Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg has applauded the Home Secretary’s statement, made at last night’s Community Security Trust dinner, pledging to protect places of worship in its Crime and Policing Bill.
He said: “We welcome the Home Secretary’s announcement about measures to protect places of worship under the new Crime and Policing Bill. This is something we have been calling for over recent months.
“We also welcome the inclusion of the new Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in the protected list of war memorials. Protests near synagogues have led to serious and unacceptable disruption to our communal life over the last 18 months. The intimidatory protests outside mosques during the violent disorder last summer were similarly intolerable.
“The new provisions will ensure the right to free speech does not conflict with freedom of worship or religious practice, and will build towards the more cohesive Britain we all want to see.”