Month: January 2020

Rise in antisemitism

January 29, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Earlier in the week marked the 75th anniversary of the Holocaust yet currently anti-Semitism is rising throughout the world. More information on the anniversary can be read in the blog post “Auschwitz 75 years’ on”.

December in New York showed a spike in violence towards Jews. Including a fatal shooting, stabbings and other attacks. In fact, more than half of the hate crimes reported in New York were directed towards Jews.  David Nirenberg – who has written extensively on the history of anti-Semitism discusses to what extent anti-Jewish violence be tied to other hate crimes, and to what extent should it be understood as having a distinct history and motivations.

The Anti-Defamation League noted there were 1,879 attacks against Jews during 2018, which is the 3rd highest year on record since they began tracking data in the 1970s. There are many reasons why anti-Semitism is rising and in his article Peter Dreier examines the reasons and how related they are to politics.

It is not just in the US where anti-Semitism is on the rise , there are numerous issues within the UK including a Nazi salute being given to a Jewish man. It is not just Nazi salutes, there have been attacks on rabbi’s, anti-Semitic rants aimed towards families, swastikas and hail Borris being graffitied in a Jewish suburb of London.  There has been a 10% increase of anti-Semitic crimes since 2018. Alona Ferber shows more evidence of the rise of anti-Semitism in her article.

People are noticing this rise and there have been demonstrations against it. In response to accused anti-Semitism of one party during the general election there was a rally organised by campaign against anti-Semitism “so that Jews and non-Jews alike can say clearly and with one voice that we stand together against antisemitism.” Football club Chelsea, honoured a poppy seller who was a prisoner of Auschwitz as part of their campaign “say no to anti-semitism”. In response to the attacks in December more than 10,000 protesters marched from Manhattan to Brooklyn in a display of solidarity. This “no hate, no fear solidarity march” was organised by UJA-Federation of New York, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Anti Defamation League-New York, AJC-NY, and the New York Board of Rabbis, to stand against hatred of any kind in New York.  More information on taking a stand against anti-Semitism can be found in the blog post; Take a stand against Antisemitism.

Auschwitz 75 years’ on

January 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday (27th January 2020), marked the 75th anniversary of Soviet soldiers liberating the Auschwitz death camp in the final year of the Second World War. Survivors of the Holocaust and current world leaders attended the ceremony at Auschwitz, to remember those killed by the Nazi regime. However, alongside remembrance, a strong message was also made highlighting the importance of ensuring that this does not happen again.

The focus of this year’s ceremony was on the survivors themselves and their message was clear, world indifference to hatred must stop so that events like the Holocaust do not happen again (Connolly, 2020). This message was echoed by the French president Emmanuel Macron, who stated that Antisemitism is not just a problem for the Jewish community, rather it is a problem for us all (BBC, 2020). Statistics from the UK also demonstrate that Antisemitism is still very much a contemporary issue in society. The second most targeted group of religious hate crime were the Jewish community, with them being the victim of 18% of all reported hate crimes (Home Office, 2019). It is important to note that this figure could be higher, as it only includes reported hate crimes, many may go unreported for a variety of reasons.

With these statistics in mind, it is clear why the message of ending indifference from survivors of the Holocaust is so important. As a society, we need to ensure that we are tackling religious hatred, and other forms of discrimination, so that we can prevent the horrific events of the past happening again.

#VisibleHate: together we can stop it

January 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Many people who have a visible difference can become a target of hate crime. Changing Faces state:

  •  Seven in ten people experience negative behaviour such as stares, abuse and bullying because of how they look.
  • 28% of people with a visible difference have experienced a hate crime.
  • Almost half of those who have experienced negative behaviours say they have lost confidence.
  • Over a third (35%) say they now feel anxious when they go out
  • Over a quarter (27%) say it has had a negative impact on their mental health.

Changing Faces is the UK’s leading charity for anyone who has a scar, mark or condition on their face or body that makes them look different.

Their website has a wide range of advice, support and services to help you or someone you may know. They work with children, young people and adults to improve their confidence so they can lead the life they want.

Changing Faces challenge discrimination and campaign for “Face Equality: a world that truly values and respects people who look different.”

You can add your name to their campaign to end #visiblehate by clicking here.

Tackling Racism

January 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Recently in the news is Uni of Sheffield’s attempt at tackling racism on campus and in Halls. They plan on hiring students to be “race equality champions”. This seems like a potentially good idea, however their execution of it is lacking.

Their plan is to tackle so called “microaggressions”, which they so happen to give a list of examples. Are microaggressions really the type of racism that needs addressing? Is there not something more pressing? A report from last autumn stated incidents of name-calling, physical attacks and racist material on their campus, shouldn’t this be dealt with first? The idea is to open communication surrounding racism, not to control free speech. This response to the idea that universities can be oblivious to hate is a step forward but is it focusing on the right issues, especially when microaggressions are mostly unintentional.

It’s not like Hallam hasn’t had problems, so should Hallam take the same initiative and have our own “champions”? Is there another way Hallam could tackle racism? Should students be paid to tackle racism or should it be something any decent person should tackle for free?

