To feel like the tide of public opinion has turned against the pro-palestine protestors

[JKLolling]

Every social media feed I have is full of irate people commenting on pro-gaza protestors.

From people commenting on Greta Thunberg sharing the picture of the starving hostage and claiming it was a Palestinian (wtf was she thinking?!) , to the student saying Israelis should 'go back where they came from', there are thousands of angry comments. Lots of the protestors hiding their faces too, and on a local Uni group people are trying to name the protestors seen today and get them removed from their courses

I'm disgusted with what I've seen today, and it feels like the tide is turning and people are seeing these protests for what they really are: an opportunity for hate-filled morons to get together and intimidate people. I feel like they've completely ruined their cause just because they couldn't wait a day to protest.

It's important to care about what's happening hundreds of miles away, of course it is. But if we use it to neglect our responsibilities to tackle racism in the UK, well that's like the Mumsnetter who's too busy tearing down other posters to properly parent her own kids.

The fortunes of Jews and Muslims in the UK are strongly linked. There are lots of people in both communities who work hard on inter-faith relations and they deserve better than the polarised grandstanding the pro-pal movement is currently generating.

My local shul runs a long-standing food bank and support programme for recent immigrants, most of them Muslim. There are mosques that reached out to the Jewish community after the Manchester atrocity. These initiatives do more good than all the performative keffiyeh-wearing, ribbon cutting, river to the sea chanting in the world.

Manchester, the mosque attack and the anniversary of 7th October were all golden opportunities for activists to show that they actually give a shit about racism in this country, to prove that when they say they're not antisemitic they mean it.

Saying, 'Israel didnt take the day off' is pathetic and just screams that its more important to you to be right than to do the right thing.

Some protesters are driven by anti-semitism, and they certainly do the cause a huge disservice. But many, many of us are appalled by the actions of the Israeli Government, which does not mean we do not understand what Hamas is, or completely condemn their actions of 7/10. I have the right to protest our government’s direct complicity, which, along with the scale of the slaughter and the fact it is perpetrated by a democratic nation, makes it different from other current atrocities (although in some cases more tenuous links can be made to the UK). I also have friends in Gaza and am regular contact, which makes it very real to me. I have been to a few small marches and vigils locally (which were absolutely nothing like the scenes yesterday- very much focused on Gazan deaths and famine and no “river to sea” rhetoric).

It is possible for several things to be true at once. There is a rise in antisemism and some protesters are antisemitic, which is appalling. Hamas are evil with no interest in the wellbeing of the Gazan people. But that doesn’t mean that Israeli government actions towards civilians are not completely abhorrent and we should be able to call them out without being labeled antisemitic.

The pro palestiniens are extremely violent. I sympathise with those who want Israël to stop bombing Gaza and let humanitarian workers in. But the pro Palestiniens seem to be so antisemitic that I just loathe them. They don't seem to get that jews in Israël and all over the world are out protesting against the israelian government. It's like saying all Palestiniens = Hamas. There is no nuance or critical thinking to their stance so how can you agree with them.

Yes the anti semitism is painfully obvious now, they are on the whole not even supporting a peaceful solution, given the ‘genocide’ they describe you would think they would immediately support a peace plan, but no.

So that now reduces the protests down to racial hatred, blatant anti semitism and inciting violence and death in this country, and that isn’t cool, no.

I’ve seen a lot of videos where they were asked, what does “From the river to the sea…” mean for you, and most of them didn’t have a clue, they just clam up and don’t know what to say.

Do these people really care about the orphans of Gaza? Will they care in a year’s time, five years’ time, ten years’ time? They will move on to the next trendy thing, they won’t give a toss.

❤

You keep telling yourself that…others are seeing through it.

I'd love to see the receipts on that. My own experience, as a liberal zionist who is firmly anti Netanyahu, is that I genuinely feel distraught about all the suffering and try to reflect that with nuance, but all I ever get back is CHILDREN ARE DYING YOU MONSTER.

We all agree that what is going on is absolutely horrific, don't we? Who is saying it isn't? To my mind, anyone who is doing all shouting and no listening is most definitely part of the problem.

The absolute irony of protesters shouting “Go back to Jew land” 🙄

Theyre the same ones who think Israelis all come from America...

Israel is a foreign country. The Jews being intimidated, harassed, and killed in the UK are our fellow citizens and our direct responsibility.

Free speech is critical, but choosing to march masked, shouting, etc. on the anniversary of 07/10 right after antisemitic murders looks more like hate speech. These marches aren’t people holding candles and flowers singing hymns!

And yes to answer your question the tide most definitely turned when the protests continued even as innocent British people were murdered, some were celebrating even. And they continued even on the 7th of October. This has never happened here before, respecting the dead and the grieving has always been a part of our culture.

Now there is a peace plan on the table, and they refuse to even engage with it at all.

That tells us everything we need to know now about their reasons for participating in blatant anti semitic, overt racism doesn’t it.

Thunberg and her silly grinning flotilla pals actually using an image of Evyatar David on one of their publicity fliers sums up many of the pro pal groups. They have not got a clue, it's all about the clicks and the tiktok clips.

Hosting pro pal events on Oct 7th was despicable but sadly unsurprising, many people have no compassion at all. How many times have we all seen 'Oct 7th was horrid but...'.

We can only hope this is all ending soon and the marchers can move on to their next tiktok production.

I now want to see the police and courts come down on this like a tonne of bricks.

I want to see tough sentences and custody for repeat offenders.

I want them charged with racially aggravated disorder and harassment, and the full force of the law activated.

We have an opportunity now to spell it out to the racists in this country that we will not, and will never accept anti semitism in any form.

'I have never understood why they aren't stop the war or peace marches.'

There are - in every city every week but people are choosing to call them antisemitic or pro-Palestine - rather than what they are, a call to the end of the 'war' that Israel have launched, a call for the end of genocide, a call for peace.

Or you’re wrong about that, tide is turning.
Im sorry that’s not what you want to happen but people are making their own mind up about the terrorists in our midst and abroad.

Shutting down public protest is the first step to a facist state. It's no 1. in the playbook.

Nope they are most definitely not getting behind peace at all, and they won’t until every last Israeli has been removed entirely (preferably from the planet)

Their agenda has never been achieving ‘peace’. They detest Jewish people and want Israel eradicated. I am surprised at the number of people that are not aware of this.

👏

@HappyGolmore2if this is the case why aren’t they protesting to also put pressure on Hamas to release hostages?

I think that it is deplorable that anyone would use something as awful as a terror attack on Jews as an excuse to undermine objections to genocide.

Aye I must have miss the posting on Indeed for the job spot.
All opinions all my own.(but sentiments shared by others elsewhere).

This just isn’t true though is it

No I think it’s just you and a few other pro Hamas supporters who are trying to drum up business on here claiming all is well with your cause.
We see you.

They are hate marches though.They are shouting for death.
Everyone can see it, whichever side, even if on no side.