While not Britain's leading newspaper in terms of number of readers, TheTimes, founded in 1785 as the Daily Universal Register, is the oldest national daily newspaper in the UK and holds an important and respected place as the “paper of record” on public life, from politics and world affairs to business and sport.
The newspaper has now responded to a situation that is rapidly becoming untenable for Jews. London, although hardly alone, has been the site of raucous mass demonstrations against Israel and British Jews since the Hamas massacre on October 7th 2023, as well as a rising number of antisemitic incidents. Central London has even been called a no-go zone for Jews. PM Cameron has harshly criticized Israel's war to eliminate the Hamas murderers, spurring more anti-Jewish feeling. The BBC is notoriously anti-Israel.
Frightening cemonstrations and violent incidents are largely ignored by police, and Britain's Jews, harrassed and frightened, are considering leaving the country as never before. What is more obvious is that they are afraid to leave their homes, especially to go to synagogue on Shabbat. Many Jewish observers consider this the "handwriting on the wall" for British Jewry. Britain is a country that was historically rife with antisemitism, even expelling the Jews in 1290 for over 300 years, but which became a monarchic democracy in which Jewish rights were protected. Even though closet antisemitism continues, where Jewish success is marked. This, sadly, seems recently to be coming to an end.
That is why it was encouraging to see the attitude expressed in The Timesleading article/ editorial on March 8, titled View on The Pro-Palestinian Protests: Isolating Extremists whose subtitle was "A more forceful approach to suppressing antisemitic agitation is overdue."
The editorial began with the unadulterated and uncolored facts, in itself an encouraging phenomenon nowadays:
"The most ferocious pogrom against Jews since 1945 was perpetrated by Hamas less than six months ago. Its murder, rape and mutilation of some 1,200 Israeli civilians and reservists, and abduction of hundreds more, exemplifies the baneful truth that antisemitism is a light sleeper. And perversely this barbarous attack has intensified rather than diminished the incidence of antisemitic sentiments and actions in western societies. Rishi Sunak, speaking outside Downing Street last week, was right to sound the alarm. Mainstream politics and civil society should back him in opposing this trend.
"Pro-Palestinian protests emerged in this crisis before Israel had made any military response. Since then, large demonstrations have assembled weekly in London and elsewhere. The right of assembly is integral to a free society but so are safety and public order. Robin Simcox, an independent adviser on extremism and Home Office commissioner, warned this week of a 'permissive environment for radicalisation', whereby these protests have turned London into 'a no-go zone for Jews every weekend'. There is an element of hyperbole here but British Jews do feel at risk, and with reason."
The editorial goes on to cite a report showing a record total of more than 4100 antisemitic incidents in 2023. many but not all after October 7th! And it continues with the truth, instead of covering up the blatant antisemitism in the marches with platitudes on freedom of expression:
"The proper response is not only a matter for law enforcement. It requires combating extremism at source. This places an onus on protesters as well as government. Most pro-Palestinian protesters are surely motivated by concern for the desperate plight of civilians in Gaza. But their banners tell a different story (emphasis mine). Many carry the blazon of the Socialist Workers Party — a Leninist sect that seeks the destruction of the Jewish state — as well as of Islamist organisations."
It is more than that, however. Demonstrations have had banners as well as chants calling for the end of Israel, such as, “We don’t want two states, Palestine ’48,” and featured speeches glorifying the intifadas. The phrase blatantly describing the destruction of Israel, the words 'from the river to the sea,’ were beamed onto the side of Big Ben with no response from law enforcement.
The Times editorial, while not detailing the above, continued with a comparison to French responses to similar events:
"This is a challenge for a free society. François-Joseph Schichan, a former French diplomat, explains elsewhere in these pages today how his country, which has suffered successive deadly attacks by Islamist terrorists, has taken a robust approach against extremism. It has expelled radical imams, shut down some schools and mosques, and withdrawn funding from extremist charities.
"France has a tradition of anticlericalism that is not directly transferable to Britain, but it provides an instructive example of self-defence."
And The Times then goes on to practical measures that, if applied, could make all the difference for British Jews:
"Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary, is expected to announce this week an official definition of extremism that would enable public-sector bodies to isolate and ban funding for Islamist groups and others. This is the right approach, clearly distinguishing between the valuable civic contribution of Muslims to British life and the destructive methods of jihadists who falsely claim to represent Islam. It is long past time that groups and institutions espousing a theocratic, rather than merely religious, message were identified and ostracised.
"A constitutional society will always defend religious liberty, including its public expression. Those rights do not extend, however, to undermining the very freedoms that minorities rely upon for protection. British citizens have plural goals and diverse affiliations including, for many, membership of a faith community. The characteristic that dominates all of these, however, is common citizenship under the rule of law. That citizenship carries with it the obligation to display tolerance."
Israel's doors are open to welcome all of world Jewry, but the Jewish State hardly wishes those coming to live in the Jewish State to be forced there by Jew-hatred. Perhaps this editorial will be read by British eyes that see and listened to by ears that hear.