Speech at memorial service in Thurrock slams Labour and its leader over anti-Semitic campaign

By Neil Speight

27th Jan 2020 | Local News

THURROCK anti-Semitism campaigner Stephen Silverman was invited by Thurrock Council to speak at today's memorial service to commemorate the Holocaust and used the platform to slam the British Labour Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn.

In a passionate and detailed speech he outlined the growing list of crimes against ordinary Jews on the streets of the UK and likened them to the beginnings of the rise of neo-Nazism that eventually led to the death of millions of Jews in the Second World War.

At an event attended by many children, and councillors of several faiths and differing political persuasion Mr Silverman held little back in his concern for his faith in the UK.

He told the audience: "It has felt very much as if any antisemitism is out of control. Antisemitism hate crime has risen year-on-year since 2014. An average of three hate crimes are directed against Jews every single day in England and Wales. Jews are more than four times more likely to be the victims of hate crime than any other faith group.

"Jews face this threat on three fronts. They are threatened by modern day Nazis in the form of extreme right wing nationalists. These are Holocaust deniers who believe who believe in a Jewish plot to eradicate the white race and who see a Jewish hand behind every war, economic disaster and terrorist attack.

"Secondly Jews are threatened by Islamist extremists whose hatred for the world's only Jewish state has fuelled a mission to eradicate Jews, not just in Israel but globally.

"And thirdly they are threatened by activists on the far left who claim to be fiercely anti-racist even as they use anti-Semitic caricatures of the rich Jew more loyal to Israel than his own country as a symbol of capitalism's oppression of the poor.

"These groups may have widely different views but they are united by one thing - their hatred of Jews.

"They have become proficient in using the internet and social media to spread to a huge audience material that is designed with the sole purpose of creating anti-Semites. Shamefully the social media companies have shown little interest in dealing with this.

"It's highly likely that the people who committed the offences that I listed earlier were not only radicalised by the anti-Semitic material that is freely available on social media platforms but were also emboldened by over four years of another unexpected development.

"The spread and normalisation of anti-Semitic ideas in one area of the political life of our country.

"Less than two months ago the UK held a general election and British Jews watched in horror as they entertained the very real possibility that the keys to 10 Downing Street would be handed to an anti-Semite.

"An anti-Semite at the head of a party corrupted by antisemitism from top to bottom.

"A party that as a result of the work done by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism is under investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for institutionalised racism towards Jewish People.

"A party that has used anti-Semitic abuse and harassment in meetings and online to drive out its Jewish members, its Jewish councillors and even its own Jewish members of Parliament.

"A party whose most extreme activists gather together in secret Facebook groups to share anti-Semitic propaganda harvested from neo-Nazi websites including mockery and denial of the very events we are here today to remember."

Mr Silverman's speech can be viewed in full on the attached video.

     

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