Opinion

Covid Conspiracy Conversations Continue

OPINION PIECE BY JAMES J MARLOW

I received my first Covid vaccination earlier this week and I have to tell you that the effects were immediate. They began with visions of Bill Gates instructing me to follow the rules. At that point I noticed I was being followed down the road by what can only be described as a large 5G metal antenna. This device began to pick up its pace and eventually chased me down an alleyway, where a drone hovered above, as if it was tracking me and I ended up at a dead end. Shortly after, I could feel I was turning into a tomato???

But it doesn’t matter because at least I’m protected against Covid 19 :)

Before anyone quotes me, as there is always one, let me say, except for the part about having a jab, the rest did not happen. But it’s quite extraordinary how some people within our community, still believe in these ridicules conspiracy theories.

Even if they accept that there is a virus called Covid, “But many more people die from the flu”, a neighbour opined to me last week. I replied, “But that’s not true” and proceeded to point out the facts.

According to the World Health Organisation, around 450,000 – 500,000 people die each year from the flu. In a really bad exceptional year, that figure jumps to 650,000, but that is extremely rare.

So far, more than four times as many people worldwide have died from Covid. Those that survive, well some of them, have all sorts of long term health issues, including body pain, chronic fatigue and sometimes, difficulty in breathing normally. In addition, almost every single country in the world does NOT lock down for flu. So why do we prefer to listen to the “bloke” in the shul down the road, instead of the overwhelming medical experts across the world?

Another neighbour remarked on how it was a “chillul Hashem” for a Jewish newspaper, (not the Jewish Weekly) to print a story of the regular illegal weddings taking place in Stamford Hill. This person went on to say, “We cannot stop weddings. Young people need to get married – it’s our way of life.”

I replied, “A wedding needs a chupah, mesadeh kiddushin and two witnesses – You don’t need 200 people to sit down at a 5-course meal with dazzling dancing in between courses and music that makes your ears pop.”

My response didn’t go down too well because the reply was, many of the guests are family members in any case.

I happen to be in one of the safest shuls in town, where the windows and back doors are open, ushering in a whiff of cold fresh air, circulating the Beis Hamedrash. Everyone wears masks over their mouth and nose and we exercise the one metre ruling. We do it to protect each other as we have lost several members of our shul, to this dreadful plague. The official figures of Jewish burials related to Covid in the UK today, has reached just under 850.

I recall older folk calling one of the phone-in shows on LBC Radio last month, saying during the blitz, the rule was clear – when you hear the sirens at night, you turn out your lights. But one gentleman explained there were some who refused to adhere to the rules because, “It infringed on my personal freedom and right to choose.”

The problem was in keeping his lights on, he put everyone else in danger, as the German bombers didn’t care which civilians they killed.

Ve’Nishmartem Meod Lenafshoseichem (The mitzvah of self preservation) is what comes to mind when we ignore the danger and come into contact with people, outside our immediate circle. Someone who erroneously believes, “If I’m alright Jack, it’s OK” is foolish.

Just for the record, I believe in going to shul and learning, if the environment can be made safe. I believe in getting our kids back to school and ourselves back to work again, if we can do so safely. The vaccine distribution is making excellent progress in the UK and we have a clear path ahead. But to ignore the rules completely, hold illegal weddings and create hatred against our community has got to be wrong on all levels. We should be setting the example, not causing people to loath and hate us.

James Marlow is a broadcast commentator and communications trainer Facebook: James Jeremy Marlow Twitter: @James_J_Marlow

Zoombombing and Covid conspiracy theories make CST annual report

OPINION PIECE BY DR DAVE RICH , DIRECTOR OF POLICY AT THE COMMUNITY SECURITY TRUST

This year’s Antisemitic Incident Report from CST shows how adaptable antisemitism can be, always changing to find the best fit with whatever is going on in our society. In 2020 the restrictions imposed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic affected daily life and the Jewish community in many ways, and antisemitism changed as a result.

For example, CST recorded fewer antisemitic hate incidents affecting Jewish schools, students and staff than in previous years, because for much of the year many of our schools were either closed or ran a reduced operation. The same goes for abuse shouted at congregants walking to or from synagogue services, which also fell in number because during last year’s lockdowns there were fewer synagogues open, and those that were open often had fewer people attending services.

This doesn’t mean the antisemitism went away. As so much of Jewish community life moved online, with religious, educational and social events taking place on zoom, so the antisemitic abuse followed them online. CST recorded several incidents of Jewish community events being targeted with ‘zoombombing’, where groups of people would gain illicit access to a community event and then shout or post antisemitic abuse until they were thrown out. It seems that hate will always find a way through, and CST had to develop new guidance for online security to shut down this avenue.

