Sir Lindsay Hoyle: We cannot allow young people to be radicalised on hate

House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has delivered an impassioned call for action to stop young people from being “radicalised on hate,” as he expressed his horror at recent antisemitic terror attacks.

Speaking at the Board of Deputies Chanukah reception on the parliamentary estate, Hoyle, who hosted the event, told attendees, “It has got to start with young people – we cannot allow people to be radicalised on hate. It is not acceptable.

“So, I would like to say to the community how sorry I am that these events occurred.

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“Please stay with us, stick with us. Democracy is what will bind us together. Tonight, this celebration means so much, with so many memories and thoughts of those who have died.”

Describing antisemitism as “a poison that infects our whole society,” Hoyle stressed, “it is the collective responsibility of us all, especially in Parliament, that we confront and stop it.”

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Stressing that he addressed the event as the Commons Speaker with “neutrality”, Hoyle noted his home town Chorley’s proximity to Manchester.

Reflecting on the Heaton Park shul attack, he added, “I never could imagine anything could happen in Manchester, but it proved what happened, will happen, unless it is stopped.”

Addressing the largely Jewish audience at Speakers House, Hoyle promised, “I will always stand by you, I will always be with you.

“You are my friends, and I hope that friendship will continue, and you never feel you are being let down. Because what has happened is totally unacceptable.”

But cautioning against isolation, Hoyle warned, “we can build bigger doors, but it is not the answer to the problems. “Of course, security comes first.  But the communities have to be respected.

“It’s not about tolerance – others have to show respect to the Jewish community.

“I say to those people who preach hate, please change. Why? Do not! Let’s preach love, support, and respect. And it has got to start with young people.”

Recalling his recent visit to Israel after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, Hoyle said, “I have never, ever been as moved as when I went to Israel for the first time, and I went down to the Kibbutz after the attack.

“That horrendous murdering day that took place. The smell of death will be with me forever. I never, ever want to see anything like that again, and we must never allow that to happen again.”

Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg followed Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s remarks, highlighting the enduring strength of the Jewish community: “Friends, I wanted to say this. We, the Jewish people, have resilience in our DNA.

“We came together through the Shoah, we came through the pogroms, and we will come through the legacy of October 7th, of Heaton Park and Bondi Beach. We’ll come through it together, and we’ll come back stronger.”

Rosenberg pointed to positive moves by the Metropolitan and Greater Manchester Police to tackle extremist protestors, as well as the government’s newly unveiled Antisemitism Action Plans, calling them “signs of hope amid much darkness.”

He also spoke warmly about the upcoming Jewish Culture Month: “We speak a lot about the challenges of antisemitism and war, and the Holocaust. These are things we absolutely need to mark, and we need to take action on. But there’s more to the Jewish story than Jewish pain, there’s a story of Jewish joy.”

Speaking for the government, Security Minister Dan Jarvis called for a united front to tackle antisemitic hatred, noting, “now more than ever we have a responsibility to come together across all faiths” to defend the values of “democracy, freedom, tolerance and security.”

In the aftermath of the Sydney terror attack, Jarvis said: “This is a huge and unrelenting task” and a “shared task” which needed to be undertaken on a cross-party basis.

The minister said he was fully aware of the impact a succession of terror attacks has had on Jewish communities in the UK and abroad, assuring, “everything in its power” was being done to protect the community. ”

“Whilst it is important to state there is no specific threat to the UK at this time, nevertheless, the government has adopted a stance of maximum vigilance, working closely with Community Security Trust and other key partners to provide the necessary security,” added Jarvis.

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey also spoke at the event, praising the Speaker for his remarks and reaffirming his solidarity with the British Jewish community.

Davey welcomed moves to tackle extremist hate on UK streets, adding, “I am staggered that the British value of the rule of law is too often forgotten.”

He noted that he had earlier urged the Prime Minister to pursue a comprehensive strategy against antisemitism, praised the Board’s work, and accused Tehran’s IRGC of being behind some antisemitic hate speech in the UK, saying it was “beyond time” for the group to be proscribed by the government.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp focused on the current sources of antisemitic hate, arguing, “Islamism was at the centre of most of the antisemitic hate in current society.”

He repeated his call for the deportation of foreign nationals guilty of antisemitism or extremism.

A delegation from Heaton Park Synagogue , including chair Alan Levy,who survived the attack,  Rabbi Daniel Walker and Yoni Finlay, who was hit with a bullet during , attended the receptions in parliament, which included a Chanukah lighting ceremony.

The menorah at the centre of proceedings was commissioned by former Commons Speaker Michael Martin, was consecrated in 2003 by late Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks and has been used in ceremonies since.