This is my latest column for Jewish News:

With the election campaign underway, we have to hope the BNP does not follow its two seats in the European Parliament with any in our Parliament. I’m encouraged by the Jewish community’s anti-BNP efforts through Hope Not Hate and also by the news that the CST was consulted by interfaith leader Fiyaz Mughal as part of his quest to stop Nick Griffin. I’ve long admired the CST and its brave, invaluable work in countering the multi-faceted brutality that is increasingly surrounding Britain’s Jewish community. Indeed, even though I am not Jewish I have my own personal cause to be thankful to The CST.

In January 2009, as Israel was finally responding to years of rocket attacks from Gaza,  I attended a vigil of solidarity with Israel in London. Even before I arrived at the vigil outside the Israeli Embassy I realised that it was going to be an unpleasant evening.  Pro-Hamas demonstrators were lurking on the walk from High Street Kensington tube to the Embassy and hurling abuse at anyone they perceived to be headed to the vigil, including a group of elderly Jews.

When I arrived I was asked to give an interview to a television crew. As I was speaking, two pro-Hamas demonstrators literally barged into me and started shouting angry slogans about “Israeli murderers” and then started demanding that Israel withdraw from Gaza. “They already did – in 2005,” I reminded them and they eventually waddled off.  Throughout our vigil, pro-Hamas demonstrators hurled abuse and objects in our direction. Some of them tried to break through the barrier to get to us. Thankfully the police had searched a cross-section of people as they arrived because as they quickly discovered, some of the Hamas supporters had turned up with bricks and knives hidden in their coats.

The pro-Hamas demonstrators then took to driving right past our vigil shouting insults, waving Hamas flags and – in one case – spitting at a shy young Jewish boy. Meanwhile, we remained calm and dignified. We sang about peace, and also sang the Israeli and English national anthems. It was after the demonstration finished that the CST came into its own. As we walked to the tube station, the atmosphere was uneasy. Although the police had tried to ensure the two sets of demonstrators walked to different stations, some of the pro-Hamas bunch were lurking on our route in a threatening manner. Were it not for the CST bravely lining the route, I’m almost certain my two female friends and I would not have made it to the station unharmed. Indeed, one orthodox Jew was attacked that evening as he visited some friends who lived not far from the Embassy.

So it astounded me when, in the wake of Yoav Shamir’s  flawed film Defamation which questioned the work of the Anti Defamation League,  I read people suggesting that all is well for Britain’s Jewish community and questioning whether there is a need for the CST. How can the safety of Jewish children as they walk to school in the morning be in question? Or the safety of people walking to synagogue on a Friday night? Also, has it not occurred to the CST’s critics that where antisemitism has been successfully challenged that this will often be precisely because of the efforts of groups like the CST?

Returning to the forthcoming election I would say that another key target must be a bad night for the Liberal Democrats. They are a small party, which makes their high number of Israel-bashers and other creeps disproportionate and unacceptable. Their production in north London of starkly contrasting leaflets to push through the respective doors of Jewish and Muslim voters is horrific, as is the prospect of Nick Clegg having influence in the Foreign Office of any coalition government. That cannot be allowed to happen so we must use our votes wisely.

You can read Jewish News online here. Please rate this post at Jblog here.