Editorial: Tackling the root causes of extremism in the UK means tackling Islamists, not banging on about the ‘far right’

There has been yet another antisemitic attack in England, with the stabbing of two men in London yesterday.

After the attack in Golders Green the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, made a striking observation: “We know that the vast majority of people are with ... the Jewish people. They’re with everything that is decent, all of our great British values. However, the silent majority needs to stop being silent ...”

He said “... we also need zero tolerance of antisemitism, with regard to hate marches, with regard to antisemitism in all its forms, on university campuses, within the NHS, together with the purposeful anti-Israel demonisation which … contributes to a tone of antisemitism”.

As Sir Ephraim implies, the UK is a generous, tolerant nation, with a long history of liberal democracy, free press and strong protection of minorities. World War II showed it to be one of the least antisemitic nations in Europe, even though there has of course been antisemitism here over the centuries.

However, there has been Islamic extremism in this country for decades (as the Salman Rushdie book burning showed in the late 1980s) which has got far worse after the Labour governments, but above all the last Tory one, lost control of immigration.

Sir Keir Starmer has said his government will deal with “the root causes of extremism and antisemitism” after the Golders Green attack, the scene of which last evening he vowed to visit. But if the Conservatives are more to blame for the immigration disaster than anyone else, then Sir Keir’s government is abject in the face of radical Islam, trying indeed to ban ‘Islamophobia’ as demanded by Islamists who want to silence criticism of their extremism.

So will Sir Keir deal with the root causes of extremism? Or will he instead divert attention from pro Hamas hate marches and from violent Islamists by banging on about the ‘far right’?