Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, spent almost £150,000 on a campaign to promote unity, only for the capital to see crime figures worsen and anti-Semitism rise.
Figures from the Labour Mayor’s General London Assembly (GLA) show an outlay of £148,973.42 on an advertising campaign using the slogans “London for everyone” and “We all make London”.
Responding to a Freedom of Information Request, the GLA said that, since July last year, the money had helped to support the Migrant Londoners Hub and “promote unity amongst communities and mutual respect for Londoners’ different backgrounds”.
The campaign is scheduled to run until early this year, with the total budget being £197,069.52. The GLA said it would help new and at-risk migrant communities, such as Ukrainians and Hong Kongers, and pay for materials such as posters on the TfL network.
In December, the Office for National Statistics published data showing that there had been a 15.1 percent increase in knife crime from 2022-2023.
Fears have also grown over anti-Semitism in the capital since Hamas’s attack on Israel last year and the war in Gaza.
Designed to provide support to communities
Gary Mond, the chairman of the National Jewish Assembly, said: “Whatever one’s politics, it is always important that, when government spends money, the gains for the local community are clear. There is no conceivable benefit here from this plan for Ukrainians or anyone else.
“Moreover, right now the Jewish community in London is facing anti-Semitism on an utterly unprecedented scale. It is that issue which should focus the attention of the Mayor of London and the GLA, as well as the more general topics of knife crime and other forms of violence, not a wishy-washy media campaign.”
A spokesman for the Mayor said: “In times marred by division and fear, the Mayor is committed to seeing Londoners respond with unity and hope. The ‘London for everyone’ campaign is designed to provide support to communities and was launched alongside investment from the Mayor to tackle hate crime, support victims and promote community cohesion.
“Sadiq is committed to being a Mayor for all Londoners and is working hard to build a better and fairer London for all.
“While the capital has felt the force of Government cuts and the cost of living crisis, the Mayor has invested record sums in the Met Police, started more new council homes for Londoners than any time since the 1970s, and delivered free school meals for state primary schoolchildren.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/01/13/london-knife-crime-anti-semitism-sadiq-khan-unity-campaign/
