All posts tagged: antisemitic

NSS refers antisemitic, misogynistic Islamic charity to watchdog

NSS refers antisemitic, misogynistic Islamic charity to watchdog

Published by skeptic

The National Secular Society has referred a newly registered Islamic charity to the regulator for promoting antisemitism and misogyny. Bedford Islaamic [sic] Centre (BIC) registered under the charitable purpose ‘the advancement of religion’ in December. Charities are required by law to operate for the public benefit. “May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians” A post on the charity’s Facebook page warns Muslims against “pride and arrogance”, which is the “way of the Jews”. Another post, quoting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, states: “May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians”. The same post urges followers: “Don’t stop warning against evil”. In 2023, the NSS referred over 40 Islamic charities to the Charity Commission over statements they had made in the wake of the October 7th Hamas attack, some of which were antisemitic. The Charity Commission recently told another Islamic group, Cricklewood Muslim Youth Trust, to register as a charity despite it describing Jews and Christians as “the enemies of Allaah [sic]”. Another BIC Facebook post, quoting an …

Amid an Antisemitic Surge, Hollywood’s Jewish Celebrities Say Nothing

Amid an Antisemitic Surge, Hollywood’s Jewish Celebrities Say Nothing

Published by skeptic

I love Jesse Eisenberg. From his wunderkind roles in Roger Dodger and The Squid and the Whale to his twitchy performances in The Social Network and The End of the Tour — and interviews with me and so many others — he’s  always been a jolt of energy. Rarely does a celebrity work so hard to give such an honest answer, or slip in such a hilariously dry joke. But I’ve been mystified by Jesse Eisenberg too. With A Real Pain — which stands a good chance of winning Oscars for screenplay and supporting actor on Sunday — Eisenberg has made a film about the Holocaust. Yet on the awards circuit he has seemed conspicuously reluctant, to say the least, to utter a word about current antisemitism, steering far from the subject even in long interviews on The Daily Show and Fresh Air. In fact, he doesn’t even seem to see the Holocaust as a particularly Jewish-centric event. “I think my family does not think in a kind of tribal way. And so I think, …

French teens charged with anti-Semitic rape in attack condemned by political leaders

French teens charged with anti-Semitic rape in attack condemned by political leaders

Published by Sam

Two teenage boys were charged with the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a suspected anti-Semitic attack in a Paris suburb that has raised tensions in France ahead of snap parliamentary elections. French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday denounced the “scourge of anti-Semitism”, while far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused the “extreme left” of “instrumentalising” the Israel-Hamas conflict. Source link

University bosses told they must ‘crack down’ on antisemitic abuse as protests spread | Politics | News

University bosses told they must ‘crack down’ on antisemitic abuse as protests spread | Politics | News

Published by skeptic

Ministers will order university chiefs to “crack down” on antisemitic abuse on campuses and ensure protests do not disrupt students’ lives. Any students inciting racial hatred or violence must be disciplined immediately, education leaders will be told. Police should also be contacted in any suspected criminal offence. Pro-Palestine encampments have been set up by students at more than a dozen universities across the UK against the war in Gaza, including Cambridge and Oxford. Vice-chancellors from some of the leading universities in the UK will meet at Number 10 on Thursday to discuss action to address the rise in antisemitic abuse on campuses and disruption to students’ learning. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Universities should be places of rigorous debate but also bastions of tolerance and respect for every member of their community. “A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse. That has to stop.” Education Secretary Gillian Keegan added: “”I have made it absolutely clear that universities must …

Sunak to meet university bosses to discuss rise in antisemitic abuse | Politics News

Sunak to meet university bosses to discuss rise in antisemitic abuse | Politics News

Published by skeptic

Rishi Sunak will meet with university bosses in Downing Street on Thursday to call on them to take a “zero tolerance” approach to antisemitism. The prime minister has invited vice-chancellors of leading universities for a meeting to address the rise in antisemitic abuse on campus and disruption to students’ learning. Politics Live: ‘Nervousness’ in Labour after shock defection Jewish students have said they face a “toxic” environment as a growing number of Pro-Palestine encampments are set up at universities in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. While there has not been violent scenes like those seen in the US, the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) has warned the rhetoric emanating from these encampments “is increasing in hostility” – and called on university leaders to do more to keep Jewish students safe. The meeting, which will include representatives from the UJS, will help inform upcoming government guidance on combatting antisemitism on campus, Downing Street said. University leaders will be asked to take immediate disciplinary action if any student is found to be inciting racial hatred or violence, …

