Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate for the Mayoral election, yesterday pledged to protect London’s Jewish community if elected next month.
The MP for Richmond Park told the Jewish Chronicle that he would work with the government to “keep London safe”, unlike his main Labour opponent, Sadiq Khan, who he believes is unwilling to do so.
“I can keep London safe. I know he can’t, because he won’t talk to Government… I don’t think he can be an effective Mayor because he’s just too partisan. He doesn’t speak to people outside his own political party and he never has”, Zac told the newspaper.
The Labour candidate for Mayor, Sadiq Khan, claims to support Israel but frequently called for sanctions against Israel whilst his party was in government.
Zac, on the other hand, has been consistent in his support for the Jewish community and Israel and his opposition to the so-called Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Zac recognised the Jewish community’s concerns about security and hate crime, stating that he would take “a zero tolerance approach to hate crimes of any sort in the capital”.
He said that if elected, the community could “always count on the security measures that they need to stay safe”.
However, he opposes a “militarised” solution: “The Met has asked for permission to double the number of armed response officers who are able to react to incidents, I very strongly support that. I don’t want us to get to a point where militarisation of the police is the norm. That is just too big a step for us and it’s not something that I think most people would welcome”.
Zac said that any Jewish schools and synagogues requesting additional security measures would receive such help, if he is elected.
The full interview can be found here.
Join CFI and Zac on Sunday 17th April for a campaign day in North London to support his bid for Mayor of London.
Zac, CFI and Conservative activists will be stopping at the constituencies of Harrow East, Hendon, and Finchley and Golders Green.
Zac will then also address local activists at the end of the tour in a special rally. Light lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day.
Let us know if you can meet us on the campaign trail by emailing Natalie, at natalie@cfoi.co.uk.
