OPINION: Enough is enough – Jews must confront Britain’s anti-refugee hate

Enough is enough. These words have been boldly spoken by our community on a host of serious issues. Now we must address them to the dangerous wave of anti-refugee hate that’s spreading across the country. 

You might ask – doesn’t our community have enough to concern itself with? And yes, from rising antisemitism, our deep worry about the hostages, and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza too – and I’m sure for many closer to home, the recent A-Level and GCSE results – there’s been plenty to deal with.

But our country’s and society’s treatment of refugees must remain personal to us. After all, it’s not so long since violent forces in the UK sought to drive out our family members who’d escaped here.

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I know this comparison will draw the ire of some. So let me be clear: yes, parallels between that extremely dark period of the 20th century should not be made lightly, and the situation today is very different from then. Yet – and I write as the grandson of refugees whose lives were saved by this country – it would be remiss to ignore echoes in how newcomers are treated here.

So more sceptical readers will have to forgive the robust tone of this piece. With that, I would ask two questions to those who might be tempted to side with the recent demonstrations.

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The first: when we see thousands of far-right protesters intimidating people seeking asylum, are we not reminded of the ugly scenes when British antisemitic movements marched against Jewish refugees in the 1930s and 1940s? We understand all too well how it is to be tarred with the same brush. And the second: do our Jewish values not compel us to then stand with those escaping the horrendous conflict in Sudan, the murderous invasion of Ukraine, and people fleeing other conflicts in fear of their lives today?

There is an uncomfortable reality to this too. We know that there are political leaders – and I will avoid naming them here – who would both court our vote and yet are encouraging the anti-refugee protests. These figures might condemn antisemitism, but I hope we can be wary of their wider agenda. Would they have shown support and the welcome we needed when so many of our community first arrived here as refugees?

Indeed, despite all the challenges and limitations, I still look at what this country and society did to save thousands of Jewish refugees with real pride. So I feel equally disgusted about the fear faced by the young asylum seekers we support in recent weeks, when far-right protests brought hatred directly to their doorsteps. Our young people don’t want to be stuck in hotels either. But violent intimidation is never the route to a better solution.

The ugly truth is that this won’t stop here. These are not protests driven by ‘genuine concern’, but instead are too often fuelled by Islamophobia and racism. I’m already seeing online a rise in the pernicious antisemitism that underpins this thinking. Certain social media platforms are awash with the vile and dangerous ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory, a racist lie which falsely claims Jews are working to ‘replace’ native European populations with Muslim refugees and migrants.

So where do we go from here? Let’s be frank: the response from our Prime Minister and government has simply not been good enough. Not only do we need Keir Starmer to cool the temperature – we need a far bolder rhetoric from government. For too long, we’ve seen politicians dancing to the populist far-right tune. Today’s Reform press conference shows what happens when we allow these ideas to go unchecked: plans to deport children, withdraw from international conventions born from the horrors of the Holocaust, and return vulnerable people to some of the world’s most dangerous regimes must be rejected outright.

Now, it’s crucial that Number 10 leads with a dialogue of compassion, making the case for the right to asylum, for responsibility, for welcome. That must be accompanied by policy that genuinely empowers displaced people to integrate. So many tensions could be relieved if people seeking asylum had the right to work alongside local communities, were housed safely and fairly, and were allowed to live in dignity.

And to our community, I say this. Continue to be proud of the remarkable work being done by many to welcome refugees. Stand united and call out hate where you see it. Most of all, stay true to our values and history. That’s how we beat division and racism – together.

My good friend Enver Solomon, the Refugee Council’s Executive Director, wrote last week that the direction our Prime Minister chooses to take on this issue feels more important than ever in the past decades. It has never been more crucial for our community to show solidarity – and to help ensure that the government takes the right path.

Because when we stand with refugees, we honour our own history too.

• Rabbi David Mason is the Executive Director of HIAS+JCORE