We all spent much more time at home last year than is normally the case, and many people have felt increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic. It is easy to see how this combination of tension and opportunity can lead to conflict, and consequently CST recorded an increase in antisemitic incidents at people’s homes last year.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of this adaptation of antisemitism is in the way conspiracy theories about Coronavirus kept popping up in the incidents reported to CST last year. Some antisemites claimed that the virus was all a hoax, invented by Jews for some malevolent purpose; others said it was a real virus but Jews either invented it or were deliberately spreading it. Either way, they sought to blame Jews for the latest terrible and frightening development in the world – just as antisemites always have done. Most sickeningly, when the virus ripped through our Jewish communities in March and April last year and so many people sadly died as a result, there were antisemites on social media celebrating this fact.

While antisemitism will always adapt to new circumstances, it is vital that CST does the same. CST kept working throughout the year, with remote working and new Covid-secure operating procedures for volunteers and staff. This ensured that we were always able to respond to antisemitic incidents and give our community the support and protection they need, via our dedicated Incidents Team and our 24/7 emergency national security centre, which has remained operational throughout the pandemic. Even if the patterns of antisemitism change from year to year, the threat it poses to our community does not, and CST will always find new ways to respond to it.

Covid comment

OPINION PIECE BY JACQUELINE CURZON

Recent news discusses the prevalence of the South African strain of covid, which has now been identified in at least 32 countries. South Africa is putting their own AstraZeneca programme on hold because of its poor efficacy against B.1.351 - it only stands at 10%, according to their Health Minister. Nadhim Zahawi has told us to have confidence in this vaccine, even though it is apparently less effective than other vaccines. I have confidence…. not! Olivier Vera, the French health minister has just received the Oxford vaccine, so it’s good to know those out there who got the Pfizer - or one of the more effective ones - rolled a six. Zahawi said the Oxford jab would still be good against ‘severe’ disease, but this sounds a bit of a lame answer, translating perhaps as, ‘better than nothing.’ Dr Benjamin Killingley, of UCLH and a member of NERVTAG, said it would be sensible to double mask as protection from this variant.

Oh well, it’s not enough that we are practically locked up at home, can’t send our children to school, can’t go to most of the shops, can’t plan a holiday, can’t visit family, are forbidden to cross an internal border, and are forced to live on zoom. Now we are advised we should double mask and socially distance in perpetuity, lest some new variant emerge. The debate over issuing covid passports to those who are vaccinated continues, and is another potential obstacle to resuming normal life, whatever that is..! It is encouraging to hear Logifect, iProov and Mvine are working on phone apps which could provide passports and change all this. I do wonder how many households have bitter disputes over coronavirus measures? We have just seen our first domestic manslaughter conviction, where a woman was choked to death after telling her husband to ‘get over it’ {his concerns about contracting covid}. Anthony Williams (70), of South Wales, has pleaded to diminished responsibility and is to be sentenced at a later date. On a separate but connected point, a favourite complaint amongst the driving members of communities is the extension of pavements, and subsequent loss of parking for shoppers. I have not witnessed recently any crowds on pavements sufficient to requisition roadway or parking bays. It’s a manoeuvre designed to tick the box that ‘[councils] are covid aware, they’re doing something!’ Too right, they’re killing businesses - who are doubtless paying their fair share of council tax. What happens, say, when a bread shop on your local parade wants a permanent boxed extension to the pavements for their Friday {challah} queue, but the other shops argue they lose customers every day, because foot traffic is habitually low. No one bats an eye that the queue for the bank runs the length of the high street, with adjacent queues forming, because of an arbitrary decision to only allow 2 people inside! The regular pedestrian has to walk the gauntlet between 2 parallel queues. Councils appear to concede to the 10%, whilst causing disadvantage to the 90%, and this is becoming endemic across London.

On my regular journeys, I witness a surfeit of closed roads, pop up cycle lanes, expanded concrete pavements or boxed pavement extensions. Were it the case that these are being heavily utilised no-one would mind, but they are largely just white elephants, effectively preventing shoppers from supporting local businesses. As it stands, they force traffic into a slow snaking traffic jam, often creating more pollution than they alleviate. Drivers are further frustrated by a barrage of ‘all-hours’ bus lanes, which you enter at great peril. Darren Rogers, of Chiltern Law brought a case recently on behalf of London’s black cab drivers, and Mrs Justice Lang said that in her judgement Sadiq Khan had closed roads unlawfully, and ‘took advantage of the pandemic’ to try to make the capital car-free. At least 10 campaigner groups are seeking a judicial review to overturn roads being closed and these cycle lanes. The Mayor and TfL called their programme Streetspace Plan and Guidance and wanted it to become permanent. The schemes will not be removed at this point as TfL is appealing.

Key issues include a lack of consultation with residents, emergency services, local businesses, and a failure to consider the needs of disabled people. ‘Impact assessments’ must record in detail risks associated with those protected under the equality act. How are we to regenerate our local businesses if councils are so obsessed with covid appeasement?