How To Solve Britain’s Antisemitism Problem | CEO, Antisemitism Policy Trust

Ajouté : 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]This country was a refuge for my parents after they were driven from their homes elsewhere in Europe. My paternal grandmother settled in Henden Central, the only one of seven children in her generation to survive the war. But here she was safe. Her son was safe. Her grandchildren were safe. And I'm so glad I don't have to explain to her that there have been arson attacks against Jews around the corner from her Henden home. Arson attacks in the synagogue where one grandson has been a member.

[00:00:32]Arson attacks where another has recently spoken. Arsson attacks outside the local Jewish care home where a family member lives. And now a stabbing attack a few hundred yards from the place where Granny used to work as a language teacher. What would I have said to her?

[00:00:49]This is still a wonderful country and personally I think it one of the very best places in the world for Jews to live. But I can't pretend this isn't a very frightening and distressing moment.

[00:01:01]I'm Daniel Finkelstein. This is the Times at 1. And of course, we're going to start with that story. A man has been detained after stabbing two Jewish men in gold screen. And we're going to get the latest with Tom Nunan, Times radio reporter.

[00:01:16]>> Good afternoon, Daniel. Yes. I mean, as you've been saying, a man's been detained. This is coming from a Jewish neighborhood watch group called Shamrim, saying that this man was going around Golders Green, which is a neighborhood in North London, targeting Jewish members of the public. Um, for those who don't know, uh, Gold is Green, it has a 50% Jewish population according to the census in 2021. About half of people identify as Jewish compared to less than half a percent or about half a percent for the rest of the country more generally. Um, so it's one of the biggest Jewish communities in London.

[00:01:49]Um, Shaman says that they detained the man first, then the police came, used a taser, arrested him. They say the two victims who've been stabbed are being treated by Hatsella, which is the ambulance service targeted in the arson attack in the same area last month on the 23rd of March. And as you were referencing in your introduction there, there has been this string of anti-semitic attacks. Um you look back to you know Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester last October. Uh then you had this ambulance attack arson attack on the 23rd of March. Then in the last month this is all from the security minister in parliament just a few days ago. Already it's out of date but 15th of April you have an arson attack on a synagogue in Finchley also in North London. 17th of April another suspected arson attack in Henden North London on a building linked to a Jewish charity.

[00:02:41]18th of April. The next day, you have a suspected arson attack on a synagogue in Harrow around midnight. A few hours later, on the 19th of April, you have another incident in Finchley opposite a synagogue. Uh the Met police, this is on Monday, said that 26 people had been arrested since late March in relation to some sort of planned anti-semitic attack. Uh that is already out of date 2 days later. The prime minister in prime minister's questions asked about it saying it's deeply concerning. The shadow home secretary Chris Philp says it's another appalling anti-semitic attack and the mayor of London saying that the met police will ramp up patrols in the area or across London. Um I suppose we'll have to see how much that can reassure Jewish people who live around there.

[00:03:26]>> Do you know roughly where this was in relation to uh the recent ambulance attacks? Whether it was in the sort of upper golden screen right by the station or I'm afraid I'm I'm not familiar. I I live down the road from Gold's Green, but I I I don't know it well. But um but I mean >> the reason for asking is only um uh Tom is just because um when you get near the station, the population is uh still very Jewish, but probably less visibly so. Uh and when you're coming down the far end of the high road where these fire attacks were earlier and where the moral wall attacks were, there's much more visible Orthodox community. And I just wonder whether it was targeting those.

[00:04:06]>> Well, shrooms say that they that this person was targeting people who were visibly Jewish is the way they describe it. So, I can only assume that is wearing kippers or sort of other things like that. But yes.

[00:04:18]>> Yes. Okay. Tom, thank you very much indeed for that initial report. I'm sure that you and others will keep all of our Times radio listeners fully informed of that story and you very uh well cited it in the list of uh anti-Semitic attacks that have taken place because this is the latest in a long line of such attacks and of course only yesterday as I just said a suspected arson attack at the memorial wall in goldcreen. So this wall is near a Jewish center and it commemorates victims of October the 7th and of Iranians killed protesting against the country's regime. So let's talk to Danny Stone who's the chief executive of the Anti-semitism Policy Trust. Danny, thanks for joining me.

