Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord George Carey. Photo: YouTube screenshot.

In an interview on International Holocaust Memorial Day, a former archbishop of Canterbury lamented a “deplorable” rise of antisemitism in Britain in recent years.

Lord George Carey told i24 News that the matter was a particular problem in the Labour Party, which has been roiled by a number of antisemitism scandals since far-left MP Jeremy Corbyn became its leader in 2015.

“The weakness of his statements can give the impression that he is, deep down, someone who doesn’t like Jewish people,” Carey said of Corbyn. “I hope he might say that’s not the case. But I fear he’s not giving clear leadership to his own party in condemning, from within his own ranks, people who speak out against Jewish people.”

Asked about the role of the media and the Church in fostering anti-Israel sentiment, Carey noted, “Christians are to blame as well. I think of Israel as a wonderful, sophisticated, democratic society surrounded by undemocratic nations. We must support one another.”

“I think we need to do more is to educate Christians who go on these pilgrimages [to Israel and the West Bank] to see this is not the total story,” he added.

“What they don’t realize is what is happening to Jewish communities in their own land who are sidelined and, in a way, persecuted by Palestinians,” he stated. “So we’ve got to get a much more balanced view of what’s going on.”

“We can do far more,” said Carey. “And we ought to be in the forefront whenever there’s a deed done against Jewish people. … We ought to be there with our Jewish friends side-by-side with them.”

Asked whether he himself had been the object of abuse or criticism because of his stance on antisemitism, Carey pointed out, “It’s not going to cost my life. It’s not going to cost my future. And this is what Jews fear. The persecution and indirect persecution. It could cost them their jobs, the welfare of their children.”

“Think of Jewish children walking to school with armed guards, guards outside synagogues,” he said. “In an advanced civilization such as ours, this is quite deplorable.”

Watch the full interview below: