Public meeting in Parliament to discuss ‘urgent priority’ of far-right extremism
The Labour MP David Lammy is set to attend the meeting chaired by the Board of Deputies vice-president Amanda Bowman
A meeting will be held in parliament to address the “urgent priority” of far-right extremism, the Board of Deputies announced today.
The Labour MP David Lammy is set to attend next month’s meeting, which will be open to the public and chaired by the Jewish organisation’s vice-president Amanda Bowman.
Other confirmed guests will include Elliot Cohen, of the Community Security Trust, Jemma Levene, of the anti-racism charity HOPE not Hate, and Dr Omar Khan, from the Runnymede Trust.
“There has been a recent upsurge in far-right terrorism in the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the USA and elsewhere,” Bowman said on Monday.
“We are also seeing the worrying re-emergence of far-right political parties and rhetoric. Past history has told us that this cannot go unchallenged, and combatting this lethal hate is an urgent priority for the Jewish community,” she added.
A shooting on two shisha bars in Hanau in Germany that claimed the lives of at least nine people this month was the latest incident of far-right violence.
It followed another deadly shooting which left two people dead during Yom Kippur last year. The attacker attempted to enter a synagogue in the German town of Halle, streaming the incident on social media.
In 2018, the US suffered what is believed to be its worst antisemitic attack in living memory. The shooting on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh claimed the lives of 11 people.
Meanwhile in the UK, the threat posed by right-wing extremism is growing rapidly, the Metropolitan Police warned last year.
Its Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said in September that of 22 plots thwarted since March 2017, seven were connected to far-right beliefs.
“It’s rising from a low base, but it’s probably the fastest growing bit of my casebook at the moment,” Basu said at the time.
The free event will be held in Portcullis House in the House of Commons from 6.30 pm on 17 March. Register here.
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