Disturbing rise in anti-Semitic violence mars Holocaust Day (Newham Borough Liberal Democrats)

Newham Borough Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Disturbing rise in anti-Semitic violence mars Holocaust Day

January 26, 2009 1:15 PM
Originally published by Sarah Ludford MEP

In the run up to Holocaust Memorial Day a report by the Community Security Trust, an organisation which aims to protect Britain's Jewish community, has revealed that over 220 incidents of anti-Semitism have been reported since the outbreak of the recent conflict in Gaza. This represents eight times the number of incidents recorded in the same period last year.

London MEP and Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman Sarah Ludford said:

"Whatever an individual's views on the controversial events in Gaza including criticism of Israel, there is absolutely no excuse for race hate directed at Jews, it is despicable to link the two. While in the UK we already have a legal framework for prosecution - which must be used - I am glad that EU governments have now at long last adopted a European law which will make race hate crime punishable by strong penalties everywhere in Europe."

"I strongly support Holocaust education as a means to combat prejudice and discrimination. Recent TV and films dramas, from Anne Frank's diary to Kate Winslet in The Reader, remind us of the enduring relevance of the Shoah as a lesson in where hate and inhumanity - but also indifference and turning a blind eye - can lead."