"The only purpose of these endless marches is to intimidate British Jews" (part two) ***MNHQ has tweaked the title in order to make the quote more clear***

[stomachameleon]

Only the few apparently........these pictures are from todays March. Footage to follow..

I think we have to ask the Jewish community their thoughts on this given the massive rise in anti semitism which has been well documented in the press. Given hate crimes against Jews are increasing exponentially we have to ask the question whether font continuous marches in London is dissolving social cohesion in this country. In reality the marches aren't influencing government policy or the actions of Israel or Hamas so in my mind there is an element of redundancy. The marches against anti semitism do have importance in that they directly highlight the issues Jews face in the UK on a daily basis.

if Jews feel the accumulated impact on these marches is to inflame anti Semitic feeling even if the intent is not there from some of the protesters then that real fear needs to be taken into account when determining the legitimacy of the marches.

There is plenty of evidence here of signs and slogans which are anti Semitic and it is clear that those who works to instil hate are using these marches as shields. (safety in numbers).

It needs to be made clear that Hamas are a terrorist organisation that organised and carried out on the most heinous acts of terror in modern history. There should be welcome for any action that is taken to remove these inhuman terrorists and do the marchers can for this? No. There are plenty of calls for Israel to stop fighting but no calls for Hamas to stop fighting, set aside their weapons and face due process for October 7th. By not condemning Hamas the protesters are implicitly holding the rights of an evil twisted terrorist group which embodies Jew hate over the rights of a democratic country to defend itself against terror. No wonder Jews are intimidated.

Agreed.

Additionally the Palestinian flag has been adopted by a group of people who are openly antisemitic and who target majority Jewish neighbourhoods.
It's use on these marches has the same connotations to many people as Tommy Robinson's use of the union flag and to many it harks back disturbingly to those who got over excited by another flag in 30's Germany.

If you genuinely don't appreciate this, be careful you don't become a useful idiot for an antisemitic cause if you know this and you still use this symbol you are what the daily mail says you are, 👏.

Congratulations - you have managed to conflate the Palestinian flag, the union jack and the Nazi Swastika. A triumph of twisted rhetoric.
Thanks but I don't allow the Daily Mail (Hurrah for the Blackshirts) to tell me what I am.
I am planning to be on the march today though not with any flag.

So my comparison made you uncomfortable enough to retaliate.
I'm not wrong, nor triumphant.
When you get caught in the purity spiral of ignoring opinions you don't like because of their source not their content, you show your bias more clearly than the daily mail.

Since you're marching for peace today, do give a shout out for hamas to release the hostages and surrender, that will help things along.

Additionally the Palestinian flag has been adopted by a group of people who are openly antisemitic and who target majority Jewish neighbourhoods.
@quantumbutterfly Maybe it has so it needs to be reclaimed I am very concerned that you are equating the use of the Palestinian flag with antisemitism that is an outrageous suggestion and awful to disrespect the Palestinian flag in that way. Hamas have their own flag that is the flag that needs to be removed if seen at marches.

It is much safer for everyone to allow licenced, legal, policed marches then ban them which will trigger illegal groupings that is way harder to control and more likely to lead to violence and vandalism

I disagreed with your comparison.
For it was ludicrous.
So I disagreed with it.
Allowed?
I disagreed with the content of your post.
Allowed?

Flags do seem to have that effect on people.

I guess that's why it's considered so offensive to stamp on them and burn them.

I'm not wrong about the Palestinian flag being used by antisemites, perhaps you should direct your ire at them for sullying it's meaning.

You must be reading my post in a different tone to the one I wrote it in.

Flags are very symbolic and represent a nation and burning them, standing on them does seem to be a tactic to disrespect a country and its people. Coming from Ireland I know too well how emotive flags and what they symbolise can be.
I'm not wrong about the Palestinian flag being used by antisemites, perhaps you should direct your ire at them for sullying it's meaning.
You're not wrong but it's important to highlight it's the people using it not the flag that's antisemitic.

perhaps you should direct your ire at them for sullying it's meaning.
I absolutely would. I work in a very disadvantaged diverse community and I continually have to address peoples different prejudices

In our own way we do that here too, to varying degrees of success in ourselves and others.

