‘Identity politics separates people,’ warns Tory mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey
'What we should be talking about is where we're all similar and taking the best from each community,' mayoral candidate says
Tory hopeful Shaun Bailey has hit out against “identity politics,” claiming it divides communities.
The mayoral candidate met Jewish leaders at the kosher cafe Mr Baker in Hendon on Monday after visiting the offices of the Community Security Trust (CST).
He was joined at the cafe by Board of Deputies vice president Edwin Shuker, and Russell Langer and Adam Langleben, from the Jewish Leadership Council.
“We think that’s cohesion by saying to people ‘here’s your difference and we’ll work on it’. But what we should be talking about is where we’re all similar and taking the best from each community,” he said.
Speaking to the meeting organised by the JLC, Bailey hailed barmitzvahs as a ritual that could offer lessons to young men affected by crime.
“Just in case you haven’t noticed I happen to be a black man, but I like the idea of a barmitzvah and and I’m not just saying that because it’s a nice thing to be saying,” he told the meeting.
“If you look at what’s happening with crime among young men, a lot of it is a distorted version of what it is to be a man. A barmitzvah actually puts a stake in the ground and says ‘we’re going to treat you like an adult, but of course you will have to behave like an adult,'” he added.
When asked to describe his first encounter with the Jewish community, he referred to a childhood friend called Jamie. “He was sort of how I saw the Jewish community,” he said.
Bailey affectionately described the similarities he observed between black and Jewish communities while growing up in London. “I grew up for years just thinking the Jewish community was like the black community in that, you know, it was that village mentality. Everybody knew your business and was talking about it,” he revealed.
“It’s only later on when I got older and quite involved in public life that antisemitism, and that aspect of the Jewish community and the pressures that the Jewish community are under, that’s when that became more apparent,” he added.
On the subject of community security, Bailey vowed to keep “constant contact” with the CST and maintain funding for the organisation. He also reiterated a pledge to ban the Al Quds Day march, an annual demonstration run by the Islamic Human Rights Commission.
Describing the protest as a “terrifying” event for “a lot of people” he claimed it could be “a haven for hate crime” and a ban would encourage a “different conversation.”
“I wouldn’t start a march today that scares the significant part of London, so why do we keep it going?” he added.
On the prospect of a trip to Israel if elected mayor, Bailey, who previously visited the country, said he was “dying” to return and pledged to do so “very quickly” to encourage economic ties with the UK after Brexit.
“A lot of London’s future is twinned with what’s going on in Israel,” he said. “You’ve got lots of innovation, lots of companies are growing, you have lots of finance and lots of access our markets.”
The Conservative hopeful vying to unseat Sadiq Khan is joined by Siobhan Benita (Liberal Democrat) and former Conservative MP Rory Stewart (Independent).
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.
