A tale of two marches
JVL Introduction
Saturday’s march for Palestine was, yet again, an impressive event with a large, coherent Jewish Bloc participating.
The Jewish Bloc was prominent on the march and thre wre a number significant contributions from Jewish speakers on the platform.
But worryingly, the next day a large march against “antisemitism”, but really against Palestine solidarity, took place which we also report on.
We post below:
- A thought-provoking editorial in the Morning Star on the challenge this march poses for the left.
- A video of some of the speeches including contributions from Jenny Manson (Jewish Voice for Labour), Barnaby Raine (Black-Jewish Alliance) and Emily Stephenson (Na’amod).
- A further report in the Morning Star that makes it clear why pro-Palestinian Jews distanced themselves from the march against antisemitism (see also our earlier post here).
London’s march against anti-semitism poses difficult questions for the left
Editorial, Morning Star, 26 November
TODAY’S mass London demonstration against anti-semitism raises critical questions for the left.
It saw tens of thousands march in what has been called the biggest mobilisation of the Jewish community since the Battle of Cable Street in 1936.
Politically it looked nothing like that heroic chapter in the East End’s history. Cable Street was unambiguously of the left, organised by communist and socialist Jews. It was anti-Establishment, taking on a police-sanctioned march by Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts, and in defiance of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which advised Jewish people to stay at home.
That was obviously not the case today, on a march attended by Boris Johnson.
The charity that organised it, the Campaign Against Anti-semitism, rose to prominence as one of the most virulent opponents of Jeremy Corbyn’s socialist leadership of the Labour Party, and was criticised at the time for platforming racist voices so long as they were directed against him.
That said, the campaign clearly rejected race-baiting rabble-rouser Tommy Robinson’s attempt to associate himself with today’s demo.
And the numbers attending point to real concern among British Jews that anti-semitism is on the rise.
It is catastrophic for the left, which has always led the anti-racist struggle, if Jewish communities do not trust it to defend them against anti-semitism.
It opens up space for cynical Tories like Johnson to pose as opponents of anti-semitism to advance reactionary political agendas.
And it facilitates a very traditional divide-and-rule tactic turning minority communities against each other. Campaign Against Anti-semitism chief executive Gideon Falter must be accused of this for remarks which echo Suella Braverman’s efforts to smear Palestine solidarity demos as anti-semitic: “We have witnessed mass criminality, including glorification of terrorism, support for banned terrorist organisations such as Hamas…”
Britain is not alone in facing this dilemma. This month the French left was split on how to respond to a national demonstration called against anti-semitism by leading figures in the French state, in which the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen took part.
The French Communist Party marched, holding that opposition to anti-semitism was non-negotiable and should not be conceded to the right. Jean-Luc Melenchon’s France Unbowed did not, arguing that the demo was an attempt to conflate anti-semitism with opposition to Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza and whitewash the French government’s appalling record of Islamophobic racism. Both had a point.
We must reject any hierarchy of racisms. The oppressed and dispossessed deserve justice, and silence in order to avoid offence is cowardice. Attitudes like that of Margaret Hodge, who once claimed there was a “fine line” between support for Palestinian national rights and anti-semitism, are a dereliction of duty.
We should also oppose those smearing Muslims as anti-semitic, a tactic deployed by the right to justify racist immigration and policing policies in the name of opposition to racism.
But the left must also work to earn the confidence of Jewish communities that we will not tolerate any expression of anti-semitism.
That does not mean failing to challenge malicious accusations like so many levelled at Corbyn and his supporters.
It does mean calling out conspiracy theories, rejecting any conflation of Jewish people with the actions of the state of Israel, and confronting those who from ignorance or prejudice perpetuate tropes about Jews’ supposed financial or political influence.
It means rebuilding a mass anti-racist movement with prominent Jewish voices alongside those of black and other oppressed minorities. Jews have among the proudest histories of socialist internationalism.
Only if our anti-racism is comprehensive and consistent can we reclaim leadership of a struggle against anti-semitism that ruling-class and state actors misrepresent for their own ends. The profile of today’s march suggests this will not be easy, but it must be done.
