“Middle-Class Britain Is Now Breeding Antisemitism,” new U.K. probe warns
Antisemitic attitudes are no longer confined to fringe radicals—they’re gaining traction in Britain’s mainstream and professional classes, according to a hard-hitting report released this week.
Who’s sounding the alarm?
- Lord John Mann, the government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism
- Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, former Conservative Defence Secretary
Commissioned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the six-month investigation shocked even its non-Jewish, politically opposed co-authors.
“The deeper we dug, the more frightening it became—extremist views are being normalised purely because the targets are Jewish,” they told The Telegraph.
Key findings
- Antisemitism now permeates the NHS, universities, cultural institutions, and corporate workplaces.
- Jewish professionals report feeling pushed to the margins in sectors where they were once fully accepted.
- Hate surged after Hamas’s 7 Oct 2023 atrocities; Jews are increasingly blamed for Israeli government policies at pro-Palestinian rallies.
- Police responses to anti-Jewish hate are inconsistent, the authors say, because antisemitism still isn’t treated with the same urgency as other forms of racism.
The prescription
Mann and Mordaunt will present urgent recommendations to Downing Street, including:
- Legal recognition of Jews as a protected ethnic group, closing loopholes in hate-crime statutes.
- Stronger law-enforcement protocols for antisemitic offences, especially at mass demonstrations.
- Employer training programmes so managers can spot and stamp out antisemitic harassment in the workplace.
“If Britain’s Jewish community is under attack,” the report concludes, “it signals a far deeper sickness in our society.”Antisemitic attitudes are no longer confined to fringe radicals—they’re gaining traction in Britain’s mainstream and professional classes, according to a hard-hitting report released this week.
Who’s sounding the alarm?
- Lord John Mann, the government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism
- Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, former Conservative Defence Secretary
Commissioned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the six-month investigation shocked even its non-Jewish, politically opposed co-authors.
“The deeper we dug, the more frightening it became—extremist views are being normalised purely because the targets are Jewish,” they told The Telegraph.
Key findings
- Antisemitism now permeates the NHS, universities, cultural institutions, and corporate workplaces.
- Jewish professionals report feeling pushed to the margins in sectors where they were once fully accepted.
- Hate surged after Hamas’s 7 Oct 2023 atrocities; Jews are increasingly blamed for Israeli government policies at pro-Palestinian rallies.
- Police responses to anti-Jewish hate are inconsistent, the authors say, because antisemitism still isn’t treated with the same urgency as other forms of racism.
The prescription
Mann and Mordaunt will present urgent recommendations to Downing Street, including:
- Legal recognition of Jews as a protected ethnic group, closing loopholes in hate-crime statutes.
- Stronger law-enforcement protocols for antisemitic offences, especially at mass demonstrations.
- Employer training programmes so managers can spot and stamp out antisemitic harassment in the workplace.
“If Britain’s Jewish community is under attack,” the report concludes, “it signals a far deeper sickness in our society.”
