Holocaust shrine hidden from protesters
Hyde Park memorial obscured by blue tarpaulin as pro-Palestine activists march in central London
THE Holocaust Memorial in Hyde Park had to be covered and guarded on Saturday as thousands of pro-Palestine protesters marched through central London.
The monument – the first public memorial to the atrocity in the UK – was obscured by a blue tarpaulin, with a police car stationed nearby.
Lord Mann, the government adviser on anti-Semitism, described the precautionary measure as “sad but necessary to avoid further offence to the Jewish community”.
It came as central London was once again dominated by a demonstration organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, with police under heightened scrutiny for their response following a controversy earlier in the month when a man described by an officer as “openly Jewish” was threatened with arrest.
Demonstrators waved anti-Semitic slogans, including one accusing the Israeli army of stealing organs from Palestinians, and accusing Zionists of controlling the UK Government and media.
One young female demonstrator was seen carrying a sign defending Sir Mark Rowley, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. The sign read: “Thank you Rowley for standing up to scum politicians being blackmailed by Jeffrey Epstein Mossad Pedo Ring! Protect Mark Rowley.”
The thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators were met by a counter-protest near Piccadilly in central London organised by the Enough is Enough group, which is critical of the Met’s approach.
Two men from the main demonstration were arrested.
One man was detained in Parliament Square with a placard bearing a swastika, police said.
The second was arrested as he passed the counter-demonstration for shouting a “racist remark towards those in the Enough is Enough protest”, according to the Met. A pro-Israel protester said that she was told to “go back to Poland” by the masked protester, who was wearing a kaffiyeh and a Palestinian flag, before his arrest.
Rev Hayley Ace, 43, who is not Jewish, said she was targeted because she was wearing a baseball cap that featured the Star of David.
“The man must think I am Jewish because of my hat. We all know Poland is a particularly evil reference because of the Holocaust. Comments like those that I received are common on these marches. How can anyone pretend they are peaceful?”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We are told by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign that these are peaceful marches where Jews are given a warm welcome, but the reality is that these marches are rife with hatred, exactly as we keep saying.”
He added: “Instead of being effectively policed, much of the incitement and hatred is given a free pass by the Met.”
The chant ”from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” could be heard across Parliament Square and into Hyde Park. Critics have frequently interpreted the controversial slogan as calling for the eradication of the state of Israel, although others defend it as a rallying cry for Palestinian rights.
Placards being held by protesters contained anti-Semitic tropes, such as: “Wake up, our media, TV, radio and government are controlled by Zionists.”
Numerous police wearing riot gear were standing ready nearby.
Mark Bibeck, a pro-Israel demonstrator, was removed by police from the march because he was carrying a sign saying “Hamas are terrorists”.
A senior Metropolitan Police commander said the impact of nearly seven months of protest had been “felt widely”.
Lord Mann said he had advised police and the parks authority that the Holocaust Memorial be protected.
He said: “We could take the risk that it would get defaced with the likes of placards and cause additional offence to the Jewish and other communities. It would have been nice if the organisers [of the rally] stopped to pay their own respects at the memorial.”
A Royal Parks spokesman said: “The Holocaust Memorial is routinely covered with tarpaulin during various events as a precautionary measure.”
‘It would have been nice if the organisers of the rally stopped to pay their own respects to the memorial’