Some 63 percent of Britons say antisemitism is a major or significant problem in British society, according to a YouGov survey<\/a> published last week in the aftermath of the Golders Green stabbings.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition \t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking first, UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned that antisemitism has become \u201cnormalized\u201d across British society and urged the country to confront the rising tide of hatred.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is unacceptable that poisonous antisemitism has become normalized in the UK,\u201d he said, noting its presence in politics, the media, universities, schools, the arts, the National Health Service, and on the streets.<\/p>\n \t Mirvis condemned social media platforms for allowing \u201cJew-hatred\u201d to spread and accused Iran of fomenting violence against British citizens.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy has the Iranian ambassador not been expelled [from the UK]?\u201d he asked. Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya<\/a>, a group that is reportedly linked to Iran, has claimed<\/a> responsibility for some of the attacks.<\/p>\n \t UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch vowed to confront rising antisemitism, saying the country \u201cmust always be a sanctuary for Jewish people.\u201d She linked antisemitism in Britain to a broader surge in global extremism, recalling Islamist attacks and the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, atrocities in Israel.<\/p>\n \t \u201cThe people who want us to be afraid must never be allowed to win,\u201d Badenoch said, and pledged to fight for \u201ca Britain where Jews can go to school and worship freely.\u201d<\/p>\n Other political figures speaking at the event included Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, Lord Walney,\u00a0Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey, and deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice. The latter two were greeted with some boos from the crowd, but organizers asked that they be respected.<\/p>\n In a strongly worded speech, United Synagogue president Saul Taylor said Great Britain faces an \u201cepidemic of anti-Jewish hate.\u201d He criticized the broader anti-racism movement for failing to stand up for Jews.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this were any other country, there would be a national outrage,\u201d he said. \u201cWhere are the Jewish Lives Matter marches? Where is the so-called anti-racist movement? As we know only too well, Jews don\u2019t seem to count.\u201d<\/p>\n British Jews have been rooted in the country for 370 years, and \u201care not going anywhere,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are, and we always have been, proud British Jews, and we do not want to leave,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will not be beaten.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Taylor cited security measures that cost the United Synagogue about \u00a31 million a year, calling it a \u201ctax on being Jewish in Britain.\u201d One synagogue alone spends \u00a320,000 a month on security, he noted.<\/p>\n Gideon Falter, CEO of Campaign Against Antisemitism, was also outspoken, comparing the current wave of violence in the UK to the Palestinian Intifada. Coining the term \u201cBritifada\u201d to drive the point home, he charged that the country\u2019s failure to stem violence had made it \u201ca disgrace amongst the nations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Jews are murdered at synagogue on Yom Kippur, that is what the Britifada looks like,\u201d Falter charged, concluding with a shout of \u201cShame!\u201d \u201cWhen Jews are stabbed at the bus stops in Golders Green, that is what the Britifada looks like. Shame.\u201d<\/p>\n Other speakers included Adrian Cohen, senior vice-president and acting president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews; Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, co-leads of the country\u2019s nascent Progressive Judaism movement; Bishop Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy; and Muslim anti-extremism activist Fiyaz Mughal.<\/p>\n British singer Boy George, who recently spoke out publicly<\/a> in defense of Israel, also spoke briefly in a video address.<\/p>\n \t Ahead of Sunday\u2019s rally, religious leaders from across the country published a signed open letter declaring that antisemitism is \u201ca problem for all of us to fix,\u201d British media reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Organized by the Together Coalition, signatories from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian communities, as well as leading business and sports leaders, offered their support for British Jewry, stating that \u201cthis country belongs to you as much as any of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Other senior politicians were invited to speak at the rally but did not do so, including Starmer and Nigel Farage, who heads the far-right Reform UK.<\/p>\n \t Zack Polanski, the Jewish, anti-Israel leader of Britain\u2019s far-left Green Party, was not invited. Polanski, whose party has been engulfed in antisemitism scandals<\/a>, has made anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian issues a centerpiece of his party\u2019s platform, and he recently criticized police officers who arrested the suspect in a stabbing attack targeting Jews \u2014 for which he apologized.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tBritish Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis at a rally against antisemitism in London, May 10, 2026. (Screenshot\/ YouTube)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-24-640x400.png\")
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\n\t\tParticipants at a rally against antisemitism in London, May 10, 2026. (Screenshot\/YouTube)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-33-e1778415392220-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tUK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch speaks to a rally in London against antisemitism on May 10, 2026. (Screenshot)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-5-640x400.png\")
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\n\t\tUnited Synagogue president Saul Taylor at a rally against antisemitism in London, May 10, 2026. (Screenshot\/ YouTube)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-36-640x400.png\")
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\n\t\tSinger Boy George addresses via video a rally against antisemitism in London, May 10, 2026. (Screenshot\/ YouTube)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26030420481672-e1778163213431-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tGreen Party leader Zack Polanski speaks as a candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election. Hannah Spencer is announced in Manchester, England, January 30, 2026. (AP Photo\/Jon Super)<\/p>\n