Nearly each week for the reason that Israel-Hamas conflict started there was a pro-Palestine protest by central London. Final weekend, that motion reached its peak when over 300,000 folks marched from Hyde Park to Vauxhall.
Whereas this was ostensibly a peaceable protest, the influence of those marches has had a big influence on the Jewish neighborhood who really feel extra afraid to exit due to the conflict.
This has been mirrored in hate crime statistics which have seen antisemitic hate crimes rise by over 1,000 p.c for the reason that battle started and left many feeling unable to protest safely.
This might all change on November 26 when a solidarity march in opposition to antisemitism makes its method by the capital. Forward of this, I joined one of many organisers behind this march, Marketing campaign In opposition to Antisemitism, on one in every of their counter-protests on Wednesday evening.
The counter-protest concerned driving round a fan lined in LED screens exhibiting photos of the kids kidnapped by terrorist group Hamas.
The final time the CAA tried this, they had been stopped by the Metropolitan Police and protesters who had been sad about their demonstration. Quick ahead three weeks and the charity has bought a brand new van and I joined them on its first outing.
The situation was Parliament Sq., the place a pro-Palestine protest calling for a ceasefire was being held with a couple of thousand folks.
On the way in which to the protest, I used to be somewhat nervous as a result of whereas I used to be there to cowl the occasion, there was however a component of hazard from doubtlessly rogue protesters. Consequently, it elevated my admiration for the 2 folks from the CAA who sat on both aspect of me.
On the sluggish method to Parliament Sq., the van went quiet and we noticed one other screened van additionally doing laps close to the protest calling for a ceasefire.
As soon as the van I used to be in moved into the world there was a shocking stage of calm because the we swung previous the 1000’s of individuals gathered exterior Parliament who didn’t discover the photographs at first.
Little question they’d have completed had a second cross, however this was sabotaged by two protesters blocking the street chanting ‘From the river to the ocean chant’, a phrase sung by so many who most likely don’t know its true which means; for the Jewish neighborhood, it’s an antisemitic slogan.
And this is likely one of the most harmful issues concerning the stake of ignorance being pushed by London and the remainder of the UK for the time being, that individuals are chanting slogans they don’t absolutely perceive.
This isn’t to say not one of the 1000’s of people that have marched know what it means, however loads I’m positive don’t realise that that slogan is anti-semitic.
What’s extra, I fear that some individuals are becoming a member of in these protests not as a result of they really help Palestine however as a result of this protest is the flavour of the month, it’s an expertise, a box-ticking train.
This brings us, inevitably, to the query of free speech as a result of whereas I’m sceptical of the motives of some alleged pro-Palestine protesters, I don’t imagine for a second that these marches needs to be banned.
The push for his or her cancellation is indicative of one other stake of ignorance being pushed by free speech, one the place the acute proper and excessive left have entrenched themselves.
The correct typically defines free speech as being about saying what you want no matter whether or not it offends or not while the left typically cancels sure phrases and vice versa. Not too long ago Michael Gove introduced a change to the definition of extremism that Libert mentioned would “suppress freedom of expression”.
The reality is that free speech is a nuanced balancing act, it isn’t one factor or the opposite and I believe we have forgotten that. It’s the potential to say what you want ‘BUT’. It’s the means of enthusiastic about what you’re saying and contemplating whether or not it’s offensive and due to this fact whether or not you need to say it and whether or not you actually perceive what it truly means.
What’s extra, the factor about free speech is that it’s altering as society adjustments; phrases that had been offensive as soon as aren’t anymore and vice versa as a result of societal dialogue adjustments by knowledgeable dialogue relatively than simply yelling.
I imagine that in some instances, you don’t must shout as a result of the viewers can hear you. What being inside a counter-protest has jogged my memory is that there’s a lot of shouting, however not sufficient listening, and we have to do extra listening if we’re to cease the rise of hate working uncontrolled.