Labour plan to make police log non-crime incidents of antisemitism to track extremists
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the move would enable police to better map antisemitic and anti-Muslim abuse
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A Labour government would make police record incidents of antisemitism that just fall short of the criminal threshold in a move aimed at tightening efforts to combat extremism.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the move would enable police to better map antisemitic and Islamophobic abuse by identifying and tracking individuals who might pose a threat.
Writing for the Daily Telegraph Cooper urged police to tackle “hateful extremism”, as recommended by Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and by Sara Khan, the former counter-extremism tsar.
The move reverses a decision previously taken by former home secretary Suella Braverman to downgrade the monitoring of non-crime hate incidents.
Calling for a “zero tolerance” approach to antisemitism, Cooper believes police should antisemitic and anti-Muslim hatred that falls short of criminality should still be recorded, including the taking of perpetrators’ names.
She described the Government’s response to growing extremist threats as “too slow, too confused and at times completely counterproductive”.
On Thursday Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, will outline a new official definition of extremism.
But Cooper said the Government needed to set out a “comprehensive strategy, not simply a new definition”, especially since ministers had failed to update the strategy for nine years.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