Comedian Dane Baptiste reported to police following ‘antisemitic death threat’

Comedian Dane Baptiste reported to police following ‘antisemitic death threat’

Published by Sam

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Comedian Dane Baptiste has been reported to the police and dropped by his talent agencies after issuing an “antisemitic death threat” to an unnamed female comic. On Wednesday (1 May), Baptiste, 42, posted a message on his Instagram stories directed towards a female “Zionist comedian” who he claimed was monitoring his partner’s page. The comic then instructed the woman to “sit down with your husband and kids and imagine what their lives will be without you”, before making references to the comedian’s “safety” and claiming that he would visit her “literal doorstep”. Baptiste’s comments have been reported to the Metropolitan Police, and they are appealing for further information. The stand-up star, who has appeared on TV shows including 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Live At The Apollo and Mock The Week, has since been dropped by his talent agency, Insanity. A spokesperson for the agency, which …

Are the campus protests antisemitic? For many Jewish activists, a difficult debate

Are the campus protests antisemitic? For many Jewish activists, a difficult debate

Published by skeptic

A surge of student-led rallies and encampments in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza has been met with increasingly violent crackdowns. Nearly 300 people were arrested on Tuesday evening at Columbia University and the City College of New York, and police in riot gear were summoned to the UCLA campus after a series of violent clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters. Police have broken up protest encampments and made arrests at numerous other schools across the country within the last several days, including Tulane University, the University of North Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Utah and elsewhere. These law enforcement actions have come with bellicose calls from leading political voices and punishment meted out by university administrators, who often claim that student protests have been poisoned by rampant antisemitism.  “Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas, period,” tweeted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. At the request of University of Texas officials, Abbott recently sent state troopers onto the school’s flagship campus in Austin to drive protesters from the main quad. “Students joining in …

Biden faces pressure to step up response to antisemitic incidents on college campuses

Biden faces pressure to step up response to antisemitic incidents on college campuses

Published by skeptic

NEW YORK, N.Y. — As antisemitic incidents mushroom on college campuses, some Jewish leaders and lawmakers from both parties are accusing President Joe Biden’s administration of taking a lax approach toward enforcement of civil rights laws, exposing Jewish students to continued harassment. They point to a surge of complaints filed with the Education Department that have yet to be resolved, creating a backlog that effectively eases pressure on school administrators to take action needed to protect Jewish students amid protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, sent a letter Thursday to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona objecting to the “speed of these investigations, delayed conclusions, and lack of adequate resources allocated to these investigations.” The congressman asked Cardona for an update on the pending investigations into antisemitism on college campuses, noting that at Columbia University in New York, “the eruption of antisemitism … has created a particularly hostile environment for Jewish students.” Neither Columbia nor the New York Police Department has released data on the number of antisemitic incidents at the …

Anti-War Protesters Dig in as Some Schools Close Encampments After Reports of Antisemitic Activity

Anti-War Protesters Dig in as Some Schools Close Encampments After Reports of Antisemitic Activity

Published by skeptic

NEW YORK (AP) — As students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at college campuses across U.S. dug in Saturday and dozens of demonstrators were arrested, some universities moved to shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity. With the death toll mounting in the war in Gaza, protesters nationwide are demanding that schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they say are enabling the conflict. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus. Early Saturday, police in riot gear cleared an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston. Massachusetts State Police said about 102 protesters were arrested and will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct. Protesters said they were given about 15 minutes to disperse before being arrested. As workers pulled down tents and bagged up the debris from the encampment, several dozen people across from the encampment chanted, “Let the Kids Go,” and slogans against the war in Gaza. They also booed as police cars passed and taunted …

The persistence of an old anti-Semitic myth

The persistence of an old anti-Semitic myth

Published by skeptic

The dark legacy and ongoing body count of an ancient anti-Semitic myth Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. April 25, 2024, 2:38 PM ET This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here. “Another thing the Gentiles said about us was that we used the blood of murdered Christian children at the Passover festival,” the Russian Jewish immigrant Mary Antin wrote in The Atlantic in 1911. “Of course that was a wicked lie. It made me sick to think of such a thing.” Antin grew up in the Pale of Settlement, an area spanning from modern-day Russia through Ukraine and Poland where Jews were permitted to reside from 1791 to 1915 but deprived of citizenship. Antin’s vivid essay describes her childhood there before coming to America, including the vibrancy of Jewish life at the time as well as its tribulations under the brutal Russian empire. According to Jewish tradition, during the evening Passover meal, or seder, children are called upon …