Sir Keir Starmer’s latest move to protect Britain’s Jewish community has been torn apart by the Chief Executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust.
Speaking to GB News, Danny Stone argued “not enough is being done” following a string of antisemitic attacks across the country.
Set to be announced in next week’s King’s Speech, Iranian proxies which are behind antisemitic attacks on British soil could now face up to 14 years in prison.
The new legislation will grant Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood the ability to designate proxy groups as a foreign intelligence service, even if they are not aware of what foreign country they are working for.
Hate crime prosecutions are also set to be “fast-tracked” in UK courts as part of the move.
Highlighting that antisemitism in Britain has been a “big problem” for a “long time”, Mr Stone told GB News: “The incident figures have been rising over many years, and whether that be the advance of social media, whether it be antisemitism in political parties, not enough has been done.
“Additional police, that is welcome. I know that Mark Rowley says it’s not enough, but that is a welcome move and we’ll see what else the Government brings forward in the next days and weeks.”
Recalling his visit to Downing Street on Tuesday, Mr Stone revealed around “20 actions” to help protect the Jewish community were discussed.
Antisemitism campaigner Danny Stone has criticised Sir Keir Starmer for ‘not doing enough’ to help the Jewish community
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PA / GB NEWS
He said: “I was in Downing Street yesterday and there were a number of different discussions about different areas health, culture, media and sport, civil society where Government could act.
“And certainly in the roundtable that I was on, more than 20 actions were noted for Government to take just in that one area, that one space. So there’s certainly more that can be done.”
Questioned by GB News host Nana Akua on what he would like to see brought forward by the Government, Mr Stone called for more action in the “online space” to prevent anti-Jewish hatred.
He explained: “I made the case very clearly and directly to Kanishka Narayan yesterday, the technology minister, that we need action on online hate.
New legislation is set to allow Shabana Mahmood to designate Iranian proxy groups as a foreign intelligence service | GETTY
“There is an online safety act in Parliament, and there are gaps in that act, so it’s not as effective as it could be. But technology is developing all the time.
“With the advance of AI and other systems, we need legislation that keeps pace with that, and people are finding constantly new ways to inflict harm on Jewish and indeed other people.”
He argued: “Our legislation and our regulation needs to keep up with that, and I am not convinced that the Government has done anywhere near enough in that space yet.”
Noting the pro-Palestine march planned for May 16, Mr Stone was asked by host Mark White whether he would call on the Government to ban the march entirely.
Danny Stone told GB News organisers of pro-Palestine marches have done ‘little to nothing’ to block antisemitic actions
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GB NEWS
Mr Stone responded: “My approach is nuanced insofar as I think each march needs to be taken on, on its kind of its own merits or otherwise. So we need to look at the intelligence around that march. I do think that there needs to be equitable policing, so it is unacceptable for people to be chanting ‘globalise the intifada’, for example.
“If that happens, I would expect there to be arrests and prosecutions because we know what globalising the intifada looks like. We’ve seen it on the streets when Jews have been murdered.”
He concluded: “My main challenge is to the organisers of these marches. They have done little to nothing to address the antisemitism in their midst. It’s not good enough. It’s unacceptable.
“And if necessary, they should be hauled in by the police and by the Government and given very clear warnings about what it will mean for their marches if they allow that antisemitism in their midst.”