Reform UK councillor calls for North Northamptonshire Council to 'express solidarity' with Jewish communities
A motion has called for North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) to express solidarity with Jewish communities after a "disturbing rise in antisemitic incidents"
Cllr Chris Munday (Reform UK/ Croyland and Swanspool) will ask full council next week to reaffirm its commitment to stand firm against all hate crimes, including antisemitism, and raise awareness to support the safety of Jewish residents.
The motion notes a national rise in reports of antisemitic incidents, as evidenced by the Community Security Trust (CST), which found that 2024 and 2025 had the highest number of incidents reported in the first half of any year.
It also refers to “vile” comments made at Glastonbury in June this year, where Bob Vylan led a chant of ‘death, death to the IDF’.
Cllr Munday told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had seen a “sharp rise” in antisemitism online and on social media.
He said: “With a Jewish family myself, I just thought it was about time that we did something to say that we stand in solidarity with the Jewish community.
“North Northamptonshire Council is not massive, you know, I’m not a member of parliament, but every little helps and the hope is that Jewish people in their local community will feel safe.”
The motion goes on to say: “Antisemitism is one of the world’s oldest and most persistent forms of hatred, spanning millennia and leading to some of the darkest chapters in human history, including the Holocaust.
“Political causes or international conflicts can never justify antisemitism in any form. Our council values commit us to standing against antisemitism clearly, consistently and without excuse.
“Silence or equivocation in the face of antisemitism enables it to spread unchecked.”
It adds that NNC should continue to work with local partners, including schools, community groups and the police, to increase awareness of hate crimes and support the safety and wellbeing of all residents.
The motion further asks the authority to adopt the international holocaust remembrance alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism and embed it into council policies, staff training and community engagement work.
The calls will be discussed at the next full council meeting held at the Corby Cube, on Wednesday, September 3.