Voice of the Jewish News: It’s time to draw a yellow line
The Jewish News editorial, this week focusing on our petition to ban Hezbollah flags flying on London's streets
It shouldn’t need a campaign. It shouldn’t need petitions and letters.
It shouldn’t need Assembly members’ questions to London’s mayor.
Because there shouldn’t be a get-out.
There shouldn’t be a loophole.
If you fly a terrorist group’s flag in the streets of London, as those waving yellow Hezbollah flags did during the recent al-Quds Day march, you shouldn’t get to say: “Ah, yes, but I only meant the group’s political wing.”
Sadly, what “should” be the case isn’t. Hence the need to step up our communal cajoling of those who can right this annually wretched wrong.
That’s why we welcome London mayor Sadiq Khan’s words this week, in which he acknowledged the concerns of the Jewish community and promised to follow through with the Met Police.
This is not dual standards. If another of London’s faith-based communities felt threatened by those waving flags of a terrorist group bent on killing their kin in some other far-flung corner of the world, we would be just as appalled, and would help put a stop to it. Flying the emblem of your enemy in your face is race-related provocation, any which way you look at it, and must be met with arrests, not officers looking on.
We call on the authorities to recognise common sense, and for the community to support our call.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.