Georgia L Gilholy is a journalist.
Tomorrow is Holocaust Memorial Day, and an already-sombre occasion feels yet bleaker this year. Antisemitism has risen sharply across the world, including the UK, since the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas.
Last weekend a group of young men attacked three Jewish Israelis in Leicester Square, after overhearing them chatting in Hebrew. The victims called police, who refused to attend the scene, and simply told the traumatised trio to “calm down”.
Over the past few months our town and city centres have been flooded with endless anti-Israel demonstrations by thousands of people, a major chunk of whom have a disproportionate obsession with the Jewish state, meddle in tin-foil-hat Islamist, leftist and fascist conspiracies about it pulling the strings of world politics, and regularly display pro-terror slogans, imagery and clothing.
Plenty of these protesters have chosen to conceal their identity behind face coverings, some of which deliberately resemble those worn by Palestinian terror groups responsible for heinous acts against civilians for decades.
John Woodcock, now Lord Walney, a former Labour MP and the Government’s official adviser on political violence, has proposed empowering the police to enforce a ban on face coverings as a prerequisite for approving protests. But existing legislation already grants the police authority to order the removal of masks during demonstrations and set conditions for protests under the Public Order Act.
Charles Moore suggests that the Government might wish to emphasise to police their powers over face coverings.
But instead of introducing yet more legislation, the focus should be on training the police adequately so that they are aware of their existing powers. Rishi Sunak’s communications team may relish a temporary boost in the right-wing press, but these plans would do little to address the real issues.
I also worry that this proposed emphasis on banning face masks could inadvertently target peaceful protestors, especially those who have fled from, or who tell the truth about, surveillance states like Iran, China, and Hong Kong.
Many law-abiding activists wear face coverings not to incite violence but to protect themselves from hostile regimes operating on British soil. Some people are even unlucky enough to directly fear action against their relatives and friends who remain living under these regimes.
If the Government and police refuse to banish these actors within our borders, why should they demand us to reveal ourselves to our would-be tormentors?
Enforcing such measures may deter those who fear for their safety from participating in protests, but it is unlikely to hinder pro-terror demonstrators who are intent on violence, or who already believe police will do little to stop them.
Pressuring the police to focus on face mask bans is a symbolic gesture that does little to combat the anti-Western and anti-Jewish sentiment in British society, and is likely to. Those genuinely concerned about rising antisemitism should resist supporting hasty measures that may lead to unintended consequences.
In the quest for effective policing, thoughtful strategies and community engagement are key, not knee-jerk reactions that may leave us regretting the consequences.
The erosion of law and order in Britain is a broader, long-term project, which extends beyond this latest frenzy of anti-Israel anger, though arguably helps facilitate it. As one Twitter user put it:
“…about 12 per cent of burglary convictions end in prison. At a rate of 3.7 per cent of cases solved (suspect going to court), and assuming a 100 per cent conviction rate… can you work out how many houses you’d have to burgle to see a day in prison? That’s right, about 225.”
Between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, the proportion of crimes (excluding fraud and computer misuse) resulting in a charge and/or summons this year “increased slightly” to 5.7 per cent.
Social media is regularly awash with Brits understandably expressing their fury at violent criminals receiving risible sentences. People are now even hesitant to report crime because they feel, given the poor likelihood of justice, it is no longer worth the hassle.
Why should ordinary citizens, including those who have fled tyrannical regimes, constantly live in fear of their own liberties being restricted – while actual criminals are allowed to run roughshod over them??