Prime Minister Theresa May this week strongly condemned antisemitism targeting Jewish women, at a reception in 10 Downing Street.
The Prime Minister’s reception followed Monday’s Sara Conference on gendered antisemitism, which explored the relationship between hatred of Jews and discrimination of women.
Prime Minister May underlined in her speech: “I have no time for equivocation. Antisemitism is racism – and any ‘equality’ movement that indulges or ignores it is not worthy of the name”.
She said that despite having the privilege of taking part in many celebrations this year to mark the centenary of British women winning the vote, “the joy of those occasions has been tempered by the resurgence of two age-old hatreds that many had dared to hope were becoming a thing of the past”.
She noted that former Haringey council leader “Claire Kober, who is here today, stepped down… after facing a torrent of personal abuse in which, as she said, ‘the only thing worse than the sexism was the antisemitism’”.
Prime Minister May added: “The research published at today’s conference, showing that Jewish women politicians are more likely to attract the attentions of far-Right hate groups, was deeply disturbing. But I doubt it came as much of a surprise to those who have been on the receiving end”.
The Prime Minister said that the UK is “removing all hiding places for antisemitism, becoming the first government in the world to adopt the IHRA’s working definition – and all its examples”, as well as committing to Holocaust education.
She added that the Government is “protecting Jewish people from the kind of violent attacks their community has experienced in the United States and Europe, which is why we continue to provide more than £13 million of funding to the Community Security Trust each year”.
Read Prime Minister May’s speech in full here.
