The new working group has reportedly consulted Trevor Phillips, who was suspended from Labour when Jeremy Corbyn was leader in March 2020 following allegations of Islamophobia, which he denied. His suspension was lifted in July 2021 under Keir Starmer’s leadership, a move which was criticised by some Muslim Labour MPs and members.
The group interviewed the Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism. It also invited the neoconservative think tank Policy Exchange - which has also faced accusations of promoting Islamophobia - for a consultation, but Policy Exchange declined, sources told MEE. Policy Exchange did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Joel Salmon, who has been the Anti-Muslim Hatred and Antisemitism Policy team leader in the communities ministry since March, oversees the working group.
In 2016, Salmon argued in a column for Jewish News that the Jewish community “must be able to define for ourselves what antisemitism is”.
Between 2016 and 2019, he was a public affairs officer at the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD), a heavily pro-Israel organisation.
Controversial opinion but u should have the right to hate anyone u damn well please for any reason u damn well please. As long as u went encouraging violence I don’t see the problem.
Yeah, and people should have the right to say that you’re a worthless piece of shit as a consequence to that.
Controversial opinion but you should have the right to hate bigoted arseholes for being bigoted arseholes. As long as they’re bigoted arseholes I don’t see the problem.
