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Who do you stand with – the Rabbi or ‘the rabble’?

Policing of the latest rally for Palestine in London on Saturday was an ominous sign of authoritarianism. The scenes reminded me of the government’s clampdown on protests against the Covid-19 regime: unnecessary police lines causing aggravation, TSG vans and squads in full riot gear, and a quota of arrests for media messaging. 

Why the change in tactics? The massive marches have remained peaceful, despite the worsening carnage in Gaza and further Israeli violations in Lebanon and Syria, with complicity of the British government. 

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign was told in advance by the Metropolitan Police that they could not start the march outside the BBC. The reason was that a Rabbi had raised concern about the proximity of the march to his synagogue, on a nearby street. Having attended two of these rallies previously, I know that the marchers have no interest in targeting any Jewish sites, and few would be aware of this or any other synagogue in central London.   

This was a worrying development for the organisers. Saturday is the Jewish day of worship, and as several politicians and commentators have called for a ban on the Palestine marches, this could be their justification. A friend of mine, who has attended every rally since the event of 7th October 2023, never seeing any trouble caused by the huge crowds, wrote to the local MP seeking an early day motion. 

In his reply, Kieran Mullin (Conservative, Bexhill & Battle) stated that ‘people have the right to protest; however, no one has the right to intimidate or harass other citizens, including the Jewish community’. He quoted from the Community Security Trust, a body given substantial public funding to suppress criticism of Israel and Zionists. According to the CST it was ‘highly irresponsible and provocative’ of the rally organisers to march near a synagogue. You can see where this is going. Mullin agreed with the Met Police decision and rejected his constituent’s plea. 

The rally was restricted to a gathering at Whitehall. On a bitterly cold day, people wanted to keep moving, but heavy-handed police ensured that they did not march in any direction. The swell of bodies inevitably led to pushing and shoving, as officers held the line. Seventy-seven arrests were made, including a group led by Piers Corbyn who defied the conditions imposed on the march.  I wonder whether Corbyn, who is due in court this week on a public order charge, will get off as lightly as he did for his Covid-19 transgressions. You know who is really in power by who you are allowed to criticise…

Jeremy Corbyn, and John McDonnell, his right-hand man from his time as Labour leader, were also interviewed by police under caution.  Clearly the establishment is flexing its muscles to protect Israel from legitimate protests against its murderous activities. 

Although I agree with the cause of the rallies, I do not attend any more. I feel that the impact is limited, perhaps deliberately, by groups that I suspect are controlled opposition. The Stop the War Coalition banishes George Galloway from its platform, denying a voice to one of the greatest orators in British politics and an unquestionable devotee to the Palestinian cause. Prominent at the rallies is the Socialist Workers Party, which somehow funds thousands of printed placards bearing its name, while linking the plight of Gaza to anti-capitalism. Read between the lines of its newspaper, also distributed freely, and you will find that the SWP is as concerned about anti-Semitism as Palestinians.  

The rally-goers are diverse, but I cannot avoid the impression that many of them would have supported internment of people who refused the Covid-19 vaccines or have those voicing politically-incorrect opinions on immigration or gender ideology clapped in irons for ‘hate crime’. But most irritating for me was the repetitive and pathetic chanting of ‘ceasefire now’.  This is not a war but a holocaust – and the SWP and Stop the War Coalition are moderating the message. 

The pro-Israel Right, meanwhile, continually smears the marchers as ‘terrorist supporters’. Mahyar Tousi, with his vast YouTube following, films the rallies, describing the small counter-protest wielding Israeli flags as ‘lovely people’ while the passing hordes ‘smell bad’. We can ignore such puerile remarks on people who give up their Saturdays to protest against genocide  (as described by the United Nations), but the actions of the authorities are profoundly concerning. 

When you see the hands of Zionism on the reins of power, it is impossible to unsee them.  The Metropolitan Police, evidently, has close links to Israeli state security. The judiciary, as the Corbyn brothers will realise, has no sympathy for anyone deemed anti-Semitic. And with the new administration of Donald Trump promising harsh treatment of Palestine protestors, expect a purge of Stalinist severity. 

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