Author: davepickering

‘IT IS A CRISIS FOR ALL OF US’

PRIME MINISTER’s OPENING REMARKS:

Thank you all for being here. We have a lot of work to do so it’s very important we gather here to do that work.

Thank you Louis. That was incredibly powerful, and honest, and courageous. I think it’s really important we heard you speak, in your words, saying how you feel, and what it feels like to be Jewish in Britain right now.

And if recent events haven’t given us pause for thought, that really should.

About the responsibility each one of us has to face this challenge head on. And about what’s at the stake in the conversations we have today.

Last October, at Heaton Park, a deadly terrorist attack shocked the nation.

Similarly, last week’s terrorist attack in Golders Green was utterly appalling. But they were not isolated incidents.

It is part of a pattern of rising antisemitism that has left our Jewish communities feeling frightened, angry, and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them.  

These disgusting attacks are being made against British Jews. But, make no mistake, this crisis – it is a crisis for all of us. It is a test of our values. Values that aren’t guaranteed, they are earned. Every single day. Through our actions.

So, it is not enough to simply say we stand with Jewish communities. Of course we do, but we have to show with action. And that responsibility lies with each and every one of us.

Because it is our fight too. It is about the kind of country that we all want to be.

And that’s what today is about. Because only by working together can we eradicate antisemitism from every corner of society.

I have seen this poison up close. I have seen the damage it does when it takes hold. And I know what it demands to root it out – a coordinated approach, an unwavering resolve and zero tolerance for failure. 

[Political content redacted]. And that is what we must do today. My government is using the full force of the state to that end. We have begun, as we must, with immediate protection.

In recent months, as antisemitic incidents have risen, we have acted decisively to strengthen the safety of Jewish communities. And last week, we announced an additional £25 million in funding. 

That money is being used to increase police patrols, enhance security at synagogues, schools and community centres, and place specialist and plain-clothes officers in communities to prevent serious harm before it occurs.

That is the right thing to do. But what a sad thing to read out that list of acts to you – protecting synagogues, schools and community centres. I repeat those words.

Because of course, we cannot accept a future where communities feel safer only behind higher walls. Security is essential – but it is not enough. We must also deal with the forces that drive this hatred in the first place.

So, we are confronting them directly. One of the lines of inquiry is whether a foreign state has been behind some of these incidents. We are investigating of course all possibilities. And we are clear that these actions will have consequences if that proves to be the case.

Our message to Iran, or to any other country that might seek to foment violence, hatred or division in society, is that it will not be tolerated. That is why we are fast tracking legislation to tackle these malign threats.

And we are clear eyed about the fact that antisemitism does not have one source alone. Islamist, far-left and far-right extremism all target Jewish communities.

That is why this Government has put in place the first coordinated national plan to strengthen cohesion and confront extremism in all of its forms.

This is not about tinkering around the edges. Our plan is a complete step change in how we protect communities: moving beyond piecemeal responses to a sustained, nationwide effort – one that ensures that people across the United Kingdom can live freely and without fear.

We are strengthening our ability to disrupt extremism – stopping those who spread hatred from entering the country and giving the Charity Commission stronger powers to act against organisations that enable it. 

We are holding technology companies to account, requiring them to remove illegal extremist content or face serious penalties. And we have introduced stronger powers to deal with protests, ensuring intimidation is not tolerated on our streets.

And when these vile acts are committed, we are bolstering the response of our justice system – working to speed up sentencing for offences so that consequences are swift and the deterrent is clear. 

But it is also important to recognise that so often this hatred does not begin with violence – it begins with ideas, with misinformation, tropes and conspiracy theories, and with attitudes that, left unchecked, can take root and spread. So, in those spaces where the shoots of antisemitism begin to grow, we are stepping in.

We have commissioned independent reviews into antisemitism in education and health services. Across the NHS, we are rolling out antisemitism training for staff.

And in our schools, colleges and universities, we are investing £7 million to tackle antisemitism, while making sure Holocaust education is taught in all schools.

And, today, we are going further. We already expect universities to set out clear disciplinary consequences for antisemitism, and to enforce them. And so we will hold them to account on that. 

But today, I can announce that we will lift the bar higher: when abuses take place, we are calling on universities to demonstrate action. We will now expect them to publish the scale of the problem on their campuses, as well as the specific steps they have taken to clamp down on it. There will be zero tolerance for inaction.

In our cultural venues and spaces we will also expect more. Where public funding is being used to promote or platform antisemitism, the Arts Council must act, using its powers to suspend, withdraw and claw back funding. 

And, today, we are mandating an independent audit of how allegations are handled. This will be a hard-edged review of where systems are failing and where they need to be strengthened. We will not and cannot accept complacency, delays, or weak enforcement. And where complacency is found, it will be challenged and addressed swiftly.

And we will also address a quieter but no less serious harm: the way rising security costs are forcing Jewish artists and organisations out of public life. That is exclusion – and it is unacceptable. 

We will ensure that the Arts Council and Home Office funding can be used to cover protective security costs, so that participation is not determined by fear.

There is, of course, more work to do – and we won’t stop playing our part. But this is not a task that government do alone.

Every part of society has a responsibility to respond with determination and force. Because there are too many people who don’t see antisemitism for what it is: anti-Jewish hatred, racism, pure and simple.

That is why, today, I am asking you – each and every one of you – to reflect. On what form antisemitism takes in the sectors that you lead. In how it may be allowed to fester and spread. And on the work that you are currently doing to stamp it out.

And then, even more importantly, I am calling on you to act. With urgency. To look clearly at where you are succeeding – and just as clearly at where there is still work to be done. And to commit to the tangible action that Jewish people in this country need to feel safe again.

Because stopping antisemitism is not someone else’s responsibility. It is all of ours. That is the test before us. And only by working together will we meet it.

So, thank you for being here today – we have a lot of work to do – and we’re now going to move through to the Pillared Room to discuss that work further. So please come through and join us in the Pillared Room to continue the work that we have started today.