Economist Podcasts A hatred normalised: antisemitism in Britain
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May 7, 2026 
Jon Fasman, The Economist’s senior culture correspondent, and Avantika Chilkoti, a global business writer, dig into Britain’s troubling rise in antisemitism, from street attacks to fears it is becoming socially accepted. They also explore why American luxury labels are beating European rivals, and why Argentina’s football future hinges on more than Lionel Messi.
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Why British Antisemitism Defies One Simple Cause
- Antisemitism in Britain is rising after October 7, and it cannot be explained by one ideology alone.
- Shera Avi-Yonah says hatred of Jews sits in a Venn diagram shared by the far left, far right, and Islamists; the monthly average of incidents has doubled.
Why Tougher Policing May Not Stop Jew Hatred
- More policing and tougher laws may reassure communities, but they are unlikely to stop antisemitic ideas from spreading.
- Keir Starmer promised visible patrols, faster sentencing, and new powers, yet Rosie Blau says Britain's recent speech policing has overstretched police without fixing the problem.
Civil Society Matters More Than Law Alone
- The stronger historical lesson is that civil society, not law alone, determines whether antisemitism becomes acceptable.
- Rosie Blau points to racism laws from the 1960s, but says hatred rose or fell when society itself forcefully treated such ideas as beyond its values.