Speech to council 12 Dec 2023
Cllr Sam Casey-Rerhaye proposed. Passed unanimously on South Oxfordshire District council.
Councillors – I’m proposing this motion to council because it is clear to me, as it is to all of us, the impact this terrible conflict in Israel and Gaza is having across the world and particularly on people who are Palestinian, Jewish or Muslim. Of course, we can and do condemn the violence and the war itself. The reports of the massacres happening there, the majority women and children, and healthcare workers in their hundreds, are a terrible breach of humanitarian conduct by any measure. To witness scenes on the news and in reports is harrowing enough; to know people who are caught up in this who have been injured or killed is truly terrible. So, of course residents of South Oxfordshire, who are Jewish, Muslim or from Arab heritage may know or even have family living in Gaza or Israel. I have spoken to some myself. And acknowledge that there are councillors here who have Jewish or Muslim heritage. And people are scared, not just for their friends and families there but also for their family and community here. They’re scared because incidents of hatred against them have increased massively whether verbal or violent assaults, people are living with an anxiety and stress caused by experiencing racist attacks or fear of them. In the UK, there has been a 600% increase in Islamophobic attacks since the massacres of the 7th of October and there’s been a tenfold increase in anti-Semitic attacks. We have heard that people in London are hiding signs of their Jewish or Muslim faith; charities report a rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in schools in the form of vandalism, graffiti & abusive behaviour. And this is what my motion is about: How we as a council can reach out and support those affected; to acknowledge firstly that this is happening, and then being ready to work in whatever way we can, with whatever partners appropriate to support and hopefully address and reduce these incidents We must say clearly and loudly that we condemn Islamophobia and anti-Semitism however it reveals itself and we will stand up and be anti racist, and declare we will not tolerate any forms of racism We have seen and heard divisive and inflammatory statements from people in positions of influence here in the UK; divisive political rhetoric is fuelling Islamophobia and anti Arab racism and anti-Semitism here. I am hoping our council can show that politicians and leaders can come together and take a more nuanced, compassionate and productive stance for those living here. I want us as a council to be clearly seen and heard in acknowledging the rise in incidents of hate, to condemn these and to reach out to those affected in our district. To offer the support that we can and sometimes all the support will be is in the form of saying we see these incidents, we acknowledge they are happening to you; we recognise the suffering and we condemn it; we recognise the inflammatory statements and we condemn those too. This is a humanitarian issue at every level, and we must urge those with greater influence to work tirelessly to find an end to the suffering and violence, but to do what we can as local politicians at our local level. So I commend this motion to you. Thank you councillors