'Anti-Israelism Often Spirals Into Hatred Towards Jews' | 'This Goes Well Beyond Hostility'

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:00]Let's go straight over to my next guest, Dr. Rakib Ehsan, social policy analyst.

[00:00:04]Hi, Rakib.

[00:00:06]Hi, Kevin. How are you? I'm okay.

[00:00:08]Well, you're a social policy analyst.

[00:00:10]What the hell is going on in this country right now? What is this anti-Semitism problem? Where do you think it's coming from and what can we do about it?

[00:00:18]Well, it's it's a real problem. We have many problems in the country, Kevin, as you know, and I think one of the real problems that we have is what I'd consider to be the rise of anti-Semitic terrorism. And and I think that that that this has been a risk for some time.

[00:00:36]If you look especially within British Muslim communities, as we know, there's elevated levels of anti-Semitism. This goes well beyond hostility towards the state of Israel. We're talking about anti-Jewish conspiratorial beliefs, especially comes to these conspiracy theories over power and control over the banking system, the media, entertainment, and other spheres of life. And also in some cases Holocaust trivialization and denial. So, I think that naturally I think there's been an there's an intensification of anti-Semitism after October the 7th and the subsequent bombardment of Gaza and also the illegal expansion of settlements in the West Bank. But, Kevin, what we're talking about here, we're talking about something broader than that, a broader anti-Jewish hatred.

[00:01:25]And and I think that we we saw the threat of that anti-Semitic Islamist terrorism with the attack on Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, which which two people were killed.

[00:01:37]We've had a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in London. But, well before all of this, we've had people who have been jailed.

[00:01:48]Islamist being jailed for plotting to target Jewish sites, including synagogues in their home cities, cities such as Birmingham. So, this has been a risk for some time and now unfortunately we can see that the risks are coming to materialize in real life in the shape of full-blown terror attacks. And what do you think should be done about it? I mean, various suggest I mean, the problem so far with this government, with Keir Starmer and his cabinet crew, as it is every time with this lot, is you have an an atrocity, a terrorist incident like in Manchester, like in Golders Green, and they just step in front of the cameras and spew the usual cliches, you know, hate like this won't be tolerated, an attack on the Jewish community is an attack on us all, there is no place for anti-Semitism. I mean, they're all very virtuous and meaningless.

[00:02:44]>> Yeah, but it doesn't achieve anything.

[00:02:47]What the Jewish community are looking for, in fact, I think what we're all looking for is some concrete steps that might actually do something about this explosion of anti-Semitism which is beginning to reach extremely alarming levels. What should we do, Rakib? Well, where to start? I think firstly we have to make the point that the the person who's been charged for attempted murder over the Golders Green double stabbing attack >> here. Don't forget he's he's being charged, so we have to be careful.

[00:03:17]>> So, he's been it's so I think that the point to make here is that this particular individual uh it has been reported that he had been referred to Prevent.

[00:03:28]>> Okay, let's just say I have to be very, very careful here for legal reasons.

[00:03:33]Let's just say uh he's from Somalia.

[00:03:37]Uh he was actually a British citizen. I would suggest that he is symptomatic, indicative of the thousands of young men that we let into the country every single year, thousands and thousands of them, from Islamic countries where Jew hatred is pretty much a way of life. Uh I think that that may be a problem. We are importing. That isn't to say we don't have homegrown anti-Semitism, don't get me wrong. But, uh our migrant population are coming from countries where Jew hatred is not uncommon, shall I put it that way? Mhm.

[00:04:17]No, absolutely. And I think I think it's a problem that it has been imported over time from parts of the world which have especially elevated levels of anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish hatred.

[00:04:29]And I think that that that's contributed towards the wearing down of our social fabric. And I have to say that many people, especially people more progressive liberal disposition, have presented modern Britain as a paragon of diversity, a flourishing multi-faith democracy. And that portrayal doesn't really hold anymore in my view. And I think the real concern here is that the floodgates have opened when it comes to anti-Semitic terrorism which is specifically targeting British Jewish communities. Yeah, and here's something that I think we need to think about. Look the right to criticize Israel, you know, it should be universal. If you don't like what Israel's doing or you don't like Netanyahu, uh then of course, whether you're Jewish, you're left-wing, or right-wing, you should have the right to criticize Israel. Mhm. But, this cloak that these extreme left-wingers tend to put up, which is always I'm not anti-Semitic, uh I uh I don't I don't it's nothing to do with me hating Jews, I just reserve the right to criticize Israel. It was like a chorus uh for Jeremy Corbyn and his gang. I think we have to start to be a little careful about this. It is becoming a shield, I think, for too many left-wing people for their actual anti-Semitism.

[00:05:54]Well, I I think I'd make the point that for example holding unfavorable feelings towards the Netanyahu-led government in the state of Israel, that's becoming an increasingly mainstream position in Britain, Kevin. But, I think the problem is is that all too often, in my view, this is I speak as someone who's a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, that anti-Israelism all too often it spirals into hatred >> That's it. towards British Jewish communities. And I think that there's many people that actually struggle to make the differentiation in their own minds when it comes to approaching this particular matter. And I think that's a very serious problem. And I think that if people are, in my view, understandably they have perfectly legitimate concerns over the behavior of the Israeli government, they shouldn't hold British Jewish people accountable for that. That is just deeply wrong.

[00:06:46]>> Exactly right, very good point.

[00:06:49]Let me just last question. I just want to fire at you some potential concrete moves that the government could make that you may feel would have an effect or you may feel wouldn't. First of all, prescribe ban the IRGC.

[00:07:05]Ban the Muslim Brotherhood.

[00:07:09]Potentially close down the Iranian embassy because earlier this week the Iranian embassy called for all Iranians in Britain to lay down their lives for the Tehran tyrant's cause.

[00:07:23]And to potentially ban the pro-Palestine marches. Those four, was it four things I just said?

[00:07:30]Would would they help?

[00:07:32]It's it's hard to say, Kevin, and I'll explain why. I just feel that increasingly, when you look at these kind of attacks, they increasingly they come across as quite lone wolf. It's not people attached to particular organizations. Now, of course, I think they'd make the point that Palestine Action is a prescribed terrorist organization in the UK right now. So, many people be wondering, well, if they're prescribed, how come The IRGC and the Muslim Brotherhood >> I think I think some people would find that quite positive. They'd find it to be a good thing. Yeah, [laughter] me included. Yeah, we have we have ISIS and Palestine Action on the list of prescribed organizations by the Home Office. So, I I think there's some inconsistencies there, but I think the one thing we have to we have to ultimately readjust in terms of how we actually counter terrorist activity in the country and the and the threat of it. Because before, when you look at Islamist terrorism in particular, it tended to be people who had pledged allegiance to a particular organization.

[00:08:25]They might have been a member of a specific organization. I think in some ways they made it that bit easier in terms of monitoring um the threat. So, if it's lone wolf, quite low level, this isn't about detonating a bomb and purchasing all the ingredients, quite low level, using knives in a in a stabbing attack, that's actually quite difficult to monitor, it's quite difficult to prevent. So, I think that we have to really understand that how the terror threat is changing, the nature of it, and how we can control that and how we can prevent these kind of attacks happening in the future. Well said, Rakib. It was great to have you on the show. Thank you very much indeed.

[00:09:00]Dr. Rakib Ehsan there, social policy analyst.