New Home Secretary Amber Rudd wrote an article in the Jewish News this week on her commitment to tackling anti-Semitism, making it clear that there is “no place” in British society for anti-Semitism.
The Home Secretary wrote: “last year the Community Security Trust (CST) received 924 reports of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain, including 86 violent assaults. Any attack of this kind is one too many. We must challenge anti-Semitism wherever we find it, and action is now being taken to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community”.
She is set to launch a new hate crime action plan, which includes punishing offenders with severe penalties in court. According to the Home Office, a £2.4 million fund is to be set up for security measures to prevent hate crime on buses and trains. Reported incidents of hate crimes against ethnic and religious minorities had soared during the period of the European Union referendum.
The Home Secretary’s article states: “It is vital we give people the confidence to report hate crime and know it will be taken seriously”, adding that members of the Ultra-Orthodox Charedi Community are less likely to report hate crime. She asserted: “my job as Home Secretary is to protect all the people and communities that make us Great Britain and I will do all I can to achieve this”.
Home Secretary Rudd is continuing Theresa May’s legacy as a staunch supporter of the Jewish community. The Chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, Sir Mick Davis, said about the new Prime Minister: “She has consistently worked to support and understand the issues that affect British Jews, and we look forward to building on those foundations to create a strong and enduring relationship”.
Click here to read the Home Secretary’s full article in the Jewish News.