Jewish voices will not be silenced on Palestine
Not the Andrew Marr Show, 25 November
Here are the notes for Jenny Manson’s speech to the demonstration
Saturday 25th November
I am Jewish – This is not a battle between Jews and Muslims or jews and Palestinians. A colleague who marched with the Jewish bloc wrote:
“As we stand in increasing numbers on the side of the road, and our placards make it very clear who we are, something magical happens. Other protesters start clapping and cheering as they walk by. Some stop and we chant together. A Muslim is leading our refrains.”
But the papers searched for evidence of so-called antisemitism.
For a long time we have pointed out the danger of conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and misusing Holocaust memory (Jewish academics have just sent an open letter about this ).
I fear this played out in how the US gave Israel carte blanche, to do what it wanted. In fact, however cruel the attack of civilians in Israel on 7th October was, Israel has to be judged on exactly the same terms as everyone else.
Professor Jacqueline Rose has written an article “You made me do it” and notes that blaming others comes from the nursery and the playground, it’s deep in our unconscious.
She quotes an Israeli writer:
Jewish collective memory has allowed the Jews to dispossess the Palestinian people by claiming: ‘I am a victim, and they are not.’ ‘If my only identity is that of the victim,’ she writes, ‘I may (or so it seems) commit any atrocity.
But something is changing.
Despite the targeted murders of journalists, pictures have come out of Gaza showing the results of the siege, the devastation and the merciless killings. Jewish and other activists are monitoring the violence on the West Bank.
Despite anger from Israeli spokespeople the media are covering the release of Palestinian prisoners held without trial and the findings from relief agencies as well at the hostage releases.
And here is David Cameron last night:
Israel “must act in a way that delivers its long-term security” and he said that would ultimately depend on “Palestinians living in peace and stability and security in this land at the same time”.
It must be made impossible for Israel to recommence bombing. We must demonstrate and lobby together and make links with our fellow demonstrators across the world.
Let me finish with two almost identical pleas from the Jewish Talmud and the Muslim Koran.
Hillel said:
“Whosoever destroys one soul, it is as though he had destroyed the entire world. And whosoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the entire world.” –– Sanhedrin 37a
This same teaching appears in the Quran:
“We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” –– Surah al Maida
Pro-Palestinian Jews distance themselves as tens of thousands join ‘march against anti-semitism’
Berny Torre, Morning Star, 26 November
Celebrities and politicians joined large crowds in the demonstration in London, including Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, former prime minister Boris Johnson, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick and Security Minister Tom Tugendhat.
English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, 40, was also present, though was arrested close to the Royal Courts of Justice and escorted away by police, with organisers having made clear in advance that he was not welcome.
Jews for Justice for Palestinians executive member Richard Kuper told the Morning Star: “We support those who will be attending out of a genuine concern for anti-semitism. But this march is not a march against anti-semitism.”
He said the charity that organised the march, Campaign Against Anti-semitism (CAA), “has unceasingly demonised the marches of protest against Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza.
“Its march today is in effect a march against Palestinian freedom, using Jewish safety as the pretext,” he added.
“Those who identify Israel’s war on Gaza as a war on behalf of Jews worldwide — and the leaders of British communal institutions often do just this: eliding the distinction between Jews and zionists — are guilty of encouraging the very elision they rightly deplore when Jews are attacked as responsible for Israel’s actions.”
Over 200,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched from Park Lane to Whitehall to demand a permanent truce in Gaza on Saturday.
CAA chief Gideon Falter claimed: “Week after week, central London has become a no-go zone for Jews,” though Jewish organisations have been prominent on the Palestine solidarity demos.
“This is why today’s march, drawing over 100,000 people in the largest gathering against anti-semitism since the Battle of Cable Street a lifetime ago in 1936, was so important.”
But Na’amod, a movement of British Jews against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, said it could not attend yesterday’s march “in good faith, because we know this march is not just about anti-semitism.
“It’s clear from the event description that CAA have organised this march in response to the huge weekly ceasefire demonstrations in London,” it said.
“There are many laudable, beautiful ways of showing solidarity with Jews facing anti-semitism. These do not include smearing those mobilising for a ceasefire and Palestinian freedom — Jewish and non-Jewish — as inherently anti-semitic.”
Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal added: “The truth is, it is a march against Palestinian rights and pro the maintenance of Israel’s system of apartheid.”
Naamod
Israeli flags and placards for Israel evident in the newspaper photographs of the Sunday march, so a contingent at least was intent on conflating antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli state. No doubt doi’kayt is antisemitic to these people. Also a letter to the i claimed that ALL Jews support the Israeli state. These people are confounding the issues.
