Anti-Semitism is on the rise...sound familiar? asks Nick Ferrari

A politician is surrounded in his family home by 100 protesters chanting, whistling and screaming because he has the “wrong” political views. Students at colleges and universities up and down the land are threatened and advised not to wear certain types of clothing or jewellery because of their faith. A theatregoer is picked on and heckled by almost the entire audience because he failed to stand up when a supposed “comic” waved a particular flag. One of the nation’s largest political parties is riven by turmoil as increasing numbers are caught expressing racist views that go unchecked by the party machine.

Remind you of anywhere?

But this isn’t 1930s Germany as the vile, oppressive and blatantly anti-Semitic Nazi party strengthened its murderous grip on the country. Rather it is today’s United Kingdom – a country where the scourge of hatred towards the Jewish people seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.

The Community Security Trust, a charity set up to protect British Jews in their homes, synagogues, schools and elsewhere, released figures last week that revealed a shocking 150 per cent lift in hate incidents against Jewish people over the last year.

While the ongoing Middle East crisis provides a form of political camouflage for this racist bile, the authorities in this country could, and indeed should be doing much more.

Take the case of the three pro-Palestinian demonstrators convicted of a terror offence at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week. The trio, Heba Alhayek, Pauline Ankunda and Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo wore or carried paraglider stickers at a demo held just a week after Hamas had used the same style of paraglider to fly into Israel to launch its deadly attack. While their risible defence of trying to highlight the work of street artist Banksy was dismissed, they each got a 12-month conditional discharge after Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram decided “emotions ran very high” at the time.

The Community Security Trust, a charity set up to protect British Jews in their homes, synagogues, schools and elsewhere, released figures last week that revealed a shocking 150 per cent lift in hate incidents against Jewish people over the last year.

While the ongoing Middle East crisis provides a form of political camouflage for this racist bile, the authorities in this country could, and indeed should be doing much more.

Take the case of the three pro-Palestinian demonstrators convicted of a terror offence at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week. The trio, Heba Alhayek, Pauline Ankunda and Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo wore or carried paraglider stickers at a demo held just a week after Hamas had used the same style of paraglider to fly into Israel to launch its deadly attack. While their risible defence of trying to highlight the work of street artist Banksy was dismissed, they each got a 12-month conditional discharge after Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram decided “emotions ran very high” at the time.

Downing Street has asked for a review of the sentence when it was discovered the judge had supported social media posts calling for a “free Palestine”.

Reportedly that will not take place, but in any event a possible chance to make a stand has been missed. On the same day, around 100 protesters targeted the Dorset home of Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood.

Arranged by the Palestine Solidarity Movement, they chanted, blew whistles, hollered through a megaphone and banged drums for four hours.

Dorset Police were called, but I’m sure you can guess what action they took.

Yup, ZERO. As neighbours caught up in this, and who were trying to get their fearful children to sleep, justifiably complained, the police merely watched. And waited. Afterwards, Dorset Police said they had wanted “to ensure people could exercise their right to protest legally and safely”. A classic cop out from cops who seemed to care little for innocent, panicked residents.

At a theatre, a Jewish theatregoer who declined to stand at the finale of an act where a supposed comic had waved a Palestinian flag was told to “**** off”.

And on television the BBC show The Apprentice has featured one contestant, Asif Munaf, who had published a series of offensive social media messages, including one likening Zionism to a “satanic cult.”

It was philosopher Edmund Burke who famously said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” and that has been attached to the horrors of the Nazi regime on numerous occasions.

Stop and think. Could it be any more apt in describing where we find ourselves now?