AN INTERNATIONAL conference in London has warned about the rise in global anti-Semitism in the wake of events in Gaza. Laws across national frontiers need to be “harmonised” with police and judges trained to tackle it, London Euro-MP Sarah Ludford told the conference organised by the Foreign Office and Inter-Parliamentary Coalition on Anti-Semitism

AN INTERNATIONAL conference in London has warned about the rise in global anti-Semitism in the wake of events in Gaza.

Laws across national frontiers need to be “harmonised” with police and judges trained to tackle it, London Euro-MP Sarah Ludford told the conference on combating anti-Semitism organised at Westminster by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition on Anti-Semitism.

“I deplore criticism of Israel over Gaza becoming a pretext for sheer hate,” said the Liberal Democrats’ justice & human rights spokeswoman.

“We need European and international cooperation to harmonise laws and definitions, train police, prosecutors and judges, and secure convictions, including internet hate.

“But we must not let criminal processes or bans such as those about Holocaust denier Frederick Toben last autumn or Islamophobic Dutch MP Geert Wilders be a substitute for community leadership vigorously combating the unacceptable views being expressed.

“We must all pitch in and show how wrong these purveyors of hate are.”

The conference brought to Westminster speakers including a US Congressman, MPs, government ministers and representatives from Britain, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Canada, Morocco, Romania, Israel, Argentina, Uruguay and Gibraltar.

An international summit to draw up strategies for tackling global anti-Semitism is now being planned.