[ken5050]

The British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosely, were very popular in Britain right up to the outbreak of war..Anti-semitism runs deep in the British ethos

[agere_contra]

Anti-semitism runs deep in the British ethos

Sorry, that is nonsense. Anti-semitism runs deeply in the British left wing - and therefore among a certain class of academics and unions. You will also notice this in the American left, the Canadian left and the French left.

Making sweeping generalisations about entire nations from the behaviour of their left-wing seems to be a hallmark of Freepers. With respect, please don't do this.

[Sherman Logan]

A certain type of rather mild anti-semitism is indeed traditional in Britain, as John Derbyshire has discussed often in his columns.

But then the British traditionally didn’t like anybody outside Britain, the various British nationalities (English, Scots, etc.) didn’t like each other, those from one part of England disdained those from other areas, etc. Anti-semitism may thus have been largely just another variety of anti-foreignerism.

Certainly Britain has been more pro-semitic in its actions over the past 300 years than any other European nation, except perhaps the Netherlands. (OTOH, the Netherlands behaved abominably in this regard during WWII).

[Gideon T. Reader]

One can look further than that; with a view towards the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of York in 1190.
An uncle whose Hegira from the Pale of Settlement to the United States of America, was in the early 1880’s, broken by a short and very unpleasant stop in England, which was highlighted with a severe beating, the cutting of his beard, theft of most of his personal possessions, and all of his funds that were to be used in his new land; used to sing, in Yiddish, a ditty about a transient Jew, who stops in England and who was treated exactly as he was.
The translation is approximately:
"I sit a day in London.
I don't speak English well.
Comes to me some Englishmen,
and says,...
Give me the time(your watch)or a fight.
I smile and he hits me in the face,
I cry boat where you?
Take me to America!"

In later days, he was successful in America as a middle class cloth and fabric shopkeeper, would always refer to the English as “Anti-semitten” (anti-semites), and refuse to sell or stock English products, fingering the scars in his eyebrows. The engraved reminder of his day in London.