Joy Morrissey is MP for Beaconsfield, Marlow and the South Bucks villages, and Deputy Chief Whip of the Conservative Party
In the aftermath of the Manchester synagogue attack I wrote for ConservativeHome that it was time for British Jews to know that most decent British people were on their side. It was time for the Government to act to protect them from the normalisation of antisemitism on our streets.
Since then, we have had the Golders Green attack, and the situation has got worse for British Jews. The Government has not acted to ban these marches. It has not proscribed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard or the Muslim Brotherhood. It has chosen lukewarm words and inertia, rather than decisive action to protect British Jews.
But now we know. It turns out that when the Government wants to act on marches, it can.
Over the weekend thousands came out for the Unite the Kingdom march in London. Cue the Prime Minister rushing to a sombre backdrop, sleeves rolled up to deliver a moralising lecture about tolerance, fairness, respect and his interpretation of British values. We heard about the decisive action to ban foreign nationals attending considered “not conducive to the public good”.
It is striking we can never act on pro-Hamas Islamist preachers entering our country to spread antisemitic hate. Are they “conducive to the public good”?
The truth is Two-Tier Keir’s approach to British values is all about him. The only British values that matter to him are those that will galvanise his dwindling supporters in a battle against the “far-right”.
It’s worth at this point remembering the observations of Sir Trevor Phillips, founding Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and hardly a cheerleader for the far-right. Sir Trevor took the time to attend and understand the last Unite the Kingdom rally last year.
Following the march Sir Trevor wrote: “The overwhelming majority of the crowds waving flags and carrying crosses weren’t there for a fight. But they do have a cause. The angry protests outside asylum hotels are metastasising into a simpler, broader message: stop immigration, defend free speech, revive Christianity. It is a compelling trinity for a country that feels angry and unmoored.”
He later added in a radio interview that “what you would have noticed” is that “this was a march striking by the ordinariness of the people who were there”.
Yet week after week, Pro-Palestinian marches that have legitimised antisemitism continue to go unchallenged by this country. It is why seeing Kemi Badenoch recently face down a protestor with such moral clarity made me burst with pride that she leads our Party.
The Prime Minister argued last week that we are “in a battle for the soul of this country”. We are. But he seems to think that is determined by how to save his collapsing leadership, not re-asserting British values. Not a single action taken to ban antisemitic marches on our streets.
Contrast that with the courageous leadership Kemi showed when facing a protestor. “I am someone who is very determined to stop this climate of intimidation and hatred towards Jews. You will never get excuses from me, we have to protect Jewish people.”
The battle for the soul of this country will be won when British Jews are able to go about their daily lives without the fear of antisemitic attacks. When Jewish children can go to school and not need reinforced gates and security guards. When the streets of London are given back to ordinary citizens, not the pro-Palestinian marchers chanting to “globalise the intifada”. When British Jews no longer need to consider leaving our shores to feel safe.
To win that battle, it is time for the action to start. The pro-Palestinian marches acting as a cover for antisemitism, banned. Pro-Hamas Islamic preachers denied entry to our country. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard and Muslim Brotherhood proscribed.
Our country and British Jews need leaders with the courage to take these actions urgently. The time to act is now.
Joy Morrissey is MP for Beaconsfield, Marlow and the South Bucks villages, and Deputy Chief Whip of the Conservative Party
In the aftermath of the Manchester synagogue attack I wrote for ConservativeHome that it was time for British Jews to know that most decent British people were on their side. It was time for the Government to act to protect them from the normalisation of antisemitism on our streets.
Since then, we have had the Golders Green attack, and the situation has got worse for British Jews. The Government has not acted to ban these marches. It has not proscribed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard or the Muslim Brotherhood. It has chosen lukewarm words and inertia, rather than decisive action to protect British Jews.
But now we know. It turns out that when the Government wants to act on marches, it can.
Over the weekend thousands came out for the Unite the Kingdom march in London. Cue the Prime Minister rushing to a sombre backdrop, sleeves rolled up to deliver a moralising lecture about tolerance, fairness, respect and his interpretation of British values. We heard about the decisive action to ban foreign nationals attending considered “not conducive to the public good”.
It is striking we can never act on pro-Hamas Islamist preachers entering our country to spread antisemitic hate. Are they “conducive to the public good”?
The truth is Two-Tier Keir’s approach to British values is all about him. The only British values that matter to him are those that will galvanise his dwindling supporters in a battle against the “far-right”.
It’s worth at this point remembering the observations of Sir Trevor Phillips, founding Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and hardly a cheerleader for the far-right. Sir Trevor took the time to attend and understand the last Unite the Kingdom rally last year.
Following the march Sir Trevor wrote: “The overwhelming majority of the crowds waving flags and carrying crosses weren’t there for a fight. But they do have a cause. The angry protests outside asylum hotels are metastasising into a simpler, broader message: stop immigration, defend free speech, revive Christianity. It is a compelling trinity for a country that feels angry and unmoored.”
He later added in a radio interview that “what you would have noticed” is that “this was a march striking by the ordinariness of the people who were there”.
Yet week after week, Pro-Palestinian marches that have legitimised antisemitism continue to go unchallenged by this country. It is why seeing Kemi Badenoch recently face down a protestor with such moral clarity made me burst with pride that she leads our Party.
The Prime Minister argued last week that we are “in a battle for the soul of this country”. We are. But he seems to think that is determined by how to save his collapsing leadership, not re-asserting British values. Not a single action taken to ban antisemitic marches on our streets.
Contrast that with the courageous leadership Kemi showed when facing a protestor. “I am someone who is very determined to stop this climate of intimidation and hatred towards Jews. You will never get excuses from me, we have to protect Jewish people.”
The battle for the soul of this country will be won when British Jews are able to go about their daily lives without the fear of antisemitic attacks. When Jewish children can go to school and not need reinforced gates and security guards. When the streets of London are given back to ordinary citizens, not the pro-Palestinian marchers chanting to “globalise the intifada”. When British Jews no longer need to consider leaving our shores to feel safe.
To win that battle, it is time for the action to start. The pro-Palestinian marches acting as a cover for antisemitism, banned. Pro-Hamas Islamic preachers denied entry to our country. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard and Muslim Brotherhood proscribed.
Our country and British Jews need leaders with the courage to take these actions urgently. The time to act is now.