Fears London is ‘no-go zone for Jews’ are being taken seriously, says PM

THE Prime Minister is taking claims that London’s streets have become ‘no-go’ areas for Jews ‘extremely seriously’.

It comes after the Government’s commissioner for countering extremism, Robin Simcox, wrote an article suggesting that pro-Palestinian protesters are turning the capital into a ‘no-go zone for Jews’.

Writing in the Telegraph, he urged the Government to ‘ move faster’ and ‘ be bolder’ in taking action against the demonstrations.

A Number 10 spokesman said: ‘I think the Prime Minister would want to make clear it is very important to take people who feel this way extremely seriously and he is acutely aware of the fear and distress that many people have been feeling across our country.

‘That’s why he’s very clear that some of the behaviour that we’ve seen in recent weeks is unacceptable and it doesn’t reflect the values that we have as a society.

‘While it’s not his experience of the UK... he does believe it’s really important to take people’s concerns extremely seriously and that’s why we’re acting accordingly.’

Mr Simcox’s comments were yesterday echoed by a Jewish charity boss, who warned there is a ‘ huge element of truth’ in the claims.

The chief executive of the Community Security Trust (CST), Mark Gardner, said

his organisation had been inundated by reports of Jews avoiding central London during the protests.

Mr Gardner, whose organisation provides security for Britain’s Jewish community, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘ I think as a headline it’s deeply troubling, but it also contains a huge element of truth.’

The CST had collected evidence with the London Jewish Forum and submitted it to the Mayor’s office and the Metropolitan Police, he said.

‘We had dozens and dozens

of replies within the space of about two- and- a- half hours. We had to actually tell people to stop sending us their statements.

‘Again and again and again, just people saying I’m not going into town at the weekend because of these demonstrations,’ Mr Gardner said.

Last month the CST published data showing British Jews suffered an ‘explosion in hatred’ in the wake of Hamas’ terror attack.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents jumped 147 per cent last year to 4,103, up from 1,662 in 2022. It included 266 violent assaults on Jews, up 96 per cent year-on-year.

Muslim group Tell Mama also recorded a steep rise in anti-Muslim hate crime, with cases more than tripling

period- on-period to 2,100 in the four months after the October 7 attack.

The charities watchdog is also investigating more than 100 organisations amid a ‘shocking pervasiveness of anti- Semitism’ since the Hamas attack.

The majority of Charity Commission cases relate to anti-Semitic hate speech by groups ‘advancing the Islamic faith’. More than 30 charities have been referred to the police over concerns of criminal behaviour.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said the figures were ‘ alarming’ and ‘ The Commission must be clear that there can be no place for anti- Semitism in the charitable sector,’