Police will review whether upcoming marches will go ahead after the national terrorism threat level was raised to 'severe' on Thursday following the Golders Green stabbings. This includes a major demonstration planned by the Stop the War Coalition in London on May 16, which is set to mark Nakba Day, commemorating the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during Israel's creation.
Police Review of Events
Asked about marches due to take place in the coming weeks, head of Counter Terrorism Policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said on Thursday: “As part of our review into the change in the threat level, policing will be reviewing all events across the country. My teams will be working with forces to ensure that we have appropriate protective security measures in place, that the appropriate mitigations are put in place, and we will be engaged with communities who will be affected by large events, as well as those involved in the events, so that we can keep them safe as they can be.”
Asked if marches will go ahead, he added: “At this stage that is part of the work that police forces will be reviewing.”
Stop the War Coalition Response
The Stop the War Coalition had earlier said that attempts to link recent “horrific antisemitic attacks” in the capital with marches in solidarity with Palestine are “false”. The organisation said its demonstrations are “in support of the people of Gaza and against the genocide of the Israeli government”, and it described Mr Hall’s call for a pause on such marches as “unacceptable”.
The group said: “Attempts by some to connect the series of horrific antisemitic attacks in north London with the marches in solidarity with Palestine are false.” It added that it “condemn(s) unequivocally these attacks, as we do all forms of antisemitism and racism”, and that “no-one should be attacked for their race or religion.”
It branded attempts to “connect” such attacks with the Palestine marches “wrong”, saying the demos are “in protest at the role of the Israeli government, and the complicity of the British Government in these attacks (in Gaza)”. It added: “These marches are supported by many Jewish people who attend. They are not the ‘hate marches’ described by right-wing politicians but expressions of solidarity and support for those under attack.” The group suggested such calls “appear to be part of a wider agenda to clamp down on protest more generally, and to limit our rights”.
CST Criticism
The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism in the UK, accused organisers of doing “absolutely nothing” to challenge or prevent antisemitism at such marches. CST director of policy Dave Rich told the Press Association: “These marches have provided a permissive environment for violent incitement, extremism and antisemitism and the organisers of these marches have done absolutely nothing to challenge or prevent that. That situation has contributed to the position the Jewish community is in now so the organisers of those marches are the last people really to be saying how antisemitism should be tackled.”
Call for Moratorium
Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, called for a “moratorium” on pro-Palestinian marches, saying it is currently “impossible” for such marches not to “incubate” antisemitism. Describing recent attacks on Jews as a “massive national security emergency”, he made these comments to Times Radio.
There have been a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London since late March, as well as an incident where a drone was flown near the Israeli embassy.
Chief Rabbi and Politicians Respond
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, speaking in the wake of Wednesday’s Golders Green stabbings in which two Jewish men were injured, called for “zero-tolerance of antisemitism, with regard to hate marches”, saying these and other events including the “purposeful anti-Israel demonisation” all “contributes to a tone of antisemitism, which is in our country”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who visited the scene at Golders Green on Thursday, accused the Government of having been “weak, weak, weak on all of this”. He told reporters: “I’m afraid we have allowed marches to take place, with chants being heard over the streets of London and other cities. We’ve not acted and the Government has been weak, weak, weak on all of this. I’m not pretending we can reverse this tide of hatred overnight. We can’t. It’s here. It’s embedded.”
Upcoming Events
A “Unite the Kingdom, Unite the West” rally promoted by Tommy Robinson is also set to take place on May 16.
