Why the need to cover up ?

As I said, if you allow some then you allow all and ime that's not safe. Doxxing needs to be addressed.

Bravo @ConnieCounter for standing up for your beliefs, would you prefer that those who victimised you weren't given the shield of anonymity?

Doxxing is more than a "concern" though. My picture was posted on a far-right website a few years ago where people were encouraged to find, rape and assault me and other women pictured who were attending an abortion rights protest (abortion was illegal at the time). It was genuinely terrifying to see my photograph there. And the comments underneath were sickening. I don't cover my face when I attend protests but I absolutely understand why others might, especially those who are in a more vulnerable position than me.

Agree.

Doxxing is a concern that needs to be addressed but if we allow some protesters to hide their faces then we allow all and ime the risks outweigh the gains.

I agree with this.

And if anyone is covering their face for nefarious purposes, they might as well take a leaf out of this wanker's book and not bother. Because apparently anything goes now anyway, so why not proudly wear it on your sleeve for a stroll down Oxford St!

And the fact is, there are very few arrests from the pro-Palestine marches despite the many examples of support for antisemitic terrorist groups, such as the Houthi chanters. So I don't buy the argument that people are covering up because they fear reprisal.

The more you cover up, the less support you'll attract to the protest, because it IS alarming to a lot of people who perceive it as intimidating, regardless of the reasons individuals are covering up.

The online harassment of named folk works both ways. There's been numerous lists circulating online targeting and naming individual Jews or "Zionists" - Jewish authors for instance - for the express purpose of intimidation or to threaten their livelihood. And some people make it onto those lists because they went to a Jewish youth club as a kid or some other Jewish institution, or one time they bought an orange from Jaffa, or something.

It's wrong on all counts, whether you're signing an open letter in support of Palestine or just being Jewish.

People marching on pro Palestinian marches seem to not understand that Hamas will consider these images on news sites as being pro Hamas and not just pro Palestinian. The calls for Intifada now is not pro Palestinian but pro terrorism.

I do think the organisers of the protest should also consider the fact that sometimes the face coverings used can be alarmingly reminiscent of the face covering used by Hamas militants and I hope this would concern them
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/protests-face-mask-coverings-flares-law-b2492373.html

Yes - I agree that wearing the mask outside of the March context is even more threatening.

@quantumbutterfly I think it can be scary in certain situations to see somebody who has covered their face, for example when you wouldn’t expect it.

However I think given the back lash that certain people have faced for their political views and lack of trust in our government it is understandable that some people would want to cover their faces while protesting. I wouldn’t take this on its own as definitely meaning somebody plans to commit an offence or has something to hide.

I don’t think people should be covering their faces on public transport or in shops etc as it causes too much concern to the people immediately surrounding them, and there is not a police presence like at the marches.

Perhaps the risks pro Palestinian protesters are taking need to be more widely publicised then so that people understand the reason why they are covering their faces? Right now there is a narrative that they are doing it because they are Hamas supporting yobs rather than showing the fact that they are being targeted and demonised. There are quite a few people on this thread who seem to have had no idea. Maybe people would see it as less threatening if they understood the reason they are doing it because they are being threatened and are actually afraid.

@Limesodaagain those women have made the brave decision to show their face despite the consequences, that is not necessarily the correct or safe decision for everybody. It would be nice if we lived in a society where people weren’t targeted for their beliefs.

I’m aware that all of these behaviours don’t compare with the horror of what is going on in Gaza (and for the hostages. )
However these things all change the trust and tolerance in our society and should be challenged so that tensions don’t escalate further.

My point about face coverings still stands . The example you’ve given just shows how when offensive behaviour is overlooked it escalates as the victim has to take their own measures. The answer isn’t face covering but making it illegal to harass, punish names and addresses online etc

I agree with you that publishing people’s names and addresses online is outrageous and should be made illegal with serious consequences for people who do this. It’s online bullying and intimidation.

But clearly there is if people are being doxxed and labelled terrorist supporters and having their name, face, address published online for even signing open letters? Perhaps the emphasis should be on the people carrying out things like doxxing rather than the potential victims of their vile behaviour.

Indeed.

The protesters have every right , and every good reason to protest. There should be no need to hide their identity

Those Hamas costumes are frankly ridiculous.

However part of the social contract should be where there is no illegal acts, people should be free to express their views and demonstrate without repercussions. Peaceful protestors clearly don’t feel this

Works both ways.

Yes - I can see that argument.
But these women in Iran manage to protest without face covering in a far more oppressive regime https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/chant-women-life-liberty-echoes-around-iran

I tend to agree with you about the face masks, especially the hamas cosplay costumes.

We know from the internet that anonymity allows you to break boundaries that you would not break if there were a consequence to your actions. Surely this is part of the social contract.

Exactly!

Unfortunately you don’t need to hold extreme beliefs or have done something wrong to become a target of harassment, which is one reason people may attempt to remain some level of privacy, in this case by wearing a mask.

If there are people who don’t understand this, then lucky you!

I’m sure it’s comforting to believe the world is fair, that people deserve what happens to them and that having nothing to hide means you have nothing to worry about.

This article goes into some of the reasons why. This is one mentioned Another anonymously run site features hundreds of profiles of people who have been critical of Israel’s actions or taken part in protests, posting their social media profiles, occupations, home towns and photos of their faces. The site has specific lists for students and faculty, accusing them of antisemitism and supporting terrorism for signing open letters calling for ceasefire, affiliation with pro-Palestinian groups or being in attendance at anti-war rallies. These profiles now show up as top Google results when searching for the names of many of the people listed on the site, especially students with a smaller online presence.

Imagine the top search result on Google for your name calling you a terrorist supporter and antisemitic because you signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire? It's bonkers but all if the threads on here calling people Hamas supporters for speaking out for Palestinians show just how widespread it is.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/30/why-are-pro-palestinian-students-wearing-masks-campus

@NecessaryNC24

Can you please clarify whether you mean people who wear masks and appear to support Hamas by also wearing something that affiliates them with Hamas?

Or whether you mean any protestor wearing a mask at a Pro Palestine march?

Although you are fully entitled to your views, it’s the people wearing the masks who need to weigh up the pros and cons- after all, it is them who will have to change their behaviour.

Unfortunately, as long as people feel they face repercussions for protesting- they will wear masks.

Unfortunately, this is what people need to consider when deciding whether or how to participate in exercising their rights to speak out. It isn't something everyone needs to or feels a need to worry about, but the targeting of activists and protesters is a real concern, so I do understand why some people choose to wear a face covering for those reasons.

It would be nice to live in a society where everyone could be safe to express their views without fear of harm, but we don't live in that society.