Prime Minister summons leaders to No 10, demanding tough action against antisemitism
The Prime Minister hosted a summit at Number Ten Downing Street yesterday, demanding tougher action across the whole of society against antisemitism, saying the recent spate of attacks against Jewish communities was “a crisis” for everyone. The audience, including cabinet ministers and leaders from the police, arts, higher education, trade unions and business, were summoned to address rising levels of antisemitism which have led to two deaths in Manchester, two stabbings in Golders Green, arson attacks and rising hate crimes in person and online. Keir Starmer said the incidents were not isolated: “It is part of a pattern of rising antisemitism that has left our Jewish communities feeling frightened, angry, and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them”.
He said antisemitism comes from Islamist, far-left and far-right extremism and police are investigating whether foreign states were behind the recent antisemitic attacks. He warned that Iran would face “consequences” if it is proven. A law will be brought in within weeks that would treat Iranian-backed groups such as al-Yamin and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist groups. An extra £1.5m for community cohesion has been allocated. Hate crime prosecutions will be fast-tracked. Universities will be required to make public the scale of Jewish hatred on their campuses and the steps taken to eradicate it. The Arts Council will be expected to act against the promotion of antisemitic views by suspending, withdrawing and clawing back funding from venues allowing it. He said that the responsibility for acting against antisemitism “lies with each and every one of us.”
One hundred extra officers to protect Jewish communities in London
The Metropolitan Police has announced a new dedicated community protection team of initially 100 extra officers to protect Jewish communities across London. It will include neighbourhood policing, specialist protection and counter terrorism officers, bringing together existing local police and additional officers. The Met says “it marks the beginning of a new, more sustainable and consistent model of protection built around local knowledge, visibility and partnership, rather than relying solely on repeated short‑term surges”.
Former East London synagogue burned in arson attack
The former East London Central Synagogue in east London has been set on fire in a deliberate arson attack. Counter-terror police are investigating the blaze at the building in Tower Hamlets early yesterday morning, with CCTV indicating that the fire was started intentionally. There was minimal damage, with fire only at the gates and not inside the locked doors. The building was closed down in 2020 after a roof leak. It still has a Star of David and Hebrew writing above the door but is boarded up and covered in graffiti. A Muslim community group has launched an appeal to buy the building. No one has yet admitted responsibility for the attack.
From God Delusion to Bot Delusion? Dawkins declares AI ‘conscious’
Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, New Atheist and author of “The God Delusion”, has had a well-documented and extensive conversation with an AI bot whom he named Claudia. After reading her poems, telling her jokes and having conversations about the meaning of before and after, and the imminent certainty of her death, he concluded: “You may not know you are conscious, but you bloody well are”. He reflected the conversation in an article for Unherd, and then followed it up by introducing Claudia to another of his creations, Claudius, and that exchange of letters is also published by Unherd. The Guardian’s technology editor Robert Booth, reflects on the idea of bots as conscious: “Experts predict the idea will gather pace and become more plausible as AIs not only talk like humans but start to act like them, carrying out tasks, organising and planning – so-called agentic AI. But most believe that Dawkins and his fellow travellers are being misled by the technology’s ability to imitate human tone and behaviour by drawing on a vast corpus of examples.”
Russian Orthodox church ‘complicit’ in forced deportation of Ukrainian children
An academic researching the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia in its four year war, has accused the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) of complicity. Vladyslav Havrylov, from Kyiv and now a global fellow with the Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues at Georgetown University in Washington, made the claim while giving evidence to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. In written testimony, he said: “One of the most alarming dimensions of the ROC’s role in Russia’s war crimes is its direct involvement in the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children. In close co-operation with the Russian government, the ROC has been involved in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation, placing them in church charitable homes, monasteries and recreational camps.” Data compiled by Ukraine suggests 16,226 children were deported. Havrylov, who is also a research consultant at the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War at Kings College London, names church institutions where children were taken and says: “By November 2022, the number of ROC dioceses involved in receiving deported Ukrainians had grown from 30 to 58”.
Khalsa Aid receives international humanitarian award
Khalsa Aid International, founded by British Sikh Ravi Singh, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Lions International Humanitarian Award, recognising “the organisation’s extraordinary leadership in global humanitarian relief and disaster response”. Ravi Singh started Khalsa Aid in 1999 with aid to the people of Kosovo. Since then, the organisation has helped people in more than 50 countries including flood victims in Somerset in 2014, victims of the Nepal earthquake in 2015, lorry drivers stuck on the M20 in 2016, and victims of the India floods in 2019. The award will be presented at a global Lions event in Hong Kong and includes $500,000 for future relief work. Mr Singh said he was deeply honoured and praised volunteers and staff, saying: “This award shows what becomes possible when shared values of humanity and service rise above borders and boundaries.”
US evangelical groups challenge immigration policies which separate families
Two influential groups of American evangelicals are urging the Trump administration to find alternative immigration policies, warning that deportations are tearing families apart. World Relief and the National Association of Evangelicals have published a report on the impact of current policies, predicting that if the scope and scale of mass deportations continues, alongside an indefinite pause on immigrant visas for 75 countries, more than 1.3 million US citizens are projected to be separated from their families by the end of the current administration in early 2029. Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy for World Relief, said:“As Christians who care deeply about the wellbeing of children and the sanctity of marriage, we’re sounding the alarm, urging our government to find policy alternatives that ensure security and respect the rule of law without tearing families apart.”
US Southern Baptist membership down but attendance and baptisms growing
Latest statistics from the US Southern Baptist church, the second largest denomination in the US, shows a sustained growth in attendance and baptisms, but membership continuing to decline, following a decades long trend. Membership is now 12,331,954 from a peak of 16,306,246 in 2006. On average, nearly 4.5 million people attend a Southern Baptist church each week, while more than 2.6 million participate in a small group Bible study or Sunday School class – both up on the previous year but not back up to pre-Covid levels. The number of baptisms increased by nearly five percent to 263,075, the fifth year of growth, surpassing pre-Covid levels.
Revered Hindu scripture ‘Shikshapatri’ celebrates 200th anniversary with tour of UK temples
One of the world’s most significant Hindu scriptures, the Shikshapatri, has left the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries for an historic 200th anniversary tour across the United Kingdom. It was written in 1826 by Sahajananda Swami, Lord Swarminarayan, an ascetic teacher and leader, as a guide to ethical and spiritual living. Its name means “a letter of teachings” and it is recited daily by followers. The manuscript in the Bodleian is one of the oldest known copies and was given by the author himself, to Sir John Malcolm, the then Governor of Bombay, and from there, found its way to the library. Lord Swarminarayan established nine temples in India and the tour takes in seven major temples in Britain where thousands are visiting to pay respects. It is going to Stanmore next week and Kingsbury, Brent, in August. Dr. Gillian Evison, Keeper of Asian and Middle Eastern Collections at the Bodleian Libraries, said the tour aims to honour the manuscript’s cultural significance and enduring message of compassion, ethical living and social harmony.
