A woman has expressed anger over her claim that ‘antisemitic’ leaflets were being handed out in Reading town centre.
An elderly woman from Caversham has expressed shock after what she called ‘antisemitic propaganda’ was distributed in Broad Street a few weeks ago.
The incident was reported to Reading Borough Council.
She said: “It was in our town centre, outside M&S, they were preaching antisemitism.
“It was awful, my Jewish friend walked off crying. They had leaflets and boards up on a table.
“Luckily, we haven’t seen them since, but it was so shocking, I’ve been to Belsen and Dachau concentration camps, it was awful to see it. It broke my heart.
“They had quite a large table – I’m a Christian, as soon as I started reading, all they needed to do was put ‘Juden’ and a rat under it to cap what they were saying off.
“The [Holocaust] burial chambers were bigger than the town centre, it was appalling to see it in a Christian country, you can’t do that.
“We were so shocked. The council told us that sometimes these people have tables but are deceptive about what material they distribute.”
The woman subsequently reported the incident that occurred on Saturday, November 22.
She said: “I was told the council does not do 1-to-1s, it’s a joke.
“Too many people let things slide, whatever religion you are, you don’t try to stir up hate against a race, it’s wrong. An awful lot of people were distressed; English people don’t complain.
“But it’s a criminal offence to preach anti-semitism. We were so shocked, my Jewish friend burst into tears.
“Everyone knows how it started in 1939 to 1942, this is how it started.”
She went on to complain about the regular Palestine demonstrations in London, which are supported by the activist group Defend Our Juries.
The woman said: “What they do in London is horrific, I wouldn’t like to see it in Reading. My friend was distraught. It shouldn’t be allowed.
“They were all White people; obviously, they are against Jewish friends.
“There is nothing in the Torah that says to kill people, we all know how it ended last time.
“It’s preaching hate, that’s what they were doing.
“Preaching against the Jewish people is wrong morally and ethically, darling. That is inciting hate.”
Stirring hate through the distribution of material is an offence under the Public Order Act 1986 and the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006.
Those found guilty of the offence at court can be sentenced with community orders, fines, or imprisonment from six months to seven years.
Following an investigation, a council spokesperson confirmed that the group’s presence was not authorised, but the material distributed did not reach the criminal threshold.
The spokesperson said: “Town centre stalls are available for legitimate charities and businesses; however, stalls are not booked through the council.
“We understand that the group in question’s presence on Broad Street was not authorised through that structure and after further investigation by our Community Safety team, the leaflets being distributed were not found to be inciting violence or promoting hate crime.
“The team have spoken to the resident about this, and we encourage anyone that observes hate crime or is a victim to report this directly to the Police to provide evidence.
“In a town as inclusive, diverse and multicultural as Reading, the council takes hate crime very seriously and will work with our partners to ensure that it is addressed robustly at all times. When evidence of such behaviour is provided to us directly, we follow our hate crime procedure and alert our Thames Valley Policing partners to monitor activity and take action where necessary.”
