‘I’m Jewish and I march for Palestine – don’t ban protests for me’
JVL Introduction
I was interviewed by Radhika Sanghani for the Independent in advance of the 16th May Nakba Day march as a founder member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians.
Most of the mainstream media either ignore the marches or report them only to demonise them as “hate marches”, greatly underestimating their size, unwilling to explore what motivates those who have turned out month after month over more than two years now.
The marches have included a substantial Jewish Bloc every time, but reporting that that doesn’t fit the narrative which Jewish communal leaders and politicians have been cultivating assiduously – one of Jewish fear and rampant antisemitism.
The Independent, to its credit, gave space for another view. It’s worth pointing out how unusual that is these days.
RK
This article was originally published by the Independent on Sat 16 May 2026. Read the original here.
‘I’m Jewish and I march for Palestine – don’t ban protests for me’
As the prime minister considers prohibiting some pro-Palestine protests after a rise in antisemitic attacks, Richard Kuper tells Radhika Sanghani he believes the marches are being blamed for a problem they didn’t cause
Loading article text…
Thank you Richard Kuper. You have perfectly expressed exactly why I attend the marches. I shall be carrying copies of this excellent article with me to give to misguided friends and relatives to try and get them to understand.
Brilliant piece, Richard!
And related, also pre-march:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiKA7NePGmA
I too have been on many pro-Palestinian marches in London and the north of England and heartily agree with Richard Kuyper’s assessment
“To me, our government is using antisemitism to divert our attention from their complicity in what Israel is doing. It’s an abuse of antisemitism. When we march against genocide and are accused of being racist, it is a slur and suggests our political leaders are siding with Israel in this conflict. The biggest thing they could do to reduce antisemitism is not banning marches but finding a solution in the Middle East.”
At one of the PSC lobbies of parliament I told my MP that the communal bodies of Anglo-Jewry had been captured by a foreign power. What the hell is a South African who chose to train in the Occupied Territories doing as our most senior cleric? He clearly has his heart over there and not in the diaspora. At least the next largest grouping of synagogues after the US has recognised that views within the community are diverse. But the Zionists in control of the BoD punished deputies who spoke out about Gaza, the so-called Campaign Against Antisemitism is a front for right-wing Zionists.
And, as Richard says, families and communal groups are mobilised to oppose us. In my case, my brother used my anti-Zionism as an excuse for having manipulated my dementing mother to change her will in his favour.
There are of course Jewish organisations that have been formed to be critical of Israel, and with Na’amod there is at last a group where I am above the median age. Given that it is younger Jews who are much less likely to see themselves as Zionists than older ones, we do need a group that mobilises them.
But I would also like to see a group (or groups) set up to celebrate Diasporan identities. I’m learning Yiddish as my little bit. And Molly Crabapple’s book on the Bund is being launched in the country this week. Rather than merely being against Israeli policy or the occupation or Zionism, we need to be for something specifically to do with being Jewish is the diaspora. Or, given two jews, three opinions, we need a menu of positive celebrations of Diasporan Jewry and one that also looks towards building a positive future and not just a celebration of our history.
Great to see these views expressed in a mainstream paper. Perhaps more people will understand now how biased and unjust all the criticism of Palestine marches is.
Bravo! I applaud your actions and the reasons for doing them. You are a humanitarian who, like many of us, cannot equate Israel’s treatment of Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank with anything other than genocide. I think it is disgraceful that other Jewish individuals seek to blacken the names of our human brothers and sisters who have joined us on these demos because their consciences prompt them to do so.
This has made me so happy! Something I’ve waited for since at least 2015, never quite believing that the mainstream media could ignore our voice for so long. Well done Richard, talk about persistence! Congratulations on speaking coolly but with passion. We are surrounded with horror and helplessness so thanks for this slice of hope.
I only just saw this. It’s so simple and wonderfully explained.