Sir Keir Starmer: ‘a national moral duty’ to fight against antisemitism
Sir Keir Starmer has marked five years since the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that the Labour Party under previous leadership had breached equality law and discriminated against Jewish members. Writing for the Jewish Chronicle on the anniversary, he apologised on behalf of the party and reaffirmed its commitment to rooting out antisemitism. Sir Keir highlighted the measures the government has taken including full adoption of the EHRC action plan, an independent complaints process, mandatory antisemitism training, and reforms that enabled former Jewish MPs to return. He noted that antisemitism in wider society is on the rise, citing the recent Manchester synagogue attack, and said “this poison” must be defeated. The government has announced a further £10 million to bolster synagogue and school security, new police powers to prevent disruptive protests, and an urgent review of racism and antisemitism in the NHS led by Lord Mann. Sir Keir emphasised that combating antisemitism is a long-term fight and the government would never be complacent about the depth of the challenge. He said: “it is our national moral duty to see it through”.
TfL investigating alleged antisemitic incident on London bus
A Jewish man was reportedly trapped on a London bus for more than an hour, after the driver refused to give him back his bank card, which had fallen behind a partition, amid allegations of antisemitism. The exchange was filmed and posted on social media, including the allegation that the driver said he didn’t like Jewish people. The bus route included Stamford Hill, where there is a strong Haredi community. The Board of Deputies has taken up the case with Transport for London asking for an explanation and raising the issue of training. A TfL spokesperson said: “We take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime”. Jewish News report here
Faith groups urged to improve safeguarding referrals
The government’s Disclosure and Barring Service has launched the Faith in Safeguarding campaign to raise awareness of the legal duty to refer – a crucial safeguarding process that organisations must follow by law when concerns arise about individuals working in regulated activity. The DBS says that analysis shows over the past seven years, referrals from the faith sector have accounted for just 0.51 per cent of all submissions, which the DBS says highlights significant gaps in safeguarding reporting. The legal duty to refer applies to organisations (from all sectors) that employ individuals or have volunteers engaged in regulated activity with children or adults. If an individual is dismissed or removed due to harm or risk of harm, or meets the conditions of referral, then the organisation is obligated to submit a referral to DBS. This duty ensures that individuals who pose a risk are considered for the “barred list”, meaning they can no longer work with vulnerable groups. Press statement here
End of RE bursary scheme will ‘profoundly affect’ young people
An opinion piece in RE Online, says that the government’s decision to cut the £10,000 bursary and training support for trainee Religious Education teachers, threatens more than recruitment numbers — it will profoundly affect the moral and ethical development of young people. Maryam Bham argues that RE is the space where young people learn to think ethically, understand difference, and explore what it means to live together in a diverse society. She says that removing funding narrows access to the profession, particularly for underrepresented groups, and weakens the subject’s capacity to reflect the plurality of modern Britain. Humanists UK has also objected to the bursary cut, saying “pupils need accurate, critical, and inclusive teaching about religions and non-religious worldviews”. On last weekend’s BBC Radio 4 Sunday programme, the Department of Education issued a statement saying: “We’ve seen an increase in the number of people training to teach Religious Education in the past few years and our latest financial incentives package reflects that”. But Ms Bham says that increase was due to the bursary scheme, and to withdraw it as a temporary measure means that the deep crisis of a lack of specialist RE teachers remains unaddressed.
Lowering voting age to 16 ‘will enfranchise 156,000 young British Muslims’
Hyphen Online reports that the lowering of the voting age to 16 will enfranchise more than 150,000 young British Muslims — who will make up more than a tenth of all new voters. Analysing the 2021 census data, they say an estimated 156,000 16 and 17-year-old Muslims will be eligible to vote in 2029. It calculates that 10.7 per cent of the youngest voters in 2029 will be Muslim, likely to be concentrated in urban areas with high numbers of Muslims in Birmingham, Bradford and east London. Story by Samir Jeraj is here
World’s tallest church in Barcelona
Barcelona’s Sagrada Família has become the world’s tallest church after the installation of a new section of its central tower yesterday. The basilica, designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, now stands at 162.91 metres (534 feet), narrowly surpassing Germany’s Ulmer Münster, by just one metre. But the work is not complete – it’s expected the central tower when finished will reach 172 metres (564 feet) in the coming months. Construction of the Sagrada Família began in 1882, and although Gaudí died with only one tower complete, his vision continues to inspire architects. Financed entirely by visitor donations, the site attracts nearly five million tourists annually, funding its slow but steady progress. Interior and façade work will continue for several more years, with full completion expected around 2035. Next year marks the centenary of Gaudí’s death, which will be commemorated with events celebrating his enduring legacy and his fusion of faith, art, and architecture.
Europe’s largest Halloween festival in Northern Ireland
A Halloween fancy-dress pub party in Derry 40 years ago, has grown to become one of the top Halloween destinations on the planet and the largest festival in Europe. It has been building up over the past four days, attracting more than 100,000 visitors for events such as The Awakening the Walled City trail, street performances, live music, fire dancers, puppets and mythical creatures. It culminates this evening with the Halloween parade, featuring 600 people in costumes, followed by fireworks over the River Foyle. BBC report here
What does Halloween have to do with modern witchcraft? Article here
Jinn, the Unseen and Paganism: what does Islam say about Halloween? Article here