As you know more viscerally than me (I expect), peace is a fragile thing. The consensus and compromise towards it is a bumpy journey but the alternative is much worse.

I wonder if you (as I was) were angry at those who funded and supported the conflict from afar but never had to live in the horror of it.

I wonder if you (as I was) were angry at those who funded and supported the conflict from afar but never had to live in the horror of it.
@quantumbutterfly Yes. Throwing money at something they don't understand. The people that funded the nationalist terrorists in Northern Ireland (mainly Americans) viewed the conflict through rose tinted glasses and their reference point was from an Ireland of the 1800s trying to overthrow the British occupiers. It was though, the Americans that mediated the drawing up of the good friday agreement that finally brought peace.

Things are so desperate at the moment in Palestine but no matter what side of the divide you stand it can't continue and a compromise and negotiation has to happen as tough and painful as that may be. No one likes making concessions but leaders need to lead but I don't think the current leaders are up for this task. Certain characters just want all or nothing.

Agreed.

I agree completely with this. My problem with the marches is that they appear to be very one sided. I have been in central London and witnessed the marches on several occasions . I haven’t seen anyone on the March with banners denouncing Hamas or asking for the release of hostages. I would join the March if I felt they were denouncing the evils on BOTH sides but the marches are very one sided and I guess that is why many Jewish people feel intimidated by them .

As you say -flag is not an offensive thing on its own. It’s always about context.
The selective use of only one flag in a March that is supposed to promote peace is suspect.
If the marches are about peace - why select only one flag to wave ?

If the marches are about peace - why select only one flag to wave ?
because those waving them are seeing things through that lense and are showing solidarity with the people of Palestine who are suffering horrendously right now beyond anything any of us can imagine.

Of course hostages need to be released and that would have to be part of any peace negotiations, I have seen many peaceful gatherings where people are calling for hostage release. The marches are looking for an end to the current campaign in Palestine and rightly or wrongly I think if that is combined with calls for a release of the hostages it will just fuel tensions which can spill over to trouble. I think many people, our species as a whole really, are often not capable of seeing things through another perspective and understanding it, if we were there wouldn't be any conflict.

There were peace rallies in Northern Ireland organised by women from both sides. It is possible to organise a March that isn’t divisive if the will is there.
It’s a shame that the marches were so one sided from the start. It would be very difficult to argue they were intimidating if the banners denounced Netanyahu and Hamas and offered sympathy for the suffering Palestinians and the hostages.

Many of the women posting on these threads aren't capable of that yet

@Dulra perhaps if they had started off that way.... a collaboration?
Unfortunately they started with antisemitism and glorifying of the attack - the women with paraglider's on their backs. I know not all where there for that but there was a nasty undercurrent straight away.
I think your comments are very thought provoking.

It wasn’t just naive Americans. The Provisional IRA were also supported with arms from the Soviet backed PLO and by Libyan money . IRA were also getting money from local businesses as “protection money”

I remember as a child coming out of Mass in a village in Fermanagh in the 1970’s to see balaclava clad men collecting money for An Ploblacht ( the Republican newspaper) . It was not easy for locals to refuse to give money in those circumstances.
I feel for the Palestinian civilians as they are not free to denounce Hamas. The same cannot be said for the people in marches in this country.

@Limeandsodaontherocks I visited Lisnaskea when I was a student and was verbally abused at a checkpoint.

I feel for the Palestinian civilians as they are not free to denounce Hamas. The same cannot be said for the people in marches in this country.

Yes.

And you’ve never forgotten the feeling ( understandably)
I can’t imagine what effect this conflict is having on young developing minds . What must it be like to see and hear verbal abuse and worse on a daily basis.

And I am thinking of the Palestinian children and the young hostages as well as any young person here who is in the receiving end of prejudice because of this terrible conflict. The scars for them will be very deep.

"you work for the Jewish [lobby]"

Ask us again why we don't go on the protests.

https://twitter.com/hurryupharry/status/1758881753521901570