Anti-Racism in Action

The UK is experiencing a spike in hate crime against ethnic minorities.  Figures show a sustained increase of hate crime in the UK over time: in 2015/16, there were 62,518 offences recorded by police, an increase of 19 percent compared with 2014/15.

The Golders Green Hippodrome closed its doors as a theatre in 1968 and was home to the BBC concert orchestra until 2004 and has been used by an evangelical Christian group as a church for 10 years before it was bought in July by the Centre for Islamic Enlightening, which serves the Shia community to hold conferences, seminars, lectures, youth activities, English language classes, after-school clubs and prayers. A council's public consultation on the application for change of use has received more than 200 objections.

Laura Marks, chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said some of the contributions to the private chat groups had “sent a shiver down my spine”. Acknowledging there were valid concerns about congestion and noise, she said there was also “a use of language, and a strength of feeling, that makes me feel this is about something more. It’s about fear of ‘the other’, and specifically fear of Muslims. “Comments such as ‘we don’t know what they are preaching as it’s all in Arabic’, ‘this will result in violence and terrorism’ and ‘there is a chance of infiltration of bombers’ are Islamophobia plain and simple.” 

Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, of the Golders Green Alyth Reform congregation, told the paper the language of the comments was “threatening and misleading”. He added: “I suspect it’s the same sort of thing said about Jews moving to Golders Green in the 1920s. Golders Green is not entirely Jewish. It’s a special place to live in and we all get along together. That’s what London is about.”

A swastika and a racial slur were daubed on the sign outside  the Etz Chaim synagogue in Leeds. In response, four local Muslim men brought flowers to show support and solidarity, where they were welcomed by the synagogue. 

A member of the Etz Chaim community commented on Facebook: “I was truly humbled by the amazing gesture – the gift of flowers and your support. This is what we want to see, and equally the Jewish community should reach out not only to Muslim faiths but to all other faiths. From an unpleasant episode came a wonderful outpouring of support which the whole community appreciates.” 

Also on Facebook Elsje Prins commented: “Thank you for your support and standing up against racist behaviour. It is very much appreciated...Your actions show the way forward.”

Shahab Adris, the Yorkshire and Humber regional manager of Mend, a not-for-profit company which hopes to reduce Islamophobia and increase engagement and development within British communities said: “When I was first shown the images of the graffiti, I was disgusted. Unfortunately it is something we are accustomed to in the Muslim community, and it is the same as a mosque being desecrated with a pig’s head, or similar vile graffiti."

The Leeds Stand Up to Racism group wrote: “We condemn in the strongest terms the recent foul antisemitic attack on the Etz Chaim synagogue in Leeds, and offer our full solidarity and support to the worshippers at Etz Chaim and the wider Jewish community in Leeds. Leeds is a proud multicultural and multi-faith city in which people of all religions and none live happily side by side. The person or persons who carried out this shameful attack represent a tiny fraction of our population, and their Nazi- and hate-filled ideology and behaviour is not welcome here or anywhere.”