Last week, we paid tribute and focused our minds on those affected by the Holocaust. That these reflections come as Europe again recoils from the horror of antisemitic murder is a heartbreaking reminder that the world's oldest hatred continues to haunt our continent seven decades on from the liberation of Auschwitz. The shocking attacks on French Jews going about their daily lives in a supermarket in Paris were as senseless as they were brutal. I know that the barbarism of that day gave many in the Jewish community cause to consider the plight of those they love on the continent and indeed those closer to home. The personal tragedies of that day are immense, the urgency of our battle against antisemitism is clear.
Next week I, together with other senior parliamentarians from across the parties, will deliver our report and recommendations - the culmination of a process that began last summer as violence flared again between Israel and Gaza. As fighting took hold in the Middle East, the political dissatisfaction of a few was channelled into attacks on British Jews. The Community Security Trust recorded a 400 per cent increase in incidents during the summer, which contributed to their highest ever annual total. It was as a result of that increased violence that I joined a group of fellow parliamentarians to look at what could be done to strengthen and otherwise improve our national frameworks for combating anti-Jewish hatred.
We went out and listened to voices throughout the community. We know that antisemitism on social media, some of the public discourse and some of the political protests gave a genuine and heartfelt cause for concern. These were issues that were raised with us not just at home but abroad, too.
In Paris, Germany, Amsterdam and Dublin, members of our panel held meetings which brought home to us both the shocking depth of antisemitism on the continent but so, too, the comparative advancements we have made at home in getting to grips with it. In recent weeks, there have been an increasing number of prominent Jewish figures giving voice to the concerns of the community about its place in Britain. It is important we heed those concerns but equally that we provide details of what has happened already to meet them.
Secondly, we have attempted to provide a dispassionate overview of where we stand as a nation. The Labour government, of which I was a part, responded formally to the first All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism of 2006 and established or enabled a number of frameworks and structures that continue to play their part in combating antisemitism. The cross-party approach has ensured that those measures and subsequent ones have continued as the party in power has changed. We can never rest easy though and so our report will include recommendations for strengthening those existing frameworks and introducing new measures which will continue to set Britain apart as a European leader in efforts to combat antisemitism.
Despite having done so much we simply cannot rest easy in these times
Thirdly, we have been required to deepen our knowledge of the new realities. It was important to us that in developing our recommendations we were drawing on the knowledge of respected experts. Since the last All-Party Inquiry, the first academic chair in antisemitism has been established courtesy of the Pears Foundation at Birkbeck, University of London. We drew on the expertise of Professor David Feldman and together with reports from academics from Lancaster and Oxford and eminent barristers, we sought to deepen our understanding of the key issues ranging from language, to online hate to the legal frameworks that exist to address antisemitism.
Finally, having listened, reviewed and researched we are determined to act. This is the most important part of our report. Our forthcoming paper must not be one that sits on a shelf gathering dust. The previous All-Party Inquiry paved the way for a decade of action against antisemitism.
The fundamental point is clear: Jews must feel happy, safe and secure in Britain. There can be no tolerance for those that seek to divide and vilify and hate. Tackling the menace of antisemitism is incumbent on us all. From the man or woman in the street to MPs in Parliament, Jew and non-Jew we must all stand together, we must all play our part.
The All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism will be available from www.antisemitism.org.uk from Monday.
