We are told “freedom of speech” exists in this country, though it appears to operate on a sliding scale depending on the government’s preferred cause of the week.
It is remarkable how selective public outrage can be. During WW2, Approximately 2 million German civilians were killed, and cities like Dresden were entirely destroyed. Curiously though, no mass protests marched through London demanding the government stop targeting Nazi Germany because innocent people were caught in the middle. Back then, everyone seemed perfectly capable of distinguishing between the regime responsible and the tragic civilian cost.
Yet now, when Hamas openly attacks Israel, as they did on 7 October, some people find it easier to rally against Israel’s response than to acknowledge who initiated the violence. I can only assume that empathy is far easier as it was not your daughters / babies / sisters put through what they went through and videoed by Hamas and cheered by 100’s of Palestinians on their return. I should imagine your feelings towards this war would be some what different if that were the case.
And we are constantly assured these marches are “peaceful,” of course. The “river to the sea” chants, the Hamas flags, the open support for a terrorist group are apparently just incidental décor. But apparently pointing that out is the real offence. Because naturally, the presence of even a single Hamas sympathiser does not undermine the purity of the message at all.
Meanwhile, Israel is still fighting for the very simple reason that Hamas has not surrendered or shown the slightest inclination toward peace talks. But yes, by all means, keep acting as though this is some spontaneous and unreasonable decision on Israel’s part.
There are multiple active conflicts across continents you could protest for if consistency were the goal. Yemen, for example, is still very much a war zone. Christians are being driven out or killed in certain countries, feel free to pick one if you can be bothered.
But no, all attention just happens to be fixed on this one. Nothing whatsoever to do with antisemitism, obviously, pure coincidence, I am sure.
And then there is the small matter of local Jewish communities being targeted in the immediate aftermath of terrorist attacks committed by Hamas supporters. But sure, let’s pretend that is unrelated.
Imagine, reversing the scenario. A major date in the Catholic calendar, a terrorist who supports Hamas carries out multiple stabbings, and within days hundreds of people pour onto the streets publicly backing the ideology he claimed. I do wonder what the national reaction would be if that were to happen.
It is funny how persecution elsewhere, Christians being wiped out, wars in Yemen and beyond, fails to inspire weekly marches or performative outrage. So many global atrocities available for protest, yet somehow only one inspires this level of commitment.
Perhaps those who feel so passionately should consider protesting in the regions they claim to represent. It would be fascinating to see just how appreciated their efforts are when they are not shouting from the safety of a UK street.