'This country belongs to you as much as any of us', says letter of support to Jewish community

"This country belongs to you as much as any of us", says an open letter of support to the Jewish community signed by businesses, faith groups, and charities.

The organisations have penned a letter to commit themselves to combatting antisemitism after a series of attacks at Jewish sites across London, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green.

It reads: "This country belongs to you as much as any of us.

"You are as British as all of us who call this country home. And we will do everything we can to protect you and your community from the extremists who threaten you."

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Signees of the letter include religious leaders from the Church of England, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian communities.

The letter, partly co-ordinated by the Together Coalition, continues: "This is not a problem for Jewish people to have to respond to. This is a problem for all of us to fix."

And it adds: "Along with the vast majority of British people we share a vision of our country where people of different faiths, races and beliefs come together to build communities and a country that we can all be proud of."

Business organisations who have signed the letter include the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, the British Retail Consortium and the British Chambers of Commerce.

A set of sports bodies have also signed the letter, including the Football Association, the English Cricket Board and Rugby Football Union.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the letter was a "powerful riposte to the hateful extremists who have targeted the Jewish community in recent weeks".

He added: "It is heartening to see some of Britain’s best-known institutions from the world of business, sport, faith and civil society standing together against anti-Jewish hatred.

"My hope is that where these institutions have led, others will follow, in workplaces, boardrooms, classrooms and on social media, so that we can finally begin to tackle this scourge together."

MORE ON THE RISE IN ANTISEMITISM:

• Police launch probe after driver 'speeds towards pupils' near Jewish school
• Met Police announces new Community Protection Team amid rise in further antisemitic hate crime
• Zack Polanski under scrutiny after saying Golders Green suspect ‘was handcuffed’ when kicked in head

On March 23, ambulances belonging to Jewish charity Haztola were set on fire in Golders Green.

In recent weeks, the Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London was attacked, and days later a bottle of accelerant was thrown at Kenton United Synagogue.

And on Saturday, two men pleaded guilty to charges of an antisemitic hate crime after targeting a member of the Jewish community and sharing videos on TikTok.

A number of charities are also signatories of the letter, including the National Lottery Community Fund, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and The Royal Voluntary Service.

Brendan Cox, co-founder of the Together Coalition, said antisemitism was not just a problem for the Jewish community, but a "cancer in our society" which undermines the "inclusive country that we all want to build".

"Extremists are trying to divide us, to target minorities on the basis of their race or religion and to turn community against community. We won’t let them," he added.

New legislation - to be introduced in the King's Speech on May 13 - will grant Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood fresh powers to designate proxy groups as a foreign intelligence service in a move to tackle the wave of antisemitism.

Adrian Cohen, acting president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said "allyship" for the Jewish community was a "necessary part of the fightback" against antisemitism.

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