Mike Freer, a Conservative Member of Parliament serving as a representative for Golders Green and Finchley, was enjoying Christmas day with his husband when he got the news that his office had been torched in an arson attack.
The office was unoccupied at the time of the attack, but the incident has shaken British society as many fear that the arsonist may have been targeting the MP for reasons related to his support for Israel.
Only a day after the fire, Freer received an email telling him that he was “the kind of person who deserved to be set alight.” Despite this, Freer told the Jerusalem Post that he had received an abundance of warm messages in support.
While the police have yet to declare the motive of the attack, and Freer commenting his support for Israel is just one of many possible reasons, antisemitism has increased by 1350% in the UK since Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, and Freer represents the constituency with the UK’s largest Jewish community.
Freer has also been the target of antisemitic abuse and a number of extreme incidents in the past, although he is not Jewish.
We are working with investigators from @LondonFire after a fire in a shed at the constituency office of Mike Freer MP last night. It's believed it may have been started deliberately. Thankfully, there were no injuries. https://t.co/g7vjLUgsTg
— Barnet MPS | North West BCU (@MPSBarnet) December 25, 2023
Asked why he would continue his role and his vocal support for the Jewish state despite the increased personal risk, Freer told the Post that he was pro-Israel long before he represented a largely Jewish constituency and would continue to do so because Israel is a functioning democracy in the Middle East. He continued to explain that he appreciated Israel as a safe place to be gay and have “free expression.”
Mike Freer MP told Sky News that a suspected arson attack on his office is "very unsettling", especially for his staff.He says the damage has meant it will be a while until the office will be fully functional again.https://t.co/nJOCvYkeqM Sky 501, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/SkzbruEOd8
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 26, 2023
Freer went on to say that he refused to give up his role in the wake of attacks on MPs because the people intimidating parliamentarians “should not win.”
The unfortunate impact of social media
Giving further context to the climate in Britain, Freer said that social media has had a “polarizing” influence which has led to some people having increasingly violent reactions towards differing viewpoints. Explaining how social media has resulted in radicalized and extreme perceptions of the world, Freer asked, “How can you have a nuanced debate with 140 characters?” He also claimed that people were getting their information in 10 to 30-second chunks and did not fact-check.
Emphasizing the anonymity social media affords, which enables people to act with impunity, Freer cited his decision to leave Twitter as a prime example. He exited the platform, predating Elon Musk's takeover, in response to a doctored image portraying him as a Holocaust victim in a concentration camp.
Asked about the weekly demonstrations in support of Palestine, and the demonstration that took place outside parliament last month during the ceasefire vote, Freer said it was difficult to have a “rational conversation” with many of the protesters.
While describing the Queers for Palestine movement as “bizarre,” he said that the many activists failed to answer what the goals were for a Palestinian state aside from the existence of one. “Try arguing for gay rights or women’s rights in Gaza,” he challenged.
“[They] want to argue for a ceasefire, and then what? How will you eradicate Hamas?” he asked before commenting that Palestinians were also victims of the terrorist organization.
He stressed that people did not need to buy or engage with companies or organizations that they disagreed with but should stop trying to intimidate and shut down people of different opinions.
Freer has faced targeting from extremists in the past
Freer has been no stranger to extremist attacks, having been watched by the terrorist Ali Harbi Ali. In 2021, Ali murdered Sir David Ammess in a targeted terrorist attack motivated by Ammess’s votes in favor of airstrikes in Syria.
Many have suggested that Ammess’s membership to the Conservative Friends of Israel group, of which Freer is also a member, may have been a motive in why he was murdered. In addition, the politician told the Post that he had been targeted by the banned radical group Muslims Against Crusades.
Freer provided examples of some of the abuse he experienced as a public figure, from being followed and shouted at while shopping in Brent Cross, having his office vandalized, and even having Molotov cocktails left on the doorstep of his home.
He said that the notes left on his car were of particular concern as his address is public record, but somebody must have been watching him to identify which car belonged to him. Freer has spoken to other media sources about his decision to wear a stab vest and carry panic alarms as concerns for his safety and the safety of his staff grew.
Despite the aforementioned incidents, Freer insisted that the majority of antisemitism was coming from fringe pockets and that most Britons wanted a respectful society with religious freedom.
He said that more was being done to address the root causes of antisemitism, with funding being directed into schools in hopes of using education to stamp out ignorance, and efforts were being made to police social media.