewish person. And it's just horrendous that we've got to that situation. So, Dame Louise Ellman there, the former Labour MP, who's joint independent chair of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. She was speaking to Fee Glover. And you can catch her, of course, Jane Fee every Monday to Thursday between 2:00 and 4:00. Now, let us talk to Louis Danka, the president of the Union of Jewish Students. And he was there and gave a speech at today's Downing Street summit.

[00:02:10]Louis, welcome to you.

[00:02:12]Hi, John. Thank you for having me.

[00:02:13]>> You're very welcome. Give me your thoughts on the on the summit then. Was it Was it a valuable gathering? What did it achieve, Louis?

[00:02:19]It absolutely was a valuable gathering.

[00:02:21]It was the right event for this moment, I think. Since the awful attack in Golders Green last week, the community has been pretty clear that it's not just government that needs to do more, it's not just the police that need to do more, it is the entirety of civil society. And so, we really welcomed bringing together leaders from across sectors. I was at a table with vice-chancellors, with sector leaders in education. And we were committed to action because again, since the attacks last week, we've been talking about the importance of action rather than just words. So, I really welcomed today. All right. What was your impression then, Louis, that the the gathering and and those who were gathered there fully understand the nature of the problem?

[00:02:59]And the discussions ranged over various areas, didn't they? There was there was education, higher education, there was talk of law enforcement, civil society, and so on. In that sense, was there a clear understanding as far as you could see?

[00:03:12]I think so. I think that the gravity of this moment is not lost on people. I certainly in my remarks made it very clear that this is a moment where Jews need to be reminded that we belong in Britain. And in order for that to be the case, we need allyship from non-Jewish people [clears throat] and from leaders.

[00:03:28]We need people not to show institutional timidity, but real bravery and standing alongside us, calling out anti-Semitic hatred, and taking strong action where needed. You But you I guess feel there is still more to be done. I say that because one or two of the points that came out of the meeting was in the field of higher education, there'll be a a requirement on higher education institutions to uh to follow the the growth where it is growing of anti-Semitism and do something about that and be ready to answer for what is being done. So, clearly, there is a feeling that more needs to be done.

[00:04:01]Indeed. That Those policy developments came out of a report that we published at the Union of Jewish Students called Time for Change. Now, that report found that one in five students across this country would be reluctant or unwilling to live with a Jew. What that speaks to is normalized anti-Semitism on campus.

[00:04:16]And to root out a cultural problem, we need cultural solutions. And I really welcomed the announcements earlier today because it starts with ensuring that universities are moving fast and moving decisively where they do encounter anti-Semitism on campus. And government has a role to regulate that. I just I mean, in as far as one can quantify these things, you can certainly maybe illustrate it. Are we now in a place where Jewish students on our campuses are in fear? I put it as boldly and simply as that. Can that be said?

[00:04:43]Look, there are 10,000 Jewish students with 10,000 different experiences, but that's what I hear from a number of them. A number of them feel frightened.

[00:04:51]Uh many of them will have had awful experiences of being physically targeted with assault, with harassment, with verbal abuse. One story that springs to mind is of a couple of Jewish Jewish students walking in a park near their campus wearing a skullcap, and someone started yelling about the war in Gaza at them and then started chasing them brandishing a glass bottle. Uh all those students did was wear a kippah, a skullcap on their heads. And so, yes, many do feel fearful, but they also feel defiant and resilient. We're not a community that can easily hide away. We are a community who want to be outward and proud of our Jewishness and will continue to be. All right. Well, that's that's a an appalling experience for the students that you mentioned mentioned there. I mean, in in other fields, you were focused on higher education and the campuses of around the country. And another theme that came out of this summit was the Prime Minister saying that the prosecution of hate crimes is going to be fast-tracked. Now, we've seen so many cases of of prosecutions just stuck in the court system, you know, week after week, month after month after month, which so blunts the impact and the importance of a prosecution that we're told is going to speed up. I I imagine you'd be welcoming that. What more do you want to hear?

[00:05:57]Absolutely. I mean, I I would wager that anti-Semitism has become socially inexpensive in this country.

[00:06:03]And that's a real problem. And that is a real challenge that requires deterrent.

[00:06:07]So, yes, I completely welcome the fact that prosecutions will be will be sped up. We've had a spate of attacks in Golders Green and across North London targeting Jewish synagogues, targeting Jewish people as well. And so, we need to have very clear, demonstrable actions that are taken against people responsible for those activities. I think there's a huge amount that can come from events like this morning. There were really, really interesting actions that were floated.

[00:06:33]What's crucial now is there is follow-up. It can't just be a flash in the pan. It can't just be a one-off summit. There needs to be follow-up across sectors to ensure that we have a real step change in how we as a society are dealing with this.

[00:06:44]>> And after those violent attacks in Golders Green, there's knife knife attacks. There were protests. There was really strong feeling on the streets.

[00:06:50]And And we saw some demonstrators having holding placards and saying "A kiss from a Jew harms her."

[00:06:57]I mean, what do you make of that sentiment? Do you consider the Prime Minister understands and he's fully sympathetic to the the issue you're discussing?

[00:07:05]Look, I think so many people in the Jewish community are angry. They are fearful. They feel like a foreign conflict has been imported onto our streets and that British Jews are being targeted for the actions of a government thousands of miles away that we did not have anything to do with. Um so, I understand people's anger. What was clear in the room today is that the entirety of government was committed to taking action.

[00:07:27]Uh that action needs to be implemented at pace. It needs to be driven forward.

[00:07:31]We need to pull every lever that we have in this country because we have an anti-Semitism crisis. I think we need to name it. Britain has an anti-Semitism crisis. And so, the Prime Minister showed leadership by bringing everyone together this morning. And now we need civil society leaders to do the same in their fields.

[00:07:46]>> And it's always been discussed in the context of of demonstrations, protests on the streets, whether whether pro-Palestinian or or some seen by some as threatening or perceived as threatening by members of the Jewish community. Just spell out your position on those protests and the need for safety, the right to feel secure against the right of free speech.

[00:08:05]How do you weigh it up?

[00:08:07]I think for me, it's very simple. There is a right to free speech, there's a right to freedom to protest, but there is no freedom to harass and there is no freedom to intimidate. And people who unlawfully harass Jewish people on the streets of London, there should be action. There should be action that is taken on them.

[00:08:22]All right. Louis, really good to talk to you. Thank you for joining me today.

[00:08:25]Louis, thank you. Louis Danka is the president of the Union of Jewish Students.