UK faith leaders call for rejection of hate on October 7 anniversary

UK faith leaders have called on the public to reject “prejudice and hatred in all its forms” as they marked a year of “horrific” suffering during the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The past 12 months has seen more than 2,600 protests take place on UK streets in relation to the war and some 550 arrests, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

London’s Metropolitan Police said the cost of policing such protests since October last year and up to the beginning of September has reached more than £46 million.

Meanwhile antisemitism and incidents of anti-Muslim hatred hit new highs, organisations monitoring such reports said.

Marking a year since the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza and Lebanon, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby joined Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and the chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board Imam Qari Asim to say they “stand united in our grief”.

All three have signed an open letter acknowledging that, while times are “challenging”, there is no place for antisemitism and Islamophobia in the UK.

Earlier this year the leading bishops in the Church of England, including Justin Welby, called on Israel to stop its “relentless bombardment” of Gaza, as they insisted the manner in which the war is taking place there “cannot be morally justified”.

On Sunday, a joint letter from various faith leaders, said: “It has been a year since the brutal Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, and the start of this devastating war in Gaza and beyond.

“During this time, the scale of human suffering has been horrific.

“As people of faith from Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK, while we may hold different views about aspects of the conflict, we stand united in our grief and in our belief that our shared humanity must bring us together.

“Our faiths and our humanity teach us that we should mourn for all the innocent people who have lost their lives.

“In these challenging times, we must also reject those who seek to divide us. Anti-Jewish hate and anti-Muslim hate have no place in the UK today. We must stand together against prejudice and hatred in all its forms.

“The UK has long been a model of different communities and religions getting along with each other. We commit to upholding and nurturing this proud tradition.”

Their letter comes as various cross-community events are expected to take place to mark the October 7 anniversary and the conflict that has raged since then.

In London, a group of Muslim and Jewish women will host a gathering where there will be a moment of silence and candle lighting for those who have died or are displaced and missing as a result of the conflict.

In Oxford, faith leaders will hold a vigil for peace, remembrance and unity. In Hyde Park actor Tracy-Ann Oberman will be among the speakers at an event organised by the Jewish Leadership Council.

The latest figures from the Community Security Trust (CST) saw 5,583 incidents of antisemitism recorded between October 7 2023 and September 30 – three times that of the previous 12-month period.

Tell Mama recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia in the same period, which it said is the highest total recorded in over a decade.

Iman Atta, director of the organisation which monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said more must be done to “challenge stereotypes and falsehoods and undo the normalisation of tropes that link communities to violence and criminality or as cultural threats”.

She condemned the “abhorrent and profoundly troubling” rise in antisemitism and called for communities to come together against hate.

“The strains between Muslim and Jewish communities will take time to repair," she said.

“However, it must also not deter us from reaching out to check on each other and stand together against the racists and the extremists who seek to divide and harm our communities.”

The Met said the cost of policing protests linked to the renewed conflict in the Middle East neared £23 million in 2023, and between January and the start of September came to nearly £24 million.

Chief Constable Chris Noble, NPCC lead for policing protests, said: “We recognise that events in the Middle East continue to evolve, that a further escalation in conflict is possible, and that this will raise concerns further in our communities at home, particularly those who have friends and family in the region.

“People wish to have their voices heard, and the right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, which UK police uphold and facilitate.

“We continue to ask that those looking to organise any future events contact their local police force and engage with them ahead of the time, to ensure that any activity that takes place does so peacefully and lawfully, to the benefit of all in attendance.”

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