The newly-formed Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAAS) in Britain has said Jews were facing "levels of anti-Semitism not seen in this country for almost a century".
The CAAS and around 3,000 supporters held a rally in London on Sunday to demand greater action by the police and the government to combat hostility towards Jews in the UK. "Unless we act now to force the issue, anti-Semites will continue to go unpunished and the nature of British society will change. We must unite to turn the tide," the group said in a statement posted online.
Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis addressed the large crowd and said: "Anti-Semitism is poisonous not only for Jews, but for all humanity. Whilst we are fortunate to live in a country where the fight against anti-Semitism is being led by our government, we have a collective responsibility to ensure that there will be zero tolerance of anti-Semitism in our society. The commitment and drive in this regard shown by grassroots activists across our community is to be commended."
Reportedly, the latest figures show a 36 per cent rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents - with 130 in July alone. Denis MacEoin, a fellow at two American think-tanks on the Middle East and a senior editor of journal 'Middle East Quarterly', said "thousands" of Jews were running away from Europe as a result of the growing climate of hate.
"There's been a spread in boycotts of Israel. People are going in supermarkets and ransacking them and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe show had to close," he pointed out.
