Leader of the House of Commons and former British foreign secretary William Hague has told Britain’s Jews that there is no need for them to leave the country following recent terror attacks, and despite rising fears of anti-Semitism in the UK, reports Britain’s Jewish Chronicle.
Speaking at JW3 community center after four Jews were murdered in a kosher supermarket in Paris, Hague told the Jewish community that the government was doing all it could to prevent similar atrocities occurring in the UK.
Hague said: “We will work hard in the government and the security agencies to keep everyone safe, but that requires the participation of all communities, to give a strong lead and show that terrorism is the wrong way.”
“More will need to be done to do that, but you do not need to leave this country. Definitely not.”
The Leader of the House of Commons, who is retiring from politics after May’s general election, added that “With four million people marching in Paris and other parts of France yesterday, people can see that hate can be defeated. There is a real will among the population, I believe, of this country, the people of France and many other European countries to defeat these mindless murderers of innocent people.
“There is a ray of hope in that immensely strong public reaction, a show of unity and determination to preserve freedom in our country. British people are very solidly behind that.”
The Chronicle added that Hague also criticized comments made on Liberal Democrat MP David Ward’s Twitter account about Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu joining the Paris march.
The first tweets said: “#Netanyahu in Paris march – what!!!! Makes me feel sick.” This was followed by “Je suis #Palestinian.”
Hague called the tweets distasteful, adding: “I deplore any idea that it was wrong for Mr Netanyahu to be there. This is nations showing solidarity with each other, many of whom have had their people be victims of terrorism, and it’s right that they should be able to stand together.”
Most Jews see ‘no future’ in Britain
Hague’s comments come on the same day as a new survey revealed that half of British Jewish people fear they have no long-term future in Britain or Europe.
The poll of 2,230 British Jewish people by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) found that 45 percent feared Jews may have no future in Britain, and 58 percent were concerned they have no long-term future in Europe.
The online survey was conducted from December 23 to January 1, a period that preceded the recent attacks in Paris.
“The results of our survey are a shocking wake-up call straight after the atrocities in Paris,” said CAA chairman Gideon Falter.
“Britain is at a tipping point. Unless anti-Semitism is met with zero tolerance, it will grow and British Jews will increasingly question their place in their own country,” he added.
A quarter of those surveyed by the CAA said they had considered leaving Britain in the past two years.
The CAA said 2014 saw the most anti-Semitic incidents recorded by police since records began 30 years ago.
Official figures from London’s metropolitan police showed anti-Semitic crimes more than doubled in the capital over the 12 months to November 2014, compared to the same period a year earlier.
