London Jew accused of "breach of the peace" by looking "openly Jewish"

[everydaywonderful]

I'm gobsmacked by this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68856360

Were people calling him 'Nazi Scum'? In response to seeing a Jewish person?
We're a part Jewish (atheist) family, I've wanted to go on one of these marches but haven't because I live at the other end of the country. I hear such conflicting reports about them though. Some saying its far to dangerous and full of Nazi paraphernalia and others saying everybody's welcome and they're really peaceful.

Somewhat ironically what this footage actually shows at around 1:13ish if you slow it down is a man walking across the road through the march...

But not looking openly Jewish from overhead though...

@Kendodd this video contains clips of him being called Nazi, and scum.

It also has a clip at the end of a pro-Palestinian woman claiming that Hamas raped no-one and that's been fully debunked.

It's not a great advert for the marches tbh. https://x.com/antisemitism/status/1782452825034801384?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g

Eta for the sake of accuracy: I thought it was a man, but it could be a woman, nevertheless an adult person strolled across the road right through the march

David Baddiel was spot on - Jews don’t count in terms of having racism aimed at them.

WTF is happening to our world. The police are worse than useless

What's been debunked? The woman clip or the Hamas rapes?
I think everyone with any sense know Hamas raped loads of people. I've heard reports (and tbh I can completely believe them) of IDF committing rapes in Gaza as well. Frankly, I would be amazed if Palestinian men in Gaza haven't commented more rapes under this chaos as well.

I the woman in the video says “Hamas didn’t rape anyone that’s been debunked!”

Sadly it seems to be a symptom of war that women are always raped

What's been debunked? The woman clip or the Hamas rapes?

The woman was claiming that the Hamas rapes had been debunked. So clearly a Hamas supporter.

I think it’s interesting that as soon as a man is told to avoid a certain area at a certain time for his own safety, it’s national news.

But women have been told to avoid deserted streets late at night for ever.

No one cares that our freedom is curbed by a need to avoid being assaulted, but God forbid it should happen to a man!

Yes, always and by everyone.

Good point!

So Gideon Falter apparently had a camera crew and a bodyguard. Sure, because he was making a point.
If he hadn't had the camera crew (or a bodycam, which an orthodox Jew wouldn't use on Shabbat), he would not have been believed.
And why do we think he felt a bodyguard might be a good idea, hm?

He went along to prove a point. He proved it. Even though he was clearly in a position to collect evidence, some people on the march couldn't restrain their antisemitism.

None of the 'oh look at this extra footage' changes the fundamentals. He has shown, as many people have suspected from the off, that there is an element of these marches that is deeply antisemitic. And yet, on they go.

Oh FGS not everything has to be turned into Plight of the Woman. This is not oppression Too Trumps, you do not get more points for being female.

What if this was a Jewish woman? She isn’t walking the street at night, should we be talking about her

And actually given the exponential rise in anti-Semitic crimes I’d say even women are a hell of a lot safer walking at night in many parts of the country than Jewish men are in broad daylight in certain areas of London

I don’t think a smartphone can be considered a ‘camera crew’

Is he an Orthodox Jew? Many do not follow every last rule to the letter 100% of the time.

I was living in London I would as a Jewish person hire my own bodyguard if I could afford it because frankly many areas are no-go zones for Jewish people right now.

some people on the march couldn't restrain their antisemitism

Apparently not but it’s ok because someone wore a yarmulke and so they just became uncontrollably provoked.

Honestly people need to take a long hard look at their behaviours and understand why Jewish people say Never Again.

@YaMuvva was it only a smart phone? The article I glanced at made it sound like a four man team including sound engineer... But then, there seem to be a lot of people very keen to dump the blame for the shouts of 'Nazi' onto GF, or to deflect deflect deflect....

I can't imagine why
#sarcasm

I completely agree he should have been 100% safe from abuse, regardless of how he personally behaved (unless he hit someone and they defended themselves from violence). Even if he was in the middle shouting death to all Gazans and waving an Israeli flag, he should have been safe (although maybe arrested for death chants).
Others have said he went there to prove a point, I agree. There's also a video of him trying to drive a van through some marchers. Police a trying to persuade him to go a different way and cars right next to him can clearly be seen moving freely. In fairness to him, he did seem a bit stuck at that point as crowds are all in front of him (not touching the van) so I assume, with that many people they'll be to the side and back making it difficult for him to move off safely. I'm sure that was trying to prove a point there as well.
Kill these points with kindness is my view.

He was driving a van? On Shabbat? Maybe provide some evidence or clarifications because that doesn't sound right.

Yes, it looks like him. Somebody inside the van in filming (or maybe camera set up). Couldn't confirm what day of the week it is. Its in one of the links upthread.

He has the window down and is talking to the police. He keeps complaining that protestors are touching his van. Police keep saying they are not touching it. As I said, looks like him, although you can't trust anything these days. I didn't post the link, but it's back there on the thread.
As I said though, regardless of what he was doing, even if he was there celebrating all the Palestinian children killed (he wasn't) , he should not, ever have been abused.

I was cautious earlier in the thread as, as a Jew, I really hoped he hadn't turned up to get a response, but now I'm pretty sure he did and I'm angry because he has just totally played into the antisemitic trope that Jews are whiney and manipulative and trying to play the victim. Now loads of antisemites can go 'Look, there's your proof, they just antagonise people, this is why no one likes Jews' - of course, it's just one guy, but bigots only need one guy, sadly.

But yes, protestors didn't cover themselves in glory either with their comments - if you might be angry and assume a Jewish person is complaining about you to the Police a simple 'Hey, we have the right to protest' would do the trick rather than 'Nazi' or 'Shame on you' - because you don't actually know what they're saying or doing just because they are Jewish.

I have attended a protest as part of the Jewish bloc and my husband attended one not as part of the Jewish block but wearing his kippah and didn't see anything worrying or get any aggro. I suspect any 'visibly Jewish' person in the area of a protest who is minding their own business wouldn't have anything to worry about, but could get a shouting at if they confront protestors in any way, or are perceived to be confrontational, which is more what people worry about I guess.

Even so. He should never have been abused, regardless of what he said or did.

The anti-Semitic protesters "didn't cover themselves in glory" but GF played into anti-Semitic tropes? For trying to prove that Jews have been through constant gaslighting for 6 months?

I'm glad you haven't encountered any anti-Semitism while marching but that's because you're on "the right side". You've been cast as "the good Jew". Any Jew not protesting = Bad Jew. I'm quite uncomfortable with how ok you seem to be with that to be honest. GF wasn't actively provoking any of the protesters. They took it upon themselves to shout at him and intimidate him because he's Jewish. They didn't know his intentions. They had no clue he was there trying to prove a point. Therefore, they proved his point for him. The point being that it's not safe for Jews to be anywhere near these protests, unless they're there as an active part of the protest.

I shouldn't have to be an active participant in a protest in order to be safe. It's absolute insanity that so many people seem to disagree with that.

Being tolerant of Jews who agree with you is not really tolerance though is it?

Therefore, they proved his point for him. The point being that it's not safe for Jews to be anywhere near these protests, unless they're there as an active part of the protest.

There is a bit of a difference between attempting to go against the protest, trying to push past officers and it's not safe to be 'anywhere near' a protest isn't there? If he was sat on a park bench in the general vinicity you might have a point.