In solidarity with Palestine and against racism and fascism

In the Jewish Socialists’ Group, we are horrified by the terrible injuries inflicted on two Jewish men in Golders Green and, earlier the same day, on a Muslim man in Southwark. We are also deeply worried by the way the narrative has been seized by hard right and far right elements within and beyond the Jewish community. They are using these attacks on Jews to smear Palestinians and their supporters, and to silence left-wing and progressive Jews who insist that antisemitism can only be fought alongside and in solidarity with other groups who are targeted by racists.

The coalition of groups organising the Nakba Day protest on 16th May against both the genocide in Palestine and the mobilisation by Tommy Robinson’s fascist and far right backers and supporters, have issued an important statement.

Statement by the Palestine Coalition and Stand Up to Racism

The right to protest is a fundamental freedom

In the wake of the horrific antisemitic attack in Golders Green, politicians and the media have rushed to falsely characterise the marches for Palestine and to call for them to be suspended. These calls dangerously conflate Jewish people with the state of Israel and peaceful political protest with unconnected violent acts. We utterly reject both.

On Saturday 16 May we will march in London for the annual commemoration of the Nakba – the catastrophe inflicted on the Palestinians by Israel since 1948. We will march in opposition to the British government’s complicity in Israel’s well-documented ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide.

This year, we will also march against Tommy Robinson and his far-right supporters mobilising on the same day. The organisers of the demonstration are fascists, racists, and Islamophobes who have espoused the antisemitic great replacement theory.

As always, our march will involve thousands of Jewish people – many of them proudly displaying their Jewish identity – as part of the Jewish Bloc, as organisers and platform speakers. By bringing together people from all backgrounds and walks of life, we will reaffirm opposition to all forms of racism including anti-Palestinian racism, antisemitic, and Islamophobia.

The right to protest is a fundamental democratic freedom that must be protected. We call on all those who believe in the universal principles of freedom, justice, and equality to join us at 12 noon on Exhibition Road on Saturday 16 May.

Nakba78      March for Palestine      United Against Tommy Robinson

We agree with this statement.

The route booked by the Palestine Coalition several months ago would have ended in the central political space from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square. The government, via the police, have now handed that space over to the far right for a racist and fascist rally and are attempting to marginalise and confine the Palestine protest. The government’s actions are not only denying and diminishing the Nakba and curtailing the space for protest about Palestine; they are siding with Tommy Robinson, whose movement is a threat to all minorities and to our whole society.

As Jewish leftists we must stand equally firmly in solidarity with the Palestinians’ struggle for justice and against our government’s brazen collusion with racists and fascists.

The Jewish Bloc, including the Jewish Socialists’ Group [and Jewish Voice for Liberation – ed], will be there and strongly encourages Jewish people to stand up against rising racism and fascism in this country, in Palestine/Israel and across the world.

The meeting point for the Jewish Bloc is 12 noon at: Dyson School of Design Engineering Imperial College Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2DB.

Details will be in the events section of this website and on our social media.