Safety of the Jewish Community

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 8th September 2026 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Christopher. I thank the hon. Member for Hornsey and Friern Barnet (Catherine West) for securing the debate and highlighting this issue.

I rise to speak on a matter that touches the very core of our shared humanity, freedom of religion and democratic values: the safety and security of our Jewish community. As the Member for Strangford, I have never hidden where I stand. I am an unapologetic friend of Israel. Although I may not agree with every move of the Israeli Government at all times, I will always stand up in this House against those who seek to bully or delegitimise the Jewish state. One does not need to share my geopolitical views to recognise that what is happening to Jewish people on our streets is an absolute disgrace. The hon. Member for Hornsey and Friern Barnet has underlined that, and I congratulate her on setting the scene incredibly well.

The stats paint an horrific picture. The Community Security Trust recorded nearly 2,000 antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom in the first six months of 2026 alone, making it the second highest first half of a year for such incidents ever recorded. We are seeing record levels of online hate, alongside physical assaults, threats and the desecration of Jewish property. This is not a temporary surge; it is becoming a terrifying new normal, and that has to be stopped. I look forward very much to the Minister’s response and to hearing what the Government will do to address the issue.

We see the spillover of such poison in Northern Ireland, where global political tensions are being used to justify systematic exclusion. Just a few days ago, in Londonderry, four young Israeli triathletes were forced out of the Europe triathlon cup. The local hosting group, the North West Triathlon Club, openly declared that it could not support the participation of the Israeli athletes, arguing that their presence would “normalise” Israel on the international sporting stage.

[Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP)]

That incident happened in my city at the weekend. Jewish athletes from Israel were forced to withdraw from the triathlon as a result of the hateful bile of these hard-left bigots. They complain about the far right, but we have to be consistent in any criticism and calling out of violent rhetoric, whether on the right or the left. Such antisemitic terrorism has to be called out and hopefully prevented in the future.

[Jim Shannon]

I saw my hon. Friend on the TV and heard him on the radio over the weekend, speaking out on this issue. There is something wrong with the North West Triathlon Club in declaring that it could not support the participation of the Israeli athletes. Because the local organisers refused to back the NWTC, and with protests looming, the Israeli Triathlon Association was backed into a corner and forced to ask World Triathlon to remove the athletes for their own physical safety. It is an absolute disgrace that an organisation should do that in Londonderry of all places, or anywhere in this United Kingdom.

The ITA is now actively considering legal action over what it rightly describes as discriminatory treatment. When a so-called sporting body allows local political pressure to dictate who can stand on the starting line, the very purpose and integrity of international sport is destroyed. It mirrors the hostility we saw in Belfast city centre, where an Israeli television news crew was physically assaulted. Why? Because they were Israelis—because they were Jewish. A cameraman was injured simply because of his nationality. The extreme terrorism, attacks and potential attacks on Israelis in Northern Ireland worries me greatly.

[Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

When the Labour party went through a terrible time with our own antisemitism crisis, the hon. Gentleman was a staunch friend of the Jewish members of my party, and I know that many of them remember him fondly for that. He is highlighting most starkly that this is not about Jewish people living less Jewish lives; it is about Jewish people living less public lives because of the constant fear of what questions they will be asked about geopolitical issues far outside their own sphere of influence or interest. We therefore have a less rich society, because those who can make contributions do not participate. I am sure the hon. Gentleman agrees that we need religious freedom and a diverse culture, and that if people retreat from public spaces, they are left vacant for those with nefarious intent.

[Jim Shannon]

The hon. Gentleman describes the issue very well. People of Jewish faith and those of Israeli nationality are unable to lead their normal lives, as he says.

I agree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), the DUP leader, who hit the nail on the head when he said that

“strong opinions on Middle Eastern conflicts can never justify hatred, intimidation, or violence against Israeli or Jewish people.”

Having witnessed where identity-based hatred leads in my country, we must reject it completely. My right hon. Friend was right to call out the offensive delays in the removal of hostile slogans such as the graffiti targeting staff at the Royal Victoria hospital.

We have heard those three examples of hatred against Israeli and Jewish people in their work, in their play and in their normal lives. The Belfast Jewish Community is a valued neighbour. As the deputy chair of the Belfast Jewish Community recently warned, these incidents risk branding our region with a reputation for unchecked hostility, so we must uphold the Jewish community’s freedom from persecution and guarantee their safety.

I urge the Minister to ensure robust support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the authorities to protect places of worship, clear our streets of intimidation, ensure that international sport remains open to all without political vetting and keep our communities safe. The Government must acknowledge the problem and seek a solution. Will the Minister liaise with the relevant Minister in Northern Ireland and the PSNI—the police force dedicated to the safety of all the people in Northern Ireland—about how Jewish people are under the cosh? It is time that the Government here, the Government back home and the PSNI stepped up and ensured that Israelis and Jewish people have the freedom to live a normal life—the very thing that we want them to have.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jim Shannon]

I met a Jewish student from Queen’s University Belfast at a synagogue a year and a half ago. She informed me that Jewish students there are under particular pressure. When it comes to universities across this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, there is nowhere that the enemies of Jewish people are not present. Jewish students at Queen’s University Belfast have had to retreat into a small shell just to get away from the hatred and bile of those who hate them. That is an example of universities going the wrong way.

[Mark Sewards]

I could not agree more. Unfortunately, I am about to share some statistics that underline that problem even further.

I secured a debate on antisemitism on university campuses in this Chamber back in June, and I shared findings from the Union of Jewish Students’ “Time for Change” report, which underlines the seriousness of the issue. One in five students—20%—would be reluctant to, or would never, share a house with a Jewish student. One in four students—this is from all students—did not care very much, or at all, if Jewish people were forced to hide their identity. The figures shocked me then and still shock me now. What is happening on our campuses is sickening.

This is about so much more than individual incidents. It tells us something about the environment in which Jewish people are having to live their lives in all spheres, including university campuses. Jewish identity should not be something that any student has to explain or justify, and neither should Jewish students be treated as representatives of the Israeli Government simply because they are Jewish. The UJS has put forward practical recommendations in its report, which I urge the Government to consider seriously: they must be implemented. I would be grateful if the Minister set out how the Government might implement those measures, or how they are working across Departments and with universities, the police and Jewish community organisations to ensure a genuinely co-ordinated approach to ensuring that Jewish students are safe on campus.

Whether it is a Jewish student on a university campus, a family at a synagogue or a Jewish organisation facing threats from abroad, the principle is the same: British Jews should not have to organise their lives around antisemitism. The British Jewish community is an integral part of our society and national story. They belong here—they always have and always will—and we will always speak up for them.