Boycott movement (illustration)
Boycott movement (illustration)Reuters

Anti-Semitism in the form of anti-Israel sentiment is not a new thing for Britain, but recently it has taken another track, and made its way to the political level, propagating the BDS movement along with it.

The Labour party’s Executive Committee in England two weeks ago voted to boycott one of the world’s largest security companies, G4S, due to the company’s ties with Israel.

The company, which employs over 620,000 workers across the globe, employs some 6,000 people in Israel, where it provides and maintains screening equipment for several Judea-Samaria military checkpoints. It also manages security systems at the Ofer prison near Jerusalem.

G4S has also provided sporadic security services for the Labour party in recent years. However, due to international protests, as well as local protests occurring outside of the company’s headquarters in London, G4S has stated that they will exit the current contracts in Judea and Samaria, including the contract for operations at the Ofer Prison, once the current contracts terminate at the end of 2015.

Simon Johnson, Chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council in Britain told Arutz Sheva in an interview that the recent G4S protests seem “nothing more than pointless gesture politics."

“The [Labour party] vote might lead many to question the party’s commitment to security and conflicts. The JLC and the Jewish community is uncompromising in its determination to robustly combat BDS wherever we find it and promote a culture for coexistence.”

But the situation in England is far more tenuous than simply dealing with protests and political boycotts. With the recent terror attacks in Paris, many Jews in England have become more wary of their position.

“Of course, the recent attacks in Paris have confirmed that there is an on-going threat," said Johnson. "However, while there is no specific intelligence concerning potential attacks in the UK, the Community Security Trust (CST) will continue to work closely with the police and local schools to do their utmost to protect our community.” 

The CST is a charity that protects British Jews from anti-Semitism and related threats. The organization works closely with the police to protect Jews and Jewish interests from hate and hate crimes as well as physical violence in the UK.

The Jewish community in England is also on a constant vigil in order to make sure that community leaders and organizations are ready for an attack.

“The Chief Executives of leading Jewish communal organizations are continually updating and rehearsing their emergency response procedures. These are under constant review and desktop and drill exercises are held on a regular basis,” confirmed Johnson.