Jewish anti-Zionist groups call for help countering police propaganda drive vs anti-genocide protests

Police whipping up complaints against weekly Jewish-led protests against extremist Israeli ambassador

Anti-Zionist Jewish groups have appealed for help to counter an attempt by the Metropolitan Police to whip up complaints from Swiss Cottage residents against their weekly anti-genocide protests outside the residence of Israel’s far-right extremist ambassador to the UK, Yzipi Hotovely.

In a circular to supporters, which Skwawkbox has been asked to help share, the coalition of Jewish groups writes:

The police have been distributing the notice below to local residents in Swiss Cottage about our weekly demonstration at Swiss Cottage tube station.  It seems intended to encourage local people to complain about the demonstration, presumably to justify further restrictions on our protest.  Please could you email the police “Safer Neighbourhood Team” here: SNTEK-PrimroseHill@met.police.uk, to support the ongoing protest which has been very effective in maintaining a regular weekly pro-Palestine and anti-genocide presence in NW London for the last 15 months.  The protest is organised by IJAN (International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network) and JNP (Jewish Network for Palestine).  There are some suggestions about points you could raise in your email below.

Suggested points for emails.  (please forward a copy of your email to UK@ijan.org so we know how many people have responded.  Many thanks.)

·       I am very pleased that the demonstration is there every week.  It is good to see that local people continue to protest about the genocide in Gaza and the awful things being done to the Palestinian people.

·       People have the right to freedom of expression and to demonstrate under UK law and I expect the police to protect those rights.

·       The Israeli ambassador should be expelled from the UK – she openly supports genocide, and I am pleased there is a demonstration against her locally.

·       I welcome the fact that the protest is being led by two Jewish organisations, who are against Zionism, and clearly explain this is not a religious issue but one of Palestinians being expelled from their land and killed if they refuse to comply.

·       I am very pleased that the protest attracts people from many the different communities in Swiss Cottage: Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and those of no faith, women, young and older people.  It is very good to see local people come together like this, all sharing a love of humanity and being against the killing of children and their families in Gaza.

·       Some people say Swiss Cottage is a “Jewish area” and the protest should not be there. This is wrong.  It is Jewish people who are leading the protest; the protest is not aimed at Jews, but at Zionism and the Israeli ambassador; and the census figures show that 33% of the population are Christian; 24% no religion; 11% are Jewish, and 10% are Muslim.

·       The protest has interesting speeches about what is happening in Palestine, which we don’t hear from the national press, and also informs people about the difference between being Jewish and Zionist, and why it is not antisemitic to criticise Israel which is a country, not a people.

Met Commissioner Mark Rowley boasted to pro-Israel groups last week of the unprecedented restrictions – which appear to have amounted to a naked attempt to criminalise peaceful marchers – he had placed on an anti-genocide march. The force has been condemned for violent policing of the residence demo, including the arrest and harassment of Jewish Israeli speakers, as part of Keir Starmer’s intensified ‘lawfare’ war abusing anti-terror legislation to arrest, harass and criminalise pro-Palestine journalists and activists.

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