Jewish people need to be able to go about their daily lives without the threat of abuse or harm. It is clear that numerous daily incidents are taking place which involve threats and abuse designed to harass or distress Jewish people. This escalation of antisemitism needs to be met with an escalation from the criminal justice system. Guidance to prosecutors which I a have issued is intended to step up the response of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Last week at a round table hosted by the Prime Minister I said that the CPS is determined to do all it can to combat the scourge of antisemitism. I also made this clear at a meeting with all the Chief Crown Prosecutors, who oversee each area of England and Wales. We have one aim – to prosecute antisemitic hate crimes and make British Jews feel safe again.
In the guidance that I have issued, I have set out what this means in practice – prioritising hate crime cases when they are referred to us from police, ensuring we make a charging decision as soon as we have the core evidence and working closely with investigators to resolve any issues stopping us from charging.
We know this approach works as we brought it in during our response to the national disorder in 2024 which led to the disorder stopping.
We also want to be more visible about the work we do. We have charged another man with attempted murder in relation to the Golders Green attack.
Prosecutors have also charged four people in relation to the arson attack on three ambulances outside the Machzike Hadath Synagogue. The trial is set for January 2027. In addition, a youth has pleaded guilty to an arson attack at the Kenton United Synagogue and is due for sentence on June 4. Investigations are still ongoing.
We also have ongoing cases in relation to an attempted arson at the Finchley Reform Synagogue and one involving a drone flown close to the Israeli Embassy.
These cases are well known, but we will do more to publicise our response in cases which involve daily threats to Jewish communities.
An example of this is over the weekend, we charged someone for threatening to bomb a synagogue. Yesterday a man in Wales was convicted of sending antisemitic messages.
We are also looking at how we can improve our prosecution of antisemitism cases – all of our senior prosecutors and many frontline staff will receive mandatory training on the subject to enhance awareness of how antisemitism can manifest, as well as sharing best practice.
Prosecutors can only take action when a case is referred to us from the police. If you are a victim of antisemitism or see it, report it to the police so it can be investigated and passed to us for a charging decision.
I want the action we are taking to make a real difference and help not only reduce the daily threat but demonstrate that it is not social acceptable to be antisemitic.
Stephen Parkinson is the director of Public Prosecutions
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