Labour MPs demand tougher action by government on Iranian-driven antisemitism in UK
Iranian link to UK antisemitism condemned
Labour MPs have called for “further and faster action” by the government to tackle Iranian involvement in driving antisemitism in this country.
Speaking in a Commons debate on Defence Readiness, David Taylor noted:”Let us be clear: there is another major driver of antisemitism in this country, and that is the Islamist regime in Iran.
“The group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility for the ambulance arson attack, among others. The US Department of Justice now believes that it was a front designed to carry out terrorist attacks at the behest of the IRGC and its proxies.”
The Hemel Hempstead MP then called for financial sanctions to be placed on Iran’s PressTV as well as its Spanish mouthpiece HispanTV, and the UK-based show “Palestine Declassified”.
He said the show has ” regularly platformed conspiracy theorists and targeted Jewish schools in Britain as well as charities and individuals.”
“I repeat my call for financial sanctions to be placed on them, as the US, Australia, Canada and the EU have done,” added Taylor.
“That would close a legal loophole that currently allows them to pay UK nationals and operate through intermediaries without restriction.”
Taylor also named Rad Media World, a company with links to Iran that The Sunday Telegraph just reported is using the skilled worker visa scheme completely legally.
“I hope that the Foreign Office will revoke that ability as well as track individuals who came here through that scheme,” he said.
Supporting earlier comments from his colleague Damien Egan MP, he also called for tougher, more immediate powers to deal with charities linked to Tehran.
Echoing Taylor’s concerns, Peter Prinsley MP added:”Not every antisemitic incident is foreign-directed, but it is clear that hostile foreign actors amplify hatred online and use it to further divide our society.
“That is why the threat from Iran and the IRGC matters so much. The Security Minister stated that the UK has responded to 20 Iran-backed plots since the start of 2022, presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents.
“That clearly presents a foreign policy and domestic security issue, and I strongly believe that the Government must tackle it head-on.”
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