[00:05:03]>> Thanks for having me on.

[00:05:05]>> What is your own theory in the theory of the anti-semitism policy trust about why this uh keeps happening? Obviously for a long period before the Heaton Park attack, there hadn't been this these kind of direct physical uh attacks that and led in that case obviously to uh a death and now there have been a concentrated series. Um they there'd obviously been raises of all sorts of assaults, but these are of a different order, aren't they? A different nature.

[00:05:37]>> They are. I mean, first it's it's important not to speculate. We don't know the details of course of this specific incident yet and I'd want to ask people to keep calm and open-minded about about the kind of nature of the attack. Certainly, you're right that uh we hadn't seen these kind of violent direct extreme attacks of this sort in the UK. We had seen them overseas in a number of different places in Belgium, in France, in Germany, Austria and so on and so forth. So we have seen these nature of attacks overseas. Obviously after the October 7th attacks there has been an increase a major increase in anti-semitic incidents and the discourse online and in real life has been cosening and people are radicalized by that discourse. So I think it's a confluence of different things. Um and as soon as we saw the the Heat and Park attack, I think the these do inspire uh and I say it's important not to speculate, but they do inspire other attacks. Saw it across the world in Bondai Beach. Um so we have to be prepared and the Jewish community has long been prepared for such attacks and indeed now government and police are stepping up, but the answer can't be to simply build higher walls um and put in place more security. Um we will need to do something else and we'll look at the government. We are looking to the government to implement its social cohesion action plan to try and deal with some of the root causes of some of this.

[00:07:05]>> What does that mean? Because some people may say, you know, trying to aim for lots of social cohesion is the problem rather than the solution. We're in a situation where nobody where people are afraid to say what's really happening.

[00:07:18]Uh and um they're afraid to do it because they don't want other minority groups to uh feel isolated or feel under attack. and yet the attacks go go on. So tell us what you mean by a social cohesion action plan.

[00:07:33]>> So for me this is this is actually about British values. This is about the country that we want to be. And for me too often at the extremes people are engaging in discourses that I think are utterly unacceptable. calling for globalizing the interifard on the streets. For me, that's unacceptable.

[00:07:52]That goes beyond I think British and I think most British people would concur that that goes beyond what is an acceptable discourse. And I want the state to be muscular in stating these are our values. We are groups of people of different backgrounds, faiths, uh and so on that will live together but according to a basic set of principles and if you are outside of those principles, you don't get public funding. you will be targeted. Uh your efforts will be disrupted. Um and that counts for British groups and it counts for for state influence as well.

[00:08:26]>> Well, you you and I know each other and we've talked about this problem of anti-semitism a lot. Unfortunately, I don't think it's what either of us uh would want to spend our time doing, but we felt it necessary to to do it. Um lots of people, you'll know this in the Jewish community talk openly about whether this country is a safe place for Jews. You and I are committed to ensure that it remains that. Do you think this kind of event is going to make our task harder in talking to Jews about you know feeling this country is their country?

[00:08:58]>> Definitely. I mean anecdotally you know people that I see whether it be at school pickup or anywhere else are asking me whether it's safe or when they're going to leave. I still remind them that Britain and I think you said this in your introduction is you know a great place to live. We have very strong laws, race relations and other laws. We have um cross party. We have members of parliament who wish to work to help Jewish people and put in place the right measures to protect and defend Jewish and indeed other communities. Um and there's lots Britain's got a lot going for it. Um but this will frighten people and I I I do think it makes the job harder for all of us. Um but I do want to reassure people that between the government, the police, opposition parties and indeed the the Jewish communal infrastructure which is is quite remarkable. There is good security infrastructure. There are um people who are looking out for Jewish uh and other people and um it is I still think a good and safe place to live in Britain albeit we must be vigilant. Well, thank you, Danny Stone, who's the head of the Anti-Semitism Policy Trust.