In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, Councillor James Walsh to propose, and Councillor Howard Smith to second the following motion:
“Recent figures released by the Community Security Trust (CST) and Tell MAMA reveal that cases of antisemitism and Islamophobia are on the increase in the UK, fuelled by events in the Middle East.
Between 7 October and 9 November, for example, Tell MAMA reported 701 cases of anti-Muslim behaviour across the country - a sevenfold increase in Islamophobic attacks on the same period in 2022. The CST also reported the highest number of cases of antisemitic attacks since their records began in 1984, with 1,019 cases recorded between 7 October and 3 November.
Recent incidents of antisemitism have been reported here in Guildford, with some individuals and families having already left the borough, planning to leave the borough in the near future, or living under protection as a result. Local representatives of the Jewish community in Guildford have stated that the situation is “unprecedented” and reflects a growing and unacceptable intolerance and division in national and international society.
The Labour Group believes that we must unite against the forces that seek to divide communities and sow division and hatred between people from different backgrounds or who share different faiths or beliefs. It believes that tolerance, understanding and respect are cornerstones of democracy and that violence, intolerance and prejudice only serve to corrode them. Therefore, it asks that:
(1) The Council be reminded of its resolution dated 12 July 2016 and reaffirmed on 11 April 2017 condemning racism, xenophobia and hate crimes, as follows:
“We are proud to live in a diverse and tolerant society. Racism, xenophobia and hate crimes have no place in our country. Guildford Borough Council condemns racism, xenophobia and hate crimes unequivocally. We will not allow hate to become acceptable. We are pleased to note the strong stance that Surrey Police have taken against these issues.
Guildford Borough Council will work to ensure local bodies and programmes have support and resources needed to fight and prevent all these anti-social acts, and reassures all people living in Guildford borough that they are valued and welcome members of our community.”
(2) The Council condemns all forms of discrimination, intolerance and division that some in our communities are facing and pledges to work together with partners, including Surrey Police and faith/religious organisations, to address issues and provide reassurance as it is made aware of them.
(3)
The Council condemns antisemitism in
all of its forms and regrets the
incidents that have been reported in Guildford in recent months. It
pledges to work with partners and local communities to address
areas of concern and provide reassurance and support to the Jewish
community wherever possible.
(4)
The Council condemns Islamophobia in
all of its forms and pledges to work
with partners and local communities to address areas of concern and
provide reassurance and support to the Muslim communities wherever
possible.”
Minutes:
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, Councillor James Walsh proposed, and Councillor Howard Smith seconded the following motion:
“Recent figures released by the Community Security Trust (CST) and Tell MAMA reveal that cases of antisemitism and Islamophobia are on the increase in the UK, fuelled by events in the Middle East.
Between 7 October and 9 November, for example, Tell MAMA reported 701 cases of anti-Muslim behaviour across the country - a sevenfold increase in Islamophobic attacks on the same period in 2022. The CST also reported the highest number of cases of antisemitic attacks since their records began in 1984, with 1,019 cases recorded between 7 October and 3 November.
Recent incidents of antisemitism have been reported here in Guildford, with some individuals and families having already left the borough, planning to leave the borough in the near future, or living under protection as a result. Local representatives of the Jewish community in Guildford have stated that the situation is “unprecedented” and reflects a growing and unacceptable intolerance and division in national and international society.
The Labour Group believes that we must unite against the forces that seek to divide communities and sow division and hatred between people from different backgrounds or who share different faiths or beliefs. It believes that tolerance, understanding and respect are cornerstones of democracy and that violence, intolerance and prejudice only serve to corrode them. Therefore, it asks that:
(1) The Council be reminded of its resolution dated 12 July 2016 and reaffirmed on 11 April 2017 condemning racism, xenophobia and hate crimes, as follows:
“We are proud to live in a diverse and tolerant society. Racism, xenophobia and hate crimes have no place in our country. Guildford Borough Council condemns racism, xenophobia and hate crimes unequivocally. We will not allow hate to become acceptable. We are pleased to note the strong stance that Surrey Police have taken against these issues.
Guildford Borough Council will work to ensure local bodies and programmes have support and resources needed to fight and prevent all these anti-social acts, and reassures all people living in Guildford borough that they are valued and welcome members of our community.”
(2) The Council condemns all forms of discrimination, intolerance and division that some in our communities are facing and pledges to work together with partners, including Surrey Police and faith/religious organisations, to address issues and provide reassurance as it is made aware of them.
(3) The Council condemns antisemitism in all of its forms and regrets the incidents that have been reported in Guildford in recent months. It pledges to work with partners and local communities to address areas of concern and provide reassurance and support to the Jewish community wherever possible.
(4) The Council condemns Islamophobia in all of its forms and pledges to work with partners and local communities to address areas of concern and provide reassurance and support to the Muslim communities wherever possible.”
Under Council Procedure Rule 15 (o), Councillor Walsh as the mover of the original motion, indicated that, with the consent of his seconder and of the meeting, he wished to alter his motion as follows:
Alteration:
In the first sentence of the third paragraph of the motion, add “to community leaders” after “Recent incidents of antisemitism have been reported…”.
If altered, the first sentence of the third paragraph would therefore read as follows:
“Recent incidents of antisemitism have been reported to community leaders here in Guildford, with some individuals and families having already left the borough, planning to leave the borough in the near future, or living under protection as a result.”
The Council agreed to accept the alteration to the original motion, as indicated above. The motion, as altered, therefore became the substantive motion for debate.
Having debated the substantive motion, the Council
RESOLVED:
(1) That the Council be reminded of its resolution dated 12 July 2016 and reaffirmed on 11 April 2017 condemning racism, xenophobia and hate crimes, as follows:
“We are proud to live in a diverse and tolerant society. Racism, xenophobia and hate crimes have no place in our country. Guildford Borough Council condemns racism, xenophobia and hate crimes unequivocally. We will not allow hate to become acceptable. We are pleased to note the strong stance that Surrey Police have taken against these issues.
Guildford Borough Council will work to ensure local bodies and programmes have support and resources needed to fight and prevent all these anti-social acts, and reassures all people living in Guildford borough that they are valued and welcome members of our community.”
(2) That the Council condemns all forms of discrimination, intolerance and division that some in our communities are facing and pledges to work together with partners, including Surrey Police and faith/religious organisations, to address issues and provide reassurance as it is made aware of them.
(3) That the Council condemns antisemitism in all of its forms and regrets the incidents that have been reported in Guildford in recent months. It pledges to work with partners and local communities to address areas of concern and provide reassurance and support to the Jewish community wherever possible.
(4) The Council condemns Islamophobia in all of its forms and pledges to work with partners and local communities to address areas of concern and provide reassurance and support to the Muslim communities wherever possible.