“Though Britain remains one of the best countries in the world in which to live as a Jew, almost a fifth still feel unwelcome in this country. The departure of Mr Corbyn is no substitute for the sustained action and leadership to protect the Jews of this country — in politics, universities and social media — for which we have been calling for years,” said Gideon Falter of the Campaign Against Antismetism who commissioned the poll.
A new poll conducted in United Kingdom shows that 45% of British adults agreed with at least one of six antisemitic statements put to them.
The latest Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer was conducted with King’s College London. It comprises a YouGov poll of the British public’s views toward Jews and a poll of the Jewish community.
The statements presented to those polled included the ideas that Jews control the media, which 11% of respondents stated to be the case – “chase money,” or “talk about the Holocaust just to further their political agenda,” which a further 8% agreed with.
Twelve percent of those polled agreed with four or more of the statements, according to the research.
Asked whether they felt “Israel can get away with anything because its supporters control the media,” 16% of those questioned agreed.
Researchers gave 12 statements to participants in the survey who were asked to agree or disagree with them.
More than half (55%) of people did not agree with a single statement, while 45% agreed with one or more.
The most popular antisemitic statement was that “Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews”, with which 23% of British adults agreed. That view is antisemitic under the International Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA) adopted by the British government.
Survey of British Jews
The survey of British Jews reveals that British Jews are showing early signs of recovery from the Corbyn era but have been left scarred. Far more British Jews are optimistic about their future in the UK this year (57% up from just 20% in 2019)but the proportion who decline to display visible signs of their Jewish identity due to antisemitism is at a record high.
In the first ever poll on the subject, an overwhelming majority of British Jews — 91% — want the British government to proscribe Hamas in its entirety.
Two thirds of British Jews are deeply concerned by the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish concern, and 55% by its handling of antisemitism complaints, Channel 4 also performs poorly with British Jews. Both broadcasters are state-funded.
Commenting the polls, Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Britain’s Jews are back from the brink. This study starkly shows that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn dealt a crushing blow to Jews’ confidence in their very future in this country, and that our community is now beginning to recover.’’
He added: ‘’Scars remain. Notwithstanding the relief felt by so many, our data shows that nearly half of those who normally wear outwards symbols of their Judaism now feel they have to hide it, and despite nine months of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership of Labour, British Jews remain just as sure that the Party harbours antisemites.’’
“Though Britain remains one of the best countries in the world in which to live as a Jew, almost a fifth still feel unwelcome in this country. The departure of Mr Corbyn is no substitute for the sustained action and leadership to protect the Jews of this country — in politics, universities and social media — for which we have been calling for years.”