Mr Lawton visited the island as one of many trips he makes around the Commonwealth to speak about and support the Jewish communities around the globe, and noted that Guernsey, unlike Jersey and the UK, has yet to adopt a definition of anti-Semitism that could be used in official matters or a court of law.
‘I’m very interested in all countries having a good and coherent definition of anti-Semitism, so they can know what it is, so they can spot it when it happens, and they can try to smack it down,’ he said.
‘Anti-Semitism is a shape-shifter, so people are not good at recognising it. It’s a bit like how women know what misogyny looks like, but sometimes men say, “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad”, and something similar happens with anti-Semitism. It keeps changing its focus, so it starts off anti-religious, then it’s about class, it’s about money, then it’s about race, then it’s about politics, and now it seems to be focusing around Israel, and all Jews are accused of whatever anyone thinks is the worst thing about Israel.’
In an assembly at the Sixth Form Centre yesterday, Mr Lawton traced the history of anti-Semitism back over the ages, talking about the religious persecution of Jews in medieval Europe for the supposed crime of being ‘Christ-killers’, to the racist persecution that Jewish people faced in the 20th century – most obviously demonstrated in the genocide of six million Jews committed by the Nazis.
Though it has changed form, he said anti-Semitism has by no means disappeared.
‘It’s certainly true that there is more anti-Semitic activity around than there was. Just about every country with a significant Jewish population is reporting hugely increased numbers of anti-Semitic attacks – like the stabbing in Golders Green, or the murders in Manchester – these things didn’t used to happen in Britain,’ he said.
Mr Lawton’s observation is vindicated by the statistics. 2023 marked the year with the highest number of anti-Semitic hate incidents ever recorded in British history, and the numbers for 2024 and 2025 were reported to be similarly high. As of the autumn of 2023, anti-Semitic hate crimes in London reportedly rose 1,350% over the same period in 2022.
‘It’s accelerated as a result of the barbarous Hamas attacks on October 7, two years ago,’ said Mr Lawton.
‘It started as an act of savagery by Hamas terrorists breaking into Israel and killing well over 1,000 people, and 250 people were taken as hostages, and immediately there were demonstrations against Israel.’
The first major demonstration against the state of Israel occurred in London on 8 and 9 October 2023, before any military action had been instigated by Israel in response to the terrorist attack. The protest drew thousands of demonstrators onto the streets, and resulted in parts of the Israeli embassy needing to be boarded up for security.
‘There’s something odd happening here, and it needs analysing and thinking about because it’s not rational,’ Mr Lawton said.
‘That doesn’t mean to say that you might not intensely disagree with Israel or its military activities, but Israel seems to be presented as the most destructive country in the world.
‘What about all the other stuff going on in the world? What about how Muslims are treated in China, or what the Burmese are doing to them?’
Given the rise in anti-Semitic attacks and attitudes, often cloaked as disagreement on foreign affairs, he is hopeful that Guernsey, among other jurisdictions, will adopt a solid definition of anti-Semitism that will help guard against its growth.
Both Jersey and the UK have adopted a definition which states that ‘Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.’
‘I think it would be quite nice if Guernsey adopted it, as that means that if somebody comes along and says that something that was said or done was anti-Semitism, then the Guernsey government and law courts can take this definition and go, “Wait a minute – is it?”,’ he said.
‘It’s not a law, it doesn’t change the law, but it’s a guideline, it helps you think.’
Mr Lawton said that this idea, when brought to the island’s deputies, had been received with an open mind.