Jewish Socialist No 80 Editorial

Our cover photo depicts the menacing scenes of unrest that exploded in Britain’s urban areas just weeks ago. Instigated by organised fascists, they drew in wider layers of the discontented wanting to vent their frustrations. The media and political establishment labelled these events “riots” and “mindless thuggery”. Antiracists, recognising that the principal targets were Muslims and refugees, named them pogroms.

There was an immediate and heartening response across communities in many areas, and Jewish Socialists’ Group members who participated were pleased to find many other Jews there, but we cannot doubt that there is a far-right resurgence that mirrors the gains racists and fascists are making across Europe and beyond.

We should be celebrating the downfall of Britain’s Tory government that brought misery to so many while enriching their friends. But Labour’s massive victory in seats was built on far fewer votes than the party received when it stood on a radical left programme in 2017. In the 2024 election 4.1 million votes went to Reform-UK, a party with an embryonic far-right ideological programme led by Nigel Farage. They came second in nearly 100 constituencies.

The global picture of far-right gains should worry us as antiracists, socialists and Jews. The bigotries that are being stirred up include both Islamophobia and antisemitism, and conspiracy theories are enjoying renewed popularity.

Some on the right try to explain the recent unrest here as “Russian interference”, while elements purporting to be leftwing, claim that “Israel pushed the riot button” and chose to “burn down Britain”, as if racists and fascists in Britain needed help or advice from Israel on how to be Islamophobic. The situation is far too serious for such glib ideas. We have tried to get to the heart of that resurgence, and understand its relationship with mainstream politics, by publishing Aaron Winter’s challenging analysis (page 20).

Both Farage in parliament, and the YouTube and street rabble-rouser Tommy Robinson are gaining confidence and strength from the increasing popularity of the European far right. The right-wingers who dominate the Jewish establishment cry crocodile tears about the far right elsewhere, but feed the same Islamophobic narratives that help Farage and Robinson here, and, like them, have sought to demonise those who show solidarity with the Palestinians.

The unfolding horrors for actual Palestinians are not letting up. The Israeli military is engaging in a genocide under the cover of its government’s “war on Hamas”. It continues to be armed principally by the US, Britain and Germany, whose complicit politicians have no red lines around continued support. We don’t want to simply reproduce on paper the shocking events people are witnessing on their TV screens daily, but instead to make our readers aware of under-investigated phenomena with wide ranging consequences. So, we are very pleased to publish Georgia Gee’s powerful exposure of the insidious role played by volunteer agricultural workers in Israel recruited by the not-for-profit Hashomer Hachadash organisation (page 10), and to publish Tony Booth’s deep analysis of the monumental environmental consequences of Israel’s war on Gaza (page 18).

In our last issue we catalogued the inspiring growth of the Jewish Bloc for Palestine in London and similar blocs elsewhere in Britain. Charlotte Prager Williams (page 8) provides fascinating descriptions of  the activities of like-minded Jews far from Britain. Our resistance to any claims by Israel to speak in our name is global!

Our search for allies in struggle remains constant. As Britain’s Labour Party shifted rightwards, several of its MPs/candidates lost to left wing and pro-Palestinian independents. Dissent from Labour was also expressed in an increase in votes and seats for the leftward-shifting Green Party. Their deputy leader is Zack Polanski, a Manchester-born Jew who has been outspoken over Palestine. He gave a very frank interview to Jewish Socialist (page 13)

In times of such immense suffering in the world right now, it can be hard to celebrate, but we are determined to mark with pride and with joy, the fact that this is the 50th anniversary year of the creation of the Jewish Socialists’ Group in Britain. Julia Bard and David Rosenberg (page 16) look back on some memorable and unusual moments that laid the foundations of our unique politics, and we look forward to what we can create and contribute as part of progressive humanity in the coming decades.