John Mann MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism, commissioned the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry
into Antisemitism in 2005 following increasing public debate about a rise in antisemitism in the UK
The inquiry panel, chaired by former Europe Minister
Rt Hon Dr Denis MacShane MP, was joined by senior Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and UUP MPs and aimed to:
- Consider
evidence on the nature of contemporary antisemitism;
- Evaluate
current efforts to confront it;
- Consider
further measures that might usefully be introduced.
The panel considered oral evidence and over one hundred written
submissions from a wide range of organisations and individuals and published their report on 7 September 2006. The Full Report is available for download.
The panel's recommendations included improved reporting
and recording of antisemitic attacks; a crackdown on anti-Jewish activity on university campuses; and improved international
co-operation to prevent the spread of racist material online.
The Government published
a formal response to the inquiry on 29 March 2007 and is also available for download.
The
MPs on the Panel were:
Chair: Rt Hon Dr Denis MacShane (Lab)
Rt Hon Kevin Barron MP (Lab)
Tim Boswell MP (Con)
Rt Hon David
Curry MP (Con)
Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP (Con)
Nigel Evans MP (Con)
Rt Hon Bruce George MP (Lab)
Lady Sylvia
Hermon MP (UUP)
Chris Huhne MP (Lib Dem)
Daniel Kawczynski MP (Con)
Barbara Keeley MP (Lab)
Khalid Mahmood
MP (Lab)
Rt Hon John Spellar MP (Lab)
Theresa Villiers MP (Con)
The Launch
At the launch of the Inquiry in November 2005 John Mann MP said:
"Antisemitism is back in fashion and can be found on the streets of Islington,
Aldershot and Bethnal Green. It was once considered solely a problem of the Far Right but this is no longer the case. We have
to recognise that antisemitism is a virus and it mutates to suit its surroundings. It is not simply a Jewish problem, just
like racism is not simply a problem for the black community. This scourge affects the whole of society. The liberal and progressive
Left is not immune. With levels of antisemitic incidents at their highest for over a generation, an investigation of this
type is much needed and long overdue."
Dr Denis MacShane MP said:
"There is evidence that British Jews are living in a state of fear and discomfort
as a result of a perceptible rise in antisemitism. They are forced to spend much needed resources on securing their schools,
places of worship and community centres. This is unacceptable. I hope that this group of distinguished parliamentarians produce
a definitive report on the state of antisemitism in the UK today so that positive steps can be taken to improve this situation."