Very useful commentaries, thank you. Note to JVL: how about using language that might be more widely understood. “eliding the distinction between Jews and zionists”, “Elision”?!! Wouldn’t, ‘equating Jews and Zionists’ and ‘equation’ have done? All best wishes.
Yesterday’s march against ‘antisemitism’ was nothing of the kind. The fact that it was organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which has redefined antisemitism as not being comfortable sitting down with supporters of Israel and not support Israel’s ‘right to self defence’ demonstrates that.
If the CAA and those organising the march were serious about fighting antisemitism they would ask why it is that Tommy Robinson and fellow fascists even wanted to come on such a march, as they did on the pro-Israel demonstration in May 2021. As it is the anti-Semitic Boris Johnson made up for them.
The Morning Star reports that the French Communist Party marched in a similar demonstration in France, ‘holding that opposition to anti-semitism was non-negotiable’. They are right. Opposition to antisemitism is non-negotiable however the march in question was not about antisemitism.
Jean-Luc Melenchon’s France Unbowed refusal to join the demonstration because it was ‘an attempt to conflate anti-semitism with opposition to Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza’ was absolutely correct
I applaud the Morning Star editorial.
If it is true , as the repulsive Rachel Riley claims, that Kurds, Iranians and Ukrainians were on the march against antisemitism — and I know that several (non-Jewish) feminists were also on that march, however mistaken I may think them — then we need to take stock. It is clearly not enough to have the right analysis and stay out of the way.
Even allowing for exaggeration, 50,000 marchers means 20% of the entire UK Jewish population. It has been wonderful that our Jewish Bloc has been recognised at last; far better articles are surfacing in the Guardian and other media… now that they’ve succeeded in getting rid of Corbyn of course, and destroying the political lives of many others!
Nonetheless, at the outside we might amount to 2,000 people or 1% of the Jewish community.
A long time ago the veteran activist Selma James said to me about the Million Man March, ‘It’s not the people leading that we need to are about, it’s the people following’.
Cheer up chaps! The march organised by the phoney charity Campaign Against Antisemitism and supported by the establishment and by most of the establishment biased mass media, was in tens of thousands, but the marches in support of the oppressed Palestinians have been in hundreds of thousands.
Great article in Saturday’s Guardian by Eva Wiseman:
“Jews like me, who are opposed to Israel’s policy and who condemn its war on Gaza, are complicit in antisemitism, they say, and therefore are unwelcome on the march. A march which aims to make Jews feel safe and heard and seen. Well, some Jews.”
The vast majority of Jews think antisemitism is on the rise and the vast majority of Jews and others were marching against antisemitism. Any suggestion otherwise is clearly to discredit those who support anti-racist activity in this country. Even if the march was organised to counter the weekly hate marches (and yes that is how most Jews view them) that’s a very good thing.
Is the meaning of antisemitism being stretched, to the point it no longer actually means anything ? There seems to be a lot of talk about a “rise in antisemitism” “the new antisemitism” “leftwing antisemitism” and “antisemitism masked as antizionism” but can people do the following;
Define what antisemitism now means or includes ?
Whats “new” antisemitism ?
What does leftwing antisemitism look like ?
How is antizionism antisemitic ?
If people are claiming to be antiracists, why was Boris Johnson at the march, and how come theres little to no criticism of Bibi’s good relations with people like Orban ?
I take issue with one of Morning Stars statements about the need to confront those “who from ignorance or prejudice perpetuate tropes about Jews’ supposed financial or political influence”. This looks like pushing the IHRA definition (example 2) through the back door, i.e an attempt to suppress discussion of the financial or political influence exercised by the likes of AIPAC, the Superpacs, CFI, JLM etc., etc. – as if these entities don’t exist. It is certainly antisemitic to accuse the whole Jewish community in this regard, but Morning Star’s article makes no such distiction. I think JVL really ought to disassociate itself from such arguments.
I think the MS were precisely arguing about tropes about Jews (eg generalisations) but still critical of a zionist lobby, which is a very long way from being even mainly Jewish. Christians United for Israel is one of the enromous Christian Zionist organisations pushing both US Political Parties to continue its support of Israel (and no friends to Jews if course since they are end timers. Anyway there are more Christian Zionsts in the USA than there are Jewish people in the whole world and some of us are not zionists.