Quietly Accepted: How Antisemitism Became Middle-Class Britain's New Normal
Backed by a damning new report, this piece exposes how antisemitism became a middle-class habit.
Not long ago, the British Jewish community's fears centred on fringe fanatics—shouty street-corner extremists and anonymous online trolls. But something more insidious has happened since October 7, 2023. Antisemitism has slipped quietly into the mainstream, embedding itself comfortably in Britain’s respectable middle-class circles: lecture halls, NHS wards, cultural institutions, and even newsrooms. Hostility toward Jews, once taboo, now appears merely as another legitimate political stance.
This is not just observation—it's the conclusion of a government-backed investigation. The Commission on Antisemitism, led by Lord Mann and Dame Penny Mordaunt and supported by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, has laid it out plainly: antisemitism is no longer a fringe illness; it's become a middle-class vice.
Read The Full Report Here
Media Malpractice
Take the BBC—supposedly the bastion of balanced journalism. Since the massacre committed by Hamas in October 2023, BBC Arabic has been compelled to issue an extraordinary 80 on-air corrections for referring to Hamas terrorists as "resistance fighters" or airing conspiracies dismissing the reality of the Kfar Aza massacre. Former BBC television chief Danny Cohen’s report didn’t mince words, branding the newsroom “out of control” and highlighting editorial lapses that have undeniably contributed to "a sense of unsafety felt by many British Jews."
Campus and Professional Pipeline
Universities, traditionally the incubators of future leaders, now function alarmingly as conduits for antisemitism. A recent report spearheaded by Prof Anthony Julius reveals a staggering 34% spike in antisemitic incidents on campuses since October 2023. Over half of Jewish students report feeling fearful on campus, a direct result of rhetoric fuelled by organisations like Hezbollah, whose MP Mohammad Raad explicitly advocates infiltrating Western student bodies to spread their agenda.
From Protest to Suburbia
This hostility isn't limited to academic settings. The Jewish Holocaust Memorial in Hyde Park required protective tarpaulins during recent "peaceful" marches, anticipating vandalism. Meanwhile, golf-club bunkers in genteel north-west London have been defaced with meticulously carved swastikas and the chilling words "Heil Hitler"—proof that contemporary antisemitism requires calculated effort. It’s little wonder that polling indicates one in ten young Britons sympathise with Hamas.
Politics and Professional Spaces
Politics isn't immune. Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Shabana Mahmood were confronted by masked Islamist protestors during the 2024 general election, hurling slurs and disrupting democracy itself. In quieter professional spaces, Jewish workers report whisper campaigns, subtle social exclusion, and the fear that openly identifying as Jewish may cast them as "complicit" in Israel’s policies.
Normalisation and its Impact
The recent landmark report from the Commission on Racial Inclusivity in the Jewish Community, commissioned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, further illustrates why action within and beyond the Jewish community is critical. Jewish institutions are rightly urged to dismantle internal biases, but the situation now demands they actively challenge the broader society’s tacit acceptance of antisemitism. Recommendations from the Commission—like impartial watchdogs for media outlets, a cross-sector campus task-force to implement best practices, and transparent corporate codes against antisemitism—echo the urgent need for widespread institutional reform.
The findings by Lord Mann and Dame Penny Mordaunt for the Board of Deputies were stark: antisemitism pervades the NHS, academia, and cultural institutions, leaving British Jews feeling “tolerated rather than respected.” The implications are troublingly clear: Britain is slowly normalising antisemitism, tolerating its presence across its most respectable corridors.
Action or Complicity?
Unless civic and political leaders match the urgency and seriousness demanded by communal bodies, we risk teaching future generations that antisemitism isn't something outrageous or intolerable—just another optional opinion. That cannot stand.
It’s time for British society, at every level, to step up, speak out, and push antisemitism back into the unacceptable margins where it belongs. After all, the true test of a society’s character isn’t how it handles clear evil—it's how swiftly and unequivocally it responds when hatred creeps quietly into its most respectable spaces