‘Cancer of anti-Semitism’ stalks the country, MP warns

Security guards are protecting synagogues while British Jews are subject to chants and banners saying “Hitler was right” as the “cancer of anti-Semitism” stalks the country, MPs have heard.

Conservative Charles Walker insisted it was not possible to tolerate British people hating fellow Britons, as he raised concerns about how events in the Middle East were being “perverted to give licence to hate”.

The Broxbourne MP said he had received letters from Jewish constituents who were distressed, adding he wanted to stand in front of them to protect them from threats.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Walker said: “As a tolerant society we cannot tolerate British people hating British people on the basis of their faith, the faith they are born into or choose to follow.

“And I am deeply disturbed by the personal letters I have received from a number of my Jewish constituents, and I only have 250, expressing their distress at what the future holds in the UK for them and their families.

“These are British citizens who have as much to do with the Middle East as I do.

“It’s not right that synagogues are now being protected by security guards and banners are being seen and chants are being heard that say ‘kill all Jews’, ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘death to all Jews’.

“This situation is not tolerable, there are no excuses.”

He went on: “The cancer of anti-Semitism is stalking our country under the disguise of a new cloak.

“This cloak must be stripped away, exposing the wickedness of those that lurk behind it.

“I say to the House, I am no saint in these matters. We all have the weakness to give in to the easy seduction of hate. Therefore it is incumbent on us all to recognise the siren calls of this weakness and keep them in check.

“In coming here today, I don’t want to stand behind my Jewish constituents, I don’t want to stand beside them, I want to stand in front of them.

“And I say this – if I had Christian constituents, Hindu constituents or Muslim constituents who felt threatened as a result of their faith or colour I would stand in front of them as well.”