(Jewish Group) Beware of antisemites in disguise

[Behind the Aegis]

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

Antisemitism has rightly become the focus of media attention in recent months and has lifted the lid on how many antisemites have been operating ‘under the radar’.

Regardless of whether their antisemitism is a product of far-right, far-left or Islamist views, covert antisemites are adept at hiding their underlying extremism. I’ve personally experienced how people can conceal their antisemitism by pretending to care about civil liberties and minority rights.

The majority of my professional life has been devoted to tackling hate speech and hate crime. I founded and was director of Muslims Against Anti-Semitism and from 2012 to 2017. I was the director of Tell MAMA, a national project monitoring anti-Muslim hate and supporting victims.

From 2013 onwards, our small team at Tell MAMA were inundated with an overwhelming number of reports of anti-Muslim hatred. The brutal murder of Lee Rigby on Britain’s streets and subsequent terrorist attacks resulted in an unprecedented spike in the number of incidents. Most of these reports came from sincere members of the public, concerned about the scapegoating of the Muslim community.

In July 2013, a woman called Alison Chabloz started to provide written reports to Tell MAMA. Over months, Chabloz impressed me with her apparent dedication to reporting abuse and defending minority communities against hate crime. I grew to admire her, to the extent that I offered her support when she was sacked from her job overseas and needed help to travel home. I came to regret I had ever let my guard down and trusted her.

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