The scenes of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, some masked and waving Palestinian flags while shouting abuse at Jews, including the call to rape Jewish daughters, conjure up images of Islamic State with their flags and threats.
That it has come to this in the United Kingdom, the United States and across continental Europe, including in Germany, where the Holocaust was born, shows that many governments have not taken rising militant antisemitism seriously. It also shows that left-leaning “pro-peace” groups that claim to oppose racism often never condemn or do anything about violence perpetrated against Jews.
Most Western governments have not come out strongly against the abuse. When they have, they treat them as isolated incidents, despite how widespread they are and how they appear to be systematic.
In every conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians there has been a rise in attacks on Jews in democratic countries. But what makes it unique this time is that it happened within days of the conflict beginning, showing that large numbers of people in countries that preach diversity and tolerance were ready and waiting to attack Jews, and not just vent their anger at Israel.
Governments must be determined in prosecuting individuals, taking a tough stance on antisemitism and making it clear that anger over a foreign war must not result in racially aggravated assault on their citizens at home.
In the heart of north London’s Jewish community, four men were arrested after a video showed them shouting antisemitic comments from a car. As their convoy drove down Finchley Road, the men screamed “F*** the Jews, rape their daughters, free Palestine.” It was not long ago that Islamic State supporters in Britain used to say the same thing about raping Yazidis in Iraq and “killing the kuffar.” The UK has often allowed those who preach hate to go free, being afraid to crack down on far-right Islamist groups.
This time, the prime minister and members of Parliament condemned the hatred directed at Jews, and Scotland Yard launched an investigation into the racially aggravated public order offenses. In an incident in Essex on the same day, police arrested two men for attacking a rabbi, and the following day, Communities Minister Robert Jenrick condemned the antisemitism in a statement before MPs.
Across the Atlantic, in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Beverly Grove, pro-Palestinian extremists assaulted Jewish diners at a restaurant. The mayor of Los Angeles condemned the attack, saying Jewish Angelenos must be protected, and the authorities are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
In Germany, dozens of policemen were injured after pro-Palestinians fought and attacked authorities during marches. Anti-Jewish chants were common, with some of the protesters comparing Israel to Nazi Germany while others praised Hitler and said the “filthy” Jews should be “sent to the gas.”
These are just some of the recent incidents, and the number continues to grow.
The lack of a true response to the attacks on Jews worldwide predates Operation Guardian of the Wall. In Riverdale, New York, earlier this month, the suspect in a series of synagogue attacks was released without bail. In France, Sarah Halimi was murdered and the killer was let go because he was high on cannabis.
Most attacks on Jews are in Western democracies, where people claim to be progressive and against racism. This round of attacks on Jews is unique because it is not just a few examples of graffiti here and there, but mass militant rallies and groups of extremists searching for Jews to attack, from the UK to Germany and from New York to Los Angeles and across the West.
There has not been one solidarity march opposing the rise in antisemitism, and too often, it seems that major Western media have ignored antisemitic incidents out of a desire to cover up the reality that Western democracies have educated a generation full of hatred for Jews.