Sheffield LGBT+ Leaders call for cancellation of Franklin Graham Tour

January 19, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Franklin Graham is coming to visit 8 UK cities later this year as part of his tour which has already sparked protests in Florida.  One of the dates includes Sheffield Arena on 6th June. Graham is a close friend of Donald Trump and preached at his inauguration. He is the son of the late preacher, Billy Graham, who was also close to American presidents and preached to thousands of Christians across America.

Franklin Graham has previously said that he believes gay marriage is a sin.

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The Arena is managed by Sheffield City Trust and they have said they do not endorse Graham’s views but support the right to free speech. This has sparked criticism by community leaders in Sheffield who wrote a letter expressing their concern that his visit could lead to protests. The Bishop of Sheffield has also said, “Graham’s rhetoric is inflammatory and represents a risk to the social cohesion of Sheffield.” There has been widespread fury in the LGBT+ community and they have also called for the event to be cancelled.

22 members of the LGBT+ community, including members of the Sheffield Equality Hub Network, Sheffield Bi and Pan Social Group, the Progressive Catholic Church and the University of Sheffield have written a letter to the head of Sheffield City Trust, David Grey, stating:

“Franklin Graham has repeatedly publicly promoted his homophobic beliefs including, but not limited to, branding homosexuality a ‘sin’, claiming Satan was the architect of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights, claiming gay people existing are causing a ‘moral 9/11’, declared gay people ‘the enemy’ of civilisation and advocates for the highly damaging abusive practice of gay conversion therapy.

We believe that these statements far exceed freedom of speech and are direct hate speech… which should not be welcomed in our city, or anywhere else.”

David Grey was reported by The Guardian as saying he had talked to faith leaders as well as South Yorkshire Police and  responded saying there was “a potential conflict between these two moral stances”.  He said that the event was not open to the public and “if individuals or groups aren’t breaking the law then their right to speak freely should be respected”.

The Guardian also reported that Heather Paterson, LGBT+ chair at the Equality Hub Network in the city and one of the signatories to the letter, said: “While Sheffield City Trust defend their position on the grounds of ‘free speech’, hate speech is not free speech. Graham’s rhetoric demonising some of our most vulnerable communities, referring to us as the enemies of civilisation and advocating for the harmful and abusive practice of conversion therapy, inspires and encourages these attacks. As a community we stand together to reject his attempts to spread further hatred and division in our city.”

On 25th January there will be a demonstration, at the Forge International Sports Centre, against Graham’s appearance: “Sheffield Against Hate Demo: Say No To Franklin Graham”.

Graham is also due to speak at the O2 arena and a petition has been started online to protest against his hate speech.

Freedom of speech should be respected. However, when freedom of speech promotes hatred against other people and has the potential to cause hate crime attacks, it needs to be stopped.

 

India’s New Citizenship Law

January 9, 2020 / / 0 Comments

The Indian government is currently led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. At the beginning of December India passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) which provides citizenship to religious minorities (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian) from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The government have said the bill will give “sanctuary to people fleeing religious persecution”. However, there has been widespread criticism of the bill saying it is part of the party’s agenda to marginalise Muslims.

The United Nations have expressed their concern:  “Although India’s broader naturalization laws remain in place, these amendments will have a discriminatory effect on people’s access to nationality”, said Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

During December 2019 there were protests reported by the media which showed people across India condemning the government’s actions. The protests were led by Muslims, those supporting Muslims, and others from people who live on the borders of India. The people who live on the borders of the country feel the Amendment will result in an increase in migration to their areas. The bill has received criticism from opposition as it violates the country’s secular constitution. The constitution forbids religious discrimination against Indian citizens, and guarantees all persons equality before the law and equal protection of the law. The new Amendment however brings religion as a focus of citizenship requirements which violates the cores of the constitution.

On 8th January 2020 the largest-ever strike happened in India where an estimated 250 million workers went on strike to protest against the government’s economic policies and divisive politics. The strike included workers from industries, coal, steel, oil, bankers, transport, ports, government offices, scheme workers, farmers and rural labourers. In addition private industries also took part from engineering, automobiles, transport, metals, textiles and power amongst others. This caused disruption across the country with many trains, buses and taxis not working and services forced to close. Over 60 universities and their affiliated colleges took part with thousands of students joining in protest marches and boycotting classes.

Despite the government warning public sector employees to not participate in the strike their warning was ignored. As Newsclick reported “Demands of the striking workers/employees include increase in minimum wages, reining in rising prices, policies to curb raging joblessness, rollback of hostile labour law changes, end to public sector sell-off, curbing contract and casual work.”

However, the other demand from the strikers is for the withdrawal of the communal citizenship laws and to end attacks on protesters and minorities. So far, the government have not conceded and protests are expected to continue.

