UK police forces announce

Britain’s two largest police forces announced Wednesday that their officers would adopt an “enhanced approach” to countering antisemitism, arresting protesters who use certain slogans and phrases, in response to a rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes in the United Kingdom.

The announcement was a response, the London Metropolitan and Greater Manchester police forces said, to Sunday’s protest. Terrorist attack on Bondi BeachAustralia, targeting a Hanukkah event, in which 15 people were shot dead. Police also cited a series of incidents on British soil, including a vehicle and a knife. Assault outside a synagogue in Manchester in October that left two Jews dead.

“Anti-Semitic hate crimes have increased, protests have intensified and online abuse has increased since 2023,” police forces said. “The growing fear in Jewish communities and the high number of foiled terrorist attacks in recent years require an enhanced response.”

“The words and chants used, especially in protests, matter and have real-world consequences,” the statement said. “Now, in the context of increasing threat, we will recalibrate to be more assertive.”

The forces said British prosecutors “have consistently warned” officers that “many of the phrases causing fear in Jewish communities do not meet the thresholds for prosecution” under the UK’s current hate speech laws, so the new approach would largely work under the existing Public Order Act.

“We know communities are concerned about banners and chants such as ‘go global intifada’ and those using them in future protests or selectively should expect the Met and GMP to take action,” police said. “Violent acts have occurred, the context has changed: words have meaning and consequences. We will act decisively and make arrests.”

“Current laws are inadequate,” said the statement attributed to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson, adding that the forces welcomed a planned review by the government of existing public order and hate crime laws.

“Jewish communities in London, Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK are already worried and scared,” the police statement said, and that the attacks in Australia and Manchester “only add to the situation.”

Police said officers would be briefed on this new approach, calling the measures “practical and immediate” but offering few details about what, beyond specific language about a global “intifada,” could now be considered illegal behavior.

He said police patrols had already been stepped up around synagogues, Jewish schools and community sites.

“Our intention is clear: to create a hostile environment for criminals and a safer environment for Jewish communities, while protecting legal protests,” police said. “It is possible to protest in support of the Palestinian people without intimidating Jewish communities or breaking the law.”

One of the leaders of the pro-Palestinian protests in the United Kingdom, Palestinian Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal, criticized the British police announcement, calling it “another low point in the political repression of the Palestinian rights protest,” according to News themezone partner BBC News.

He said there was no consultation with his organization “before making this far-reaching statement about our rights.”

“The horrific massacre in Sydney, Australia, should not be used as justification to further suppress fundamental democratic rights to protest and freedom of expression in this country,” Jamal said.

The Board of Deputies advocacy group for British Jews said in a social media post that its members “welcome this necessary intervention” by police forces, which it said came “after repeated insistence from the Board of Deputies and others.”

Australia takes a different approach

Australian authorities are still in the early days of their investigation into the Bondi Beach attack, but have faced Strong criticism from the Jewish community. in Sydney and abroad due to a perceived lack of Preparedness for a documented rise in anti-Semitism.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said it was “motivated by the ideology of the Islamic State”, and quickly called it “an act of evil anti-Semitism, terrorism”.

Albanese said just hours after the attack that his government was “prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Among them is the need for stricter gun laws.”

Police have said the suspects, a father and son, used rifles and shotguns that legally belonged to the older man. Albanese proposed new laws to limit the number of guns a licensed owner can obtain and a review of how existing licenses could be subject to renewal over time.

Chris Minns, premier of the state of New South Wales, where Bondi Beach is located, said Monday that the attack “demands an overwhelming response,” and announced that more than 320 police officers would be “deployed today and we will continue to increase that number.”

He said Tuesday that the state was considering reforms that could include denying permission for protests after terrorist events.

“My concern is that a mass demonstration in this combustible situation with our multicultural community could ignite a flame that would be impossible to extinguish,” Minns told reporters, according to The Guardian newspaper. “In many cases, particularly in relation to restrictions on protests, there are constitutional issues. Therefore, it has to be drafted in a particular way. We have to be very clear about the designation and the reason for it. I am being very clear about it. I am concerned about a combustible situation and community harmony. That is the reason we would introduce this legislation. It has started, the drafting process has started. But when it is finished, I will let you know.”

The state premier added, however, that there has been “a lot of confusion that protests lead to violence because some chants are said, but Sunday’s events were not related to a protest at all.”

Minns said any new law enacted would not target any specific group, but rather “would be a general rule in place” only after a terrorist incident.

Albanese, speaking in a radio interview on Wednesday, highlighted some of the steps his government has already taken to address anti-Semitism, including the appointment of the nation’s first envoy dedicated to the issue.

“We have strengthened legislation to address anti-Semitism and hateful conduct – criminalized hate speech that promotes violence,” Albanese said, also noting “a milestone Nazi salute ban and hate symbols” adopted last year.

“We have strengthened the protection of Jewish communities,” the prime minister said, adding: “There is more to do.”