The force is trying to ban a pro-Palestine previously agreed demo from protesting at the BBC in London because, they say, there are two synagogues in the general area, and Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath. The synagogues are not actually on the route, so given the number of synagogues in central London, this decision would mean no Palestine demonstrations in the West End.
Never mind that the Palestine movement has used this exact route twice before with police permission in the last sixteen months and that there has not been one single report of intimidation from the synagogues. Never mind that the police themselves have repeatedly commented on the trouble-free nature of the Palestine demonstrations.
The police’s argument, if that’s not too strong a word, is that what they call the ‘Jewish community’ (a category that excludes the huge number of Jews who oppose genocide) feels ‘harassed’ by the demonstrations.
Now if this claim had a real basis, it would be a matter of serious concern. But in fact, the word ‘harassed’ is doing rather too much work here.
The definition of harassment is to ‘subject someone to aggressive pressure or intimidation’. The synagogues are at least a block away from where any demonstrators form up. When challenged, the police admit they have no knowledge of any acts of intimidation, obstruction, aggression, violence or threats of violence to Jewish people associated with the pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
When pressed they claim the nature of the harassment is ‘being within ear shot of demonstrators’ chants.’ In any sensible world being in the general vicinity of people you disagree with does not qualify as harassment.
There are serious and passionately held disagreements. Epraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, who has been leading the calls for the banning of the demonstrations, openly celebrates the horrific and criminal behaviour of the Israeli military in Gaza, saying that they are ‘the most outstanding possible thing that a decent responsible country can do’.
Looking at the polls it seems clear most people in Britain disagree with him. Certainly, all those demonstrating for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide would deplore such sentiments. Such is politics in these tense times. But why is this a police matter?
When asked why they have changed their policy and banned a demonstration on a route previously green lighted, the police have cited clauses in the Equality Act about freedom of worship and claimed that the ‘cumulative effect’ of these protests is having an unacceptable impact on the Jewish community
It shows an almost surreal lack of sensitivity on the police’s part to use ‘cumulative impact on communities’ to ban Palestinians and their supporters from demonstrating, given what is happening in Gaza.
But, leaving that aside, what exactly is the cumulative impact? The last time the movement assembled at the BBC was nearly a year ago. Given that the demonstrations do not obstruct anyone from getting to the synagogues, is it too much to ask that supporters of the Palestinians should be able to protest twice in a year at the BBC on a Saturday, the only suitable day for mass marches, at a time of genocide?
It is, after all, a widely held view that the BBC has been insufficiently critical in the face of the Israeli onslaught. Indeed, as Owen Jones has just shown, BBC editorial policy on Gaza is partly being determined by someone with clear sympathies with Israel, who was ‘absolutely thrilled’ to find that he had previously been working for an outfit run by the CIA. In a country that prides itself on its traditional right to protest, shouldn’t people be able to express concern about the public service broadcaster collectively?
If the ‘cumulative effect’ argument doesn’t stand up, the conclusion must be that what has really changed is the level of political pressure on the police to get tough with the pro-Palestine movement. The police indeed have conceded to the demonstration organisers that they have been heavily pressured, including having received submissions from the BBC. In the run up to this decision, there have not just been public calls for the first time from the Chief Rabbi to ban the demonstrations, but questions raised in the Greater London Assembly, and an open letter from MPs and peers to the police calling for bans. It seems almost certain that this sudden and aggressive change of line from the police comes from the government.
What is happening in other words, in the name of the Equality Act, is that false claims about threats to freedom of worship are being used to try and marginalise a movement that opposes not Jewish people – there are hundreds of Jewish people on all the demonstrations – but the British establishment’s policy of backing Israel during a genocide.
We shouldn’t underestimate how serious this is. Reducing strongly held political disagreement to imagined inter-community tensions is the last thing any responsible person should be doing in the current political climate. And everyone who values freedom of speech should be worried that the police are intervening in a public political argument on the side of the government.
Organisers have been sent formal notice by the police that they risk arrest if they encourage people to demonstrate. What is being contemplated here is a situation in which the police will be shielding the BBC with physical force and arrests from demonstrators who represent majority opinion in Britain in marching for peace in the Middle East.
Encouragingly, there has been a huge outpouring of protest at the police’s decision. 39 parliamentarians have already condemned the police’s move as has Amnesty International UK, Liberty, War on Want, the leaders of thirteen national trade unions and over a hundred more prominent people from actor Mark Rylance to singer Charlotte Church, Michael Mansfield QC, comedian Alexei Sayle and internationally famous Palestinian novelist Susan Abulawa.
The Palestine movement will be marching on 18 January. Support for our stand is growing. We urge everyone who believes in the freedom to protest to lobby your local MP, complain to the police and the BBC and to join us in the streets next Saturday. #WeWillMarch
Source: Stop the War