Holocaust survivors’ descendants deny Palestine marches are no-go zones for Jewish people
Children of Holocaust survivors have hit back at claims the Metropolitan Police were enforcing a “Jew-free zone” during a pro-Palestine march in London - as they showed a photo of them standing unchallenged at the latest demonstration.
It comes after Gideon Falter, head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), claimed the Met Police were punishing him for being “openly Jewish” when he tried to cross the road during the same march.
His altercation, which involved the police threatening to arrest him, occurred just behind a group of Holocaust survivors’ families, and has reignited debate over whether the demonstrations are making Jewish people in the capital feel unsafe.
Mr Falter’s supporters, including former home secretary Suella Braverman, say this latest incident shows he was being punished for being Jewish while detractors claim he was deliberately trying to ‘provoke’ crowds that are largely peaceful and interfaith, something he denies.
Mark Etkind, the son of a Holocaust survivor, has shared photos of himself and four others standing unchallenged at the side of the march on 13 April. As they were holding signs identifying them as the children of Holocaust survivors, Mr Etkind said this was evidence counter to the idea put forward by Mr Falter the police were allowing Palestine marches to spread antisemitism.
“There have been recent suggestions that ‘openly Jewish’ people required police protection during the pro-Palestine march on 13 April,” Mr Etkind said. “Gideon Falter has even claimed that central London was a ‘a police enforced Jew-free zone’ on that day. These claims are completely contradicted by the photograph.”
He then attached a photo of a group of five of them, four of whom are related to Holocaust survivors while a fifth was persecuted directly by the Nazis, standing at the march.
“I, and other Holocaust survivor descendants, have been regularly attending these London protests with placards showing that we are ‘openly Jewish’” he said. “We have, so far, not experienced any antisemitism at all. Many others on the regular Jewish bloc have had similar experiences.
“The Government says that it wants to ‘do more to make Jewish communities in London feel safe’.
“Can I suggest that this admirable objective first requires politicians and the media to be completely accurate about what has been occurring on recent Palestine demonstrations.”
He added that “every major pro-Palestine demonstration in Lonon has included a large Jewish bloc which has received nothing but support and warmth from their fellow demonstrations”.
“Claims that these protests are no-go zones for Jews are completely untrue,” he said.
The dispute between Mr Falter and an unidentified police officer has led to calls for the Met police chief Sir Mark Rowley to resign. He is due to meet with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Monday to discuss "community relations", and is also expected to meet Home Secretary James Cleverly.
Rishi Sunak told journalists that he shared public shock and anger over the exchange but said he has confidence in Sir Mark if the commissioner works to rebuild the confidence and trust of the Jewish community and the wider public.
Responding to allegations of ‘provoking’ protesters, Mr Falter said: “Some individuals have also been wheeled out to suggest that I provoked the crowd, or that there is somehow more to the story than it appears from the footage. A former Chief Superintendent has even outrageously suggested that I assaulted a police officer and should have been arrested. This has now gone far beyond victim blaming.
“At this point, it is not clear what any meetings with the Commissioner, who has the distinction of presiding over the worst surge in antisemitic hate crime on record, will achieve. It is time to hold him to account. The fault lies squarely with Sir Mark. It is time for him to go, and if he does not resign, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, should remove him from his post.”
