Strictly Orthodox parents may decide to send their children to be educated in Belgium or the United States if the Schools Bill becomes law, a protester told the JC.

In the latest in a series of Westminster protests, members of the Charedi community took to the streets outside parliament over fears that their ability to teach their children as they choose would be so badly eroded that they would be forced to leave the UK.

Hundreds of Charedi rabbis, men and boys protested on Thursday afternoon, labelling the proposed legislation "antisemitic", and accused the government of becoming a "totalitarian regime".

Rabbi Asher Gratt, who organised yesterday's protest, told the JC: "My father fought in World War Two for the British army. He risked his life. He always said 'I'm fighting to deliver a free country'. This is not what he risked his life for."

He went on to claim that government's own impact assessments for the Bill shows that its passage could see Strictly Orthodox people leaving the UK, and said that it is an "expulsion order".

IMG 0859

Over 200 protesters gathered on Parliament Square to demonstrate their opposition to the Schools Bill (Photo: Ben Bloch / Jewish Chronicle)

"This is a struggle for our existence and we will carry on this fight to the bitter end," he declared.

He added that the community has retained a "top legal team" to fight their case, and accused the government of ignoring their letters and concerns.

"We see it as disrespect for a minority population who have put forward so much effort to write to them, and to deliver petitions and so forth. And all we got was generic responses, meaningless."

The law, which is currently waiting to be debated in the third reading in the House of Lords, attempts to regulate education in England and seeks to standardise the quality of education to ensure that fringe groups do not get left behind.

Charedi communities claim the bill would infringe upon their democratic right to choose the best education for their children.

Up to 1,500 boys from the age of 13 to 16 are currently thought to be educated in unregistered yeshivot in Stamford Hill alone. The Bill is designed to treat such institutions as independent schools, which would compel them to teach some secular subjects as well as comply with requirements for relationships and sex education. They would also be subject to inspections from Ofsted.

IMG 0862

Rabbis, men and boys gathered in front of the Houses of Parliament on Thursday (Photo: Ben Bloch / Jewish Chronicle)

This is the latest in a number of protests in recent months, including one in July that saw accuse demonstrators claim the Government’s plan was a “spiritual Holocaust” which would “tear apart” their rights. They also controversial yellow stars to drive home their message.

Rabbi Sofer defended the use of the Holocaust-era yellow stars, saying: “This is an anti-religious law suppressing Jewish freedom of religion.

“Nazi Germany wanted to destroy the Jewish body. The British government wants to destroy Jewish souls.”

The protest on Thursday started in Parliament Square and saw three coaches deliver around 200 protesters to the heart of London to "plead" for the Schools Bill to be scrapped.

They held signs that called the Bill "antisemitic", that demanded the right to teach their children as they chose, and labelled the government efforts "state indoctrination".

After protesting on Parliament Square, the group then marched to the Department for Education (DfE) at 3pm, located around the corner from Westminster Abbey, where a loudspeaker repeated at full volume: "Part four of the proposed Schools Bill is fuelled by intentional antisemitism."

The protesters are now gathered outside the Department for Education. They have a VERY loud speaker system, and they have pre-recorded a line that repeats: “Part 4 of the proposed Schools Bill is fuelled by intentional antisemitism”. pic.twitter.com/SX9pI0hHvH

— Ben Bloch (@realBenBloch) October 13, 2022

One protester was adamant that Strictly Orthodox Jews would either leave the UK entirely if the Bill became law, or they would be forced to send their children abroad to Belgium or the US to be educated. He also argued that religious schools would be pushed underground, potentially risking abuse and other mistreatment of children to go completely undetected.

Rabbi Gratt said that the community was ready for a long fight "until the bitter end". They have hired a legal team and intend to use any and all measures at their disposal to fight the legislation that could indeed see the Charedi community leave the UK.

In a press release that was handed out to passers-by and given to the DfE reception, the protesters called the Bill "a violation of our religious freedom and a curtailment of our rights to continue living in England as religious people".

IMG 0886

Protesters marched from Parliament Square to the Department for Education, round the corner from Westminster Abbey (Photo: Ben Bloch / Jewish Chronicle)

It claims that the bill "is intended to discriminate [against] Strictly Orthodox Jewish parents" by forcing them to teach "beliefs, lifestyles and behaviour that are outlawed by the Bible and contradict our own ambitions and way of life".

It goes on to allege that the Bill's "true intention" is to "weaken our community", which is why they argue that the Bill is antisemitic.

The release says that Charedi schools have not had issues with abuse, bullying, or "other social evils".

However, that claim has been contradicted by former members of the community who have alleged bullying and physical abuse. When asked about those allegations, a protester invited those who have made them to discuss the issue with them so it can be addressed.

IMG 0915

The protest ended in front of the Department for Education (Photo: Ben Bloch / Jewish Chronicle)

The release also claims that the Bill is the act of a "totalitarian regime" that aims to "indoctrinate" their children, and calls on the new prime minister Liz Truss to carry out her pledge to be "a listening government" and allow the community to continue living in the UK "without restrictions and obstacles".

Rabbi Gratt said: "We believe that God is not going to sit by idly watching how his children are being intimidated by a department who is driven by an antisemitic agenda against against religion."

The Schools Bill is currently going through the final stage in the House of Lords before it will then be examined by the House of Commons, with a further six stages required before it could receive Royal Assent and become law.

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.