Antisemitism must be challenged on all sides | Letters

Readers respond to George Monbiot’s article about the uneven treatment of antisemitism in the media, and a report published in the wake of a rally against antisemitism in London on 10 May George Monbiot is right to challenge hypocrisy in the media’s treatment of antisemitism (No one should get a free pass on antisemitism – so why does the right?, 14 May). If antisemitic imagery or rhetoric appears in rightwing newspapers or political movements, it should be confronted with the same urgency applied elsewhere. But there is also a danger in allowing legitimate criticism of selective media narratives to slide into minimising antisemitism itself. Antisemitism is real, ugly and historically persistent. Recent attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions and individuals across Europe cannot simply be dismissed as inventions of the press or the political class. At the same time, many people are becoming uneasy with the way that accusations of antisemitism are sometimes deployed within political discourse, particularly around criticism of Israel and Gaza. When media organisations appear highly selective about where outrage is directed, public trust erodes. People begin to suspect that antisem