Police investigating anti-Semitic abuse targeted at BBC TV Chief
Police are investigating anti-Semitic abuse targeting BBC television chief Danny Cohen.
The 40-year-old revealed to the Jewish News he called in officers after receiving a hateful email at the height of the conflict between Israel and Hamas last summer.
It came several months before Cohen spoke out, during a festival in Jerusalem, about how he had “never felt so uncomfortable being a Jew in the UK” as he has over the past year and even voiced doubts over whether the community has a long-term home in Britain.
“Police were informed on Friday 8 August 2014 to an allegation of racial harassment against a 40 year old man,” said a police statement.
“One anti-Semitic email was sent to the victim’s work email address. Detectives from CID in Camden investigated. The email originated from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) based in Switzerland.”
No arrests have been made but enquiries are continuing, officers said. Cohen also told the Jewish News he had received “quite a lot of” online abuse since his comments in December.
“The sort of anti-Semitic comments Jewish people in public life tend to get on social media.”
The Community security Trust lat week said 2014 saw a record number of more than 1,160 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK – one fifth of which related to abuse or threats on social media.
On Monday, the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism called for social media giants to do more to tackle hate online and urged the CPS to investigate whether those peddling hate could be taken offline.
Although he was surprised by the impact of his comments on anti-Semitism, Cohen said he doesn’t have any regrets making them.
He said: “It’s what I think. I think it’s important to raise the issue of anti-Semitism and its growth so I don’t regret saying it. Raising awareness is a valuable thing.”
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.
