Anti-Semitism in politics
In February we reported that anti-Semitic hate crimes in the UK had hit a record high, prompting prayers for more visible and frequent prosecutions for such incidents. The Jewish community was targeted almost four times a day last year, which also saw the highest tally of incidents since data gathering began. Three-quarters of all anti-Semitic incidents were in London and Manchester, where most Jewish communities live. Hatred is rising, and Jewish people are suffering as a result. This should concern everybody because it shows anger and division, threatening all society. In 2015 the international community agreed on a definition of anti-Semitism. The UK’s Labour party has not signed up to it, saying its own code of conduct already covers the definition. On 23 July Labour MPs and peers backed the international definition. Jeremy Corbyn disagrees.
Greece: wildfire toll rising
Gale-force winds tore through seaside communities close to Athens, fanning the flames which have left a trail of death and destruction. Coastguards saved 700+ people who fled to the sea during the night of 23/24 July. The region is popular with tourists, particularly pensioners and children at holiday camps. By 26 July the death toll from Greece’s forest fires had reached 83, expected to rise as rescuers search the disaster zone where dozens are still missing. ‘We all have pain’, sighed 67-year-old Maria who had lost her six-month-old grandson, two cousins, their children and all of her worldly possessions. Her daughter Margarita is fighting for her life. ‘My grandson hadn’t even been baptised. He died in Margarita’s arms, and now she is in intensive care.’ ‘God doesn’t give us the words to describe such things’, said one woman who survived the disaster because she was visiting doctors in Athens with her husband.
The European tour
Jeremy Hunt began his European tour in Berlin as he and Theresa May started a summer plan to visit all 27 EU capitals. The new Foreign Secretary previewed his trip by warning, ‘Our European partners must show much more flexibility and creativity in negotiations if we are to avoid a no-deal by accident scenario’. The PM visited Austria, the Czech Republic and Estonia this week to sell the Chequers plan. The Financial Times reported Barnier telling colleagues that he couldn’t accept the plans for City of London access to European markets. He claimed that the proposals would rob the EU of its ‘decision-making autonomy’. Talks on the future UK-EU partnership deal will be fraught. Pray for new networks of trade and financial services to open up in London, as the City prepares for positive changes.
Laos: dam collapse forces thousands to flee
On 23 July a fault in the structure of a dam in Laos was discovered and alerts went out to evacuate villages downstream as repairs were started, but the dam’s walls broke. Residents took to rooftops and treetops to escape the floodwaters, in a region so remote that it is difficult to get supplies and emergency assistance to them. By 26 July at least 26 people had drowned, 3,000 people still needed rescuing, and 6,000+ were displaced. Pray for the local authorities and army rescue teams trying to save the stranded from water that reached a height of 11.5 metres. Entire homes are underwater. Laos is a notoriously secretive Communist state, and information about the extent of the devastation is only trickling out. Pray for the displaced people coming to terms with the realisation that homes and possessions are washed away or destroyed in a man-made disaster.
