'Huge element of truth' to claim London is now no-go zone for Jews

Community Security Trust says comments by Government counter-extremist adviser Robin Simcox ‘contain a huge element of truth’

A warning by the Government’s counter-extremism tsar that London’s streets have become a “no-go zone for Jews” during pro-Palestinian protests contains “a huge element” of truth, it was claimed on Friday.

Robin Simcox, the commissioner for countering extremism, said the Government had let extremists go “unchallenged for too long”, allowing some to fester in a “permissive environment for radicalisation”.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said ministers should be prepared to “move faster” and “be bolder” in taking action against groups even if that meant a “higher legal risk”.

Mark Gardner, the chief executive of the Community Security Trust (CST) which provides security for Britain’s Jewish community, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think as a headline it’s deeply troubling, but it also contains a huge element of truth.”

Mr Gardner said CST “collected evidence” with the London Jewish Forum and submitted it to the Mayor’s office and the Metropolitan Police.

“We had dozens and dozens of replies within the space of about two-and-a-half hours. Again and again and again, just people saying I’m not going into town at the weekend because of these demonstrations.”

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters have demonstrated in central London.

There has also been a huge increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia reports across London following Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel and the Israeli response in Gaza.

Mr Simcox said: “We will not have become an authoritarian state if London is no longer permitted to be turned into a no-go zone for Jews every weekend.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said some had already left London because of fears about their safety and demanded tougher action to combat intimidation and hate.

A recent report from CST showed the organisation recorded 4,103 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2023, the highest total ever reported in a single year and a 147 per cent increase compared to 2022.

Mr Simcox’s comments followed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to deal with the “root causes” of the problem and ensure that “no extremist organisations or individuals are being lent legitimacy by their actions and interactions with central government”.

It is believed that Mr Simcox hopes there will be tougher restrictions on protests that could include forcing marches to be static demonstrations.

Mr Sunak has previously called for the Metropolitan Police to take tougher action against protesters.

A definition of extremism, expected to be set out by Communities and Local Government Secretary Michael Gove as soon as next week, could ban Government officials, universities and councils from funding Islamist and Right-wing groups.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in