The UK government will take “urgent action to tackle antisemitism and ensure all communities feel safe,” King Charles III pledged during the King’s Speech on Wednesday.
The King’s Speech is the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament in the UK, where the monarch reads a speech written by the government, outlining its legislative agenda for the upcoming session.
During Wednesday’s speech, King Charles presented 37 upcoming bills, including the following: the Tackling State Threats Bill, new legislation to tackle the growing threat from foreign state entities and their proxies, including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC); the National Security Bill, which will aim to protect British people from extreme violence, criminalize the creation and sharing of the most harmful online material, and add “polygraph testing as an available license condition for state threat offenders”; and the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which sets out to improve the country’s defenses against cybersecurity threats.
King Charles also said his ministers will “continue to promote long-term peace in the Middle East and the two-state solution in Israel and Palestine.”
However, it must be noted that not all the bills in the King’s Speech will pass through the UK Parliament.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Jewish Leadership Council said, “As we move into this new legislative session, these words must be backed up by action.”
The JLC welcomed the Tackling State Threats Bill but says it awaits the details of the legislation, hoping it will be “robust enough” to tackle the threat Iran poses on UK soil.
Adrian Cohen, the acting president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said that the King’s Speech “reflects the ongoing seriousness and urgency of the situation,” but said the BOD will continue to push for “swift and decisive government action on all these priorities.”
A 'clear, forceful King's Speech'
The American Jewish Committee commended King Charles for delivering a “clear, forceful King’s Speech that highlights the urgent need to confront rising antisemitism in the UK and strengthen protections for British Jewish communities.”
It also welcomed the introduction of legislation to address threats from foreign state entities, but said it expects these powers to be “enacted without delay.”
“British Jews must be able to live full, open lives in safety and security, without fear,” it added.
On Thursday, King Charles made an unannounced visit to Golders Green to show support for Britain’s Jewish communities. Golders Green is home to a sizable Jewish population and has borne the brunt of the recent spate of antisemitic incidents across London.
Last month, two Jewish men were stabbed in the area in an attack being treated by police as terrorism. In other incidents in Golders Green, four Jewish community ambulances were torched, and a memorial wall was targeted.
During his Thursday trip, King Charles met the two stabbing victims at a Jewish Care charity center, as well as other religious and civic leaders.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for coming today to Golders Green to bring comfort and encouragement to our Jewish community!” Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said on X/Twitter.
The visit was the king’s latest demonstration of backing for the Jewish community, after he visited a synagogue in Manchester following an attack last year that left two worshipers dead, and agreed in March to become the patron of the Community Security Trust.