Medieval hate and Holocaust slurs on display at rally for Palestinians
THOUSANDS OF people took to the streets of central London on Saturday to protest against Israel’s defensive operation against terrorists in Gaza.
Slogans on display at the rally included the words: “Israel the new Nazi state,” “One Holocaust does not justify another” and “Netanyahu surpasses Hitler in barbarism”.
One demonstrator even held up a placard with a picture of Jesus nailed to the cross, accompanied by the words: “Do not let them do the same thing today again”.
During the protest, Israeli flags were set alight, and calls were made to boycott Marks & Spencer, which was labelled the “Israeli embassy on the high street”.
According to organisers, an estimated 180,000 people attended the rally, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.
Addressing the crowd, Mr McDonnell said that though the conflict was over, there would be no ceasefire “in our campaign to boycott, disinvest and sanction the Israeli apartheid state”.
Tariq Ali, a veteran left-wing activist and friend of Mr Corbyn, told the crowd: “They talk a lot about saying all those marching for Palestine are antisemites. This of course isn’t true. But I will tell you something they don’t like hearing. Every time they bomb Gaza, every time they attack Jerusalem – that is what creates antisemitism. Stop the occupation, stop the bombing and casual antisemitism will soon disappear.”
On social media, footage circulated of Jews being verbally harassed and threatened.
In one video, a man was captured marching down the street yelling: “We’ll find some Jews there. We want the Jews. We want the Zionists; we want their blood.”
A police officer who was filmed walking next to the man appeared to take no action.
On Hammersmith Road, pro-Palestine demonstrators threw objects at police and were captured on camera vandalising a car.
The distressing scenes came as the Community Security Trust (CST) reported a 500 per cent rise in antisemitic incidents since the outbreak of violence in Israel and Gaza.
Despite the announcement of a ceasefire on Friday, inflammatory remarks and displays of outright antisemitism have continued in protests across the UK.
A number of politicians publicly condemned the racism on display at Saturday’s rally.
The government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, Lord John Mann, told the Sunday Times: “The disgusting racist abuse against Jewish people on the streets of London requires an effective and strong response by all politicians and will be treated with contempt by all decent citizens.”
Labour MP for Barking, Dame Margaret Hodge, said that failure to distinguish between Jew hatred and the Palestinian-Israel conflict “is a cause of antisemitism that we have to call out and stop”.
Meanwhile, Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow, questioned why “deeply antisemitic slogans, language and imagery (are) being paraded in demonstrations without any objection from the police or governing authorities.”
The Metropolitan Police said that seven men were arrested at Saturday’s rally.
Three of the arrests were for violent disorder, two for going equipped to steal, one for a racially aggravated public order offence and another for a homophobic public order offence.
Following Saturday’s events, on Sunday the UK’s first major pro-Israel rally took place on Kensington High Street.
The demonstration was organised by the Zionist Federation and not even the heavy rain could stop about 1,500 Jews and other supporters of Israel from attending.
Speakers at the rally included Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, Board of Deputies President Marie van den Zyl, Conservative MP and former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers, and Bury
South MP Christian Wakeford.
Ms Hotovely told the crowds she had almost lost her voice because of the many media appearances where she has worked to defend Israel.
Sunday’s peaceful protest was, however, blighted by the appearance of far-right extremist Stephen YaxleyLennon,
or Tommy Robinson as he likes to be known.
Yaxley-Lennon, who has a history of purporting to support Israel, was never invited to join the demonstration and his attendance was swiftly condemned by both the organisers and community leadership bodies.
The CST said: “Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (‘Tommy Robinson’) is an extremist, and we utterly reject his message of hate and division. His so-called support for our community is not welcome or helpful.”
The Board tweeted that it “utterly rejects” the “bigotry” of Stephen YaxleyLennon and EDL supporters.