This video from DW News goes into more detail about the CAB protests:

 

 

A Culture of Disbelief

January 1, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Photo taken from The Telegraph showing women rights activists outside the court in Cyprus

The #metoo movement sparked a rise in women sharing their stories on social media and coming forward to talk about sexual abuse that had happened to them. However there is still a “culture of disbelief” as reported to Inews by Dame Vera Baird, the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales. This unfortunately stops victims from reporting crimes and obtaining the justice they deserve. There was a 25% drop in rape conviction prosecutions in 2018-19, a disturbing drop for the second year running.  This was despite a record number of 57,882 reported incidents. This means that only 3.3% of cases reported ended in a conviction. This is worrying news for campaigners who support women and for victims that need justice.

At the moment the British Foreign Office is trying to intervene in the case of a 19 year old girl who could face up to a year in jail. The young girl had reported to Cypriot authorities that she had been raped by 12 men on the island of Ayia Napa. The British girl is only 19. She was interrogated by Cypriot police for 9 hours without access to a solicitor, before retracting her statement at 2am in the morning. The girl has since said she was bullied into retracting her statement. The men involved were freed and allowed to go home whilst the young girl was then remanded in custody for a month. On the 30th December the girl was convicted of “public mischief” with the judge saying that she lied about being gang raped. The alleged perpetrators had also filmed the event without her consent but video evidence was not allowed in court. The alleged perpetrators were also not charged with revenge porn.

The girl’s legal team are planning to appeal her conviction to a suspended sentence so that she can return to the UK.  However, due to delays in the island’s Supreme Court, she could now face up to a wait of 8 years before she can clear her name, before going to the European Court of Human Rights if needed.

Her mother has talked to the BBC and reported that her daughter is suffering from PTSD, hypersomnia and paralysing hallucinations, as well as becoming very withdrawn. “‘She needs to get back to the UK to get that treated – that’s my absolute primary focus. She can’t be treated here because hearing foreign men speaking loudly will trigger an episode.”

The story has resulted in widespread outrage with online campaigns starting such as #BoycottCyprus and a petition to drop the charges against her There has also been a gofundme page set up to support the girl: Help teen victim get justice in Cyprus and over £100,000 has been raised so far.

It is now 2020 and sadly this case again highlights the atrocity of a prevailing culture of disbelief amongst members of authority when victims come forward, as well as the devastating impact this can have on an individual and those closest to them. This culture needs to change so that victims can get the justice they deserve and perpetrators of crimes can be convicted.

You can take part in 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence which is run every year across the world, between 25th November and 10th December, leading up to the UN International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Sheffield Hallam University runs events each year which you can get involved in as well as other events being held across the city.

If you are a woman or a man who needs support as a victim of rape there are a list of useful numbers and websites on the This Morning website here: https://www.itv.com/thismorning/rape-helplines you can also talk to someone at the University here: https://reportandsupport.shu.ac.uk/

Take a stand against Antisemitism

January 1, 2020 / / 0 Comments

We must unite together!

During December antisemitic graffiti and violence was reported in both America and the UK. On the evening of Saturday 28th December 2019 antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on shop windows and a synagogue wall in the Hampstead area of north London. The graffiti depicted the red cross of David as well as 9/11.

Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn tweeted her disgust and disbelief at the attacks.

Camden councillor Oliver Cooper tweeted a picture of “9.11” on the wall of the South Hampstead synagogue  “This is a place of peace and prayer, desecrated by the world’s oldest hatred,” he said.

Sir Keir Starmer Labour MP for Holborn said the graffiti was disgusting and that we should stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism.

Councillor Georgia Gould (Leader of Camden Council), Keir Starmer (MP for Holborn and St Pancras) and Tulip Siddiq (MP for Hampstead and Kilburn) have released the following joint statement (which can be read in full here).

“As the Leader of Camden and MPs for Hampstead and Kilburn, and Holborn and St Pancras, we are horrified at the anti-Semitic graffiti that has been drawn on buildings around Hampstead and Belsize Park, including South Hampstead Synagogue. Camden is and always will be no place for hate. We stand together with all of our Jewish residents and our whole community in saying these cowardly pedlars of hate do not represent Camden and our values. We are proud to have a strong, vibrant Jewish community as part of our beautiful borough.

This is not an isolated incident and we must all confront the rising tide of hate crime and antisemitism in the UK. Now is the moment to find the courage to confront hatred and prejudice wherever we see it.”

Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn sent his “love and solidarity to Jewish communities around the world”

Eminent historian Simon Schama, whose books include The Story of the Jews, commented: “Taken together with the stabbings in New York something truly monstrous is rising from the slime.”

Rabbi Sacks, a faith leader, philosopher and author echoes the thoughts that action needs to be taken now:

Since the attacks have happened the graffiti has been removed and the Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into racially motivated hate crime.

What can you do?

It is important that we all stand together against antisemitism and all forms of hate crime and racism. You can join the protests on UN anti-racism day on Saturday 21st March. There is a March Against Racism being held in London from 12:00 – 16:00. More details are available by clicking here.

If you witness any anti-Semitic hate crime such as violence, abuse, or vandalism – please contact the police on 101 and the @CST_UK on  0800 0323263.

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