Britain must act now to stop the increasingly visible spread of anti-Semitism. It’s not just racism – it poses a threat to our national security, ex extremism tsar LORD WALNEY warns

Britain has always prided itself on being a tolerant country. A nation that has learned the hard way where hatred can lead and has decided not to let it take root again.

But today antisemitism no longer lurks on the margins of our society. It is becoming more and more visible, more and more organized, and more and more dangerous.

This is not just a matter of prejudice or social conformity. This is a matter of national security and one that we have still failed to treat with the seriousness it requires.

Since the atrocities on 7 October, anti-Semitic incidents in the UK have risen to levels unseen in living memory. Jewish schools require armed guards.

Synagogues are targeted with threats. Jewish students are harassed on campuses. British Jews are told, implicitly and explicitly, that their loyalty is questionable and their existence is conditional.

And all over the West we see Jews being murdered as they are.

The massacre of Jewish people gathered to celebrate Hanukkah by an Islamist gunman on Bondi Beach was fueled by the same ancient hatred as the murder of Jews celebrating Yom Kippur at Manchester’s Heaton Park synagogue.

The same hatred was on display when Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were shot to death on the steps of a Jewish museum in Washington, DC. And in Colorado, when Mohammed Sabry Soliman shouted ‘Free Palestine’ and threw Molotov cocktails into the crowd gathered in support of the Israeli hostages.

So the Metropolitan Police’s announcement that it will arrest people chanting ‘Globalize the intifada’ is welcome – but also long overdue.

Let’s be clear about the context. Calls to ‘globalize the Intifada’ have had an overtly violent connotation for decades. They refer to a campaign of suicide attacks, stabbings and shootings targeting civilians, including children. This was true long before Bondi. Long before October 7th. Long before the current wave of protests.

The idea that such chants have become a problem lately is simply not credible.

What the Met’s announcement actually reveals is a deeper problem: inconsistent enforcement and legal uncertainty. For months, officers in the field have been confronted with slogans and banners that many reasonable people would consider provocative; but actions were either sporadic, hesitant, or completely absent.

Britain rightly banned terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. It is illegal to support them. It is illegal to praise them. It is illegal to display their symbols.

However, the gap between the law as written and the law as implemented has widened dangerously.

Part of the problem is operational. Officers overseeing large, volatile marches are understandably concerned that arrests could increase unrest. Others lack the specialized knowledge needed to recognize coded slogans, symbols or Arabic chants that exceed the legal threshold. This points to a clear need for better training, briefing and intelligence sharing for officers tasked with policing contentious protests.

But there is a more serious problem: the disconnect between arrest and prosecution.

Mourners gather near floral tributes left for victims of the Bondi Beach massacre

Even where arrests have been made, successful prosecutions are far from guaranteed. The thresholds for provocation, intent and public order offenses are complex and unevenly applied.

Cases are falling. Fees are reduced. The results are uncertain. The result is a perception, widely shared by both Jewish communities and extremist organizers, that enforcement is unclear and results are limited.

This perception itself is a vulnerability.

Extremist movements thrive not only on ideology but also on testing the state. They are exploring the borders. They are looking for hesitation. They exploit uncertainty. When the response to antisemitic intimidation appears temporary or reversible, a signal is sent that the pressure is working.

This is important because antisemitism is rarely an endpoint. This is a gateway complaint. An environment is created where conspiracy thinking flourishes, violence is rationalized, and minorities are portrayed as legitimate targets.

History shows that where antisemitism spreads unchecked, it is often a beginning, not an end.

Our security agencies have long warned that radicalization is cumulative. It thrives on permissive environments and repeated exposure to narratives of complaint. Normalizing violent rhetoric – even when framed as protest – reduces the barrier to action.

It also creates opportunities for hostile states and transnational movements to exploit divisions within democracies. Societies that appear unwilling or powerless to enforce their own laws are easier to destabilize. Trust in institutions is eroding. Authority is weakening.

Antisemitism must therefore be treated as part of Britain’s national resilience and security framework, not just as a hate crime.

None of this requires giving up freedom of expression. Britain’s commitment to open debate is one of its strengths. But freedom of expression does not include the freedom to intimidate, glorify violence, or make minority communities fear for their safety.

Lord Walney is the government’s former independent adviser on political violence and disruption

Peaceful protest does not include intentional lawbreaking designed to test how far the state will go.

The Met’s new stance is a step in the right direction. But this needs to be supported by clearer legal thresholds, consistent investigations and political commitment. Otherwise, fruitless arrests will only deepen skepticism and embolden those who believe they can operate with impunity.

British Jews do not want special treatment. They demand equal protection applied consistently and fearlessly.

They are right to expect anti-Semitism to be confronted with the same seriousness as other forces that undermine trust, fuel extremism and endanger lives.

Antisemitism has always been a warning light. When it blinks, there is a deeper problem. If you ignore this, the damage will spread far beyond a single community.

Britain must act decisively, fairly and decisively, not only because antisemitism is wrong, but also because national security depends on it.