A Jewish person was on Oxford Street when the occupant of a passing van shouted, “you f***ing Jew, I will kill you whole”. An Orthodox Jewish man on a London bus was approached by a man who hit him in the face and tried to take his religious hat.
As night follows day, when conflict sparks in the Middle East, no matter whether the dead are Israeli or Palestinian, Jews in Britain face threats, abuse and physical violence. In the four days between October 7-10, anti-Semitic incidents in the UK rose by more than 300 per cent compared with the same period in 2022, according to the Community Security Trust. More than half occurred in London.
In other words, some British people saw more than 1,000 Israelis, including the elderly and infants, slaughtered or taken hostage, and responded by directing hate at Jews living thousands of miles away. The fear within the Jewish community is real, and many are braced for worse to come should a ground invasion of Gaza take place.
Anyone who seeks to intimidate, threaten or attack Jews or the Jewish community must be investigated, arrested and prosecuted. Neither British Jews, nor anyone else for that matter, should accept this as a cost of business. It is simply intolerable.
Nightmare in Gaza
Conditions in Gaza are horrendous and deteriorating. Mains electricity has been lost and diesel for generators is fast running out, at which point hospitals will become morgues. This morning, Israel’s energy minister said no electricity, water or fuel would be allowed to enter the territory until the Israeli hostages were freed.
The US is actively discussing with Israel and Egypt ways to allow for safe passage for civilians in Gaza. Meanwhile, the strip is in desperate need of humanitarian supplies. Reports suggest discussions are ongoing between Egypt, the US and Qatar to facilitate aid via the Rafah crossing into the Sinai Peninsula. Israel has the right to defend itself. Civilians in Gaza have the right to life.
Too young to vape
“Don’t start doing it, because once you start doing it, you don’t stop doing it.” Those are the words of Sarah Griffin, a 12-year-old asthmatic girl who spent four days in an induced coma after vaping ravaged her lungs.
The NHS advice is clear: vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking. That is no less reason for the Government to come down hard on vaping firms that market and sell to children. Vaping has a role to play for smokers trying to quit. It does not belong anywhere near young people.
