Shaun Bailey says he will make it 'my personal mission to fight antisemitism wherever I find it, including on our university campuses'
April 2, 2019 15:06
Reading about the recent harassment of Jewish students on London campuses is a sad and harsh reminder that all of the gains we make as a society can be reversed. Without vigilance we risk backsliding.
For modern campuses to become a setting for intimidation is to get their purpose exactly wrong; we come to these campuses to have our views challenged, not protected. My time on campus certainly challenged a lot of the beliefs I acquired growing up in a poor and struggling community; going to school rounded out my worldview.
I grew up steeped in the stories of my grandfather and the Windrush Generation that brought him to Britain. He was a hero for fighting for King and country during the war, but as a citizen in his new land he was confronted with signs that said "no dogs, no blacks, no Irish". My family faced its blackness most days growing up.
By the time I was a young man in the West London of the 1980s and 90s there was still more than enough racism and harassment to go around. From being called a "n*gger" to being stopped by police because I "fit the description", I had to cope with abuse if I was going to get on with my day. I was even called a "token ghetto boy" by a Labour MP after I got involved in politics.
Not that my experiences growing up were exclusive to blacks; Britain has always been a clubby and class-based place. There will be those still alive in the Jewish community today who will remember the days of Jewish quotas at universities and public schools, or bans from private members' and golf clubs.
This shared experience means that both our communities have faced similar struggles and have a shared understanding of how to overcome them. Being the underdog and/or the outsider in this way can build affinity and solidarity between communities.
I personally felt this affinity between our communities most strongly when I visited Israel in 2012.
Feeling the vibrancy and energy of that young country was simply amazing, and the visit reminded me of all the cultural and economic achievements black people have delivered over the same period, in the UK and elsewhere, in the face of similar hostile prejudices.
It is from this place of affinity that I now feel so much horror and anger at the sight of Jewish students being barred from forming Jewish Societies on campuses in this country. Or from hosting Israeli speakers. Or, for that matter, having to face chanting BDS protesters on the way to lectures.
In fact, the National Union of Students (NUS) recently found that 26 per cent of Jews in further or higher education were worried about being subjected to physical or verbal attacks as a result of their religion. This intimidation is simply unacceptable in our modern and pluralist society.
The Community Security Trust further reports that antisemitic incidents at universities have increased over the last year, with 28 recorded in 2018 and no doubt many more going unreported.
Just recently, more than 200 students at Essex University voted against allowing Jewish students to form their own society at the institution. Around the time of the vote, anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denying messages began appearing on social media platforms.
The rise in antisemitism is something all of us need to be aware of and committed to ending; anti-Jewish racism is the oldest hatred, and is an indication that worse - far worse - is likely to come if it is not confronted.
It is also deeply worrying that antisemitism is rising in our universities, our supposed bastions of learning and culture. This troubling trend must be confronted and stopped in its tracks.
If I am honoured by the people of London next year and elected as their Mayor, I will make it my personal mission to fight antisemitism wherever I find it, including on our university campuses. I will ban the al-Quds march through London's streets and I will personally call out every major BDS ban.
As Mayor, I will gladly stand on a platform next to Jewish speakers who have been shouted down by loudmouth ideologues from both extremes of the political divide. In me, you will always have a friend.
I want to be a Mayor for all Londoners. That means making our Jewish students here in London feel safe and cared for, and I will make this my personal goal.
Shaun Bailey is the Conservative candidate for London Mayor in 2020
