Israel supporting counter marches in London - about time

[mids2019]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13304895/Met-Police-arrest-Palestine-Israel-march-London-protest-Gaza.html

I think in a democracy this is absolutely necessary. Obviously policing will be important but it is good to see that in terms of street protest this is not a come sided issue.

I wonder how many are going to be arrested losing their rag seeing Israeli flags an masse after getting themselves riled up calling for a ceasefire.....

There's quite a long transcript of the conversation from Sky, which I've added. I'm still confused. The officer said the man was walking against the 'flow' of the march, he warned the man he thought it might not be safe, he offered safe escort. As the man refused these options I don't know why he was not then allowed to carry on walking through the march as he wished to do? I'm sure I've had to cross through a crowd to get somewhere before, I'd have thought it was my right. And the officer seemed to make an assumption it wasn't safe, but I don't know why. Anyway, here's the transcript.Sky News footage reveals new details of exchange between police and antisemitism campaigner called 'openly Jewish' | UK News | Sky News

@stormy4319trevor Thanks for posting that, I hadn't seen the full transcript yet.

@Helene79 Having read it, I think the situation was not handled well. But I imagine the police feel under pressure to keep people safe and have inadequate numbers to do so. I still think that, having given his opinion, the officer could have allowed the man to keep walking through the march. I can't see evidence that he was unsafe to do so, The officer is said to have called the behaviour 'antagonistic', but it might have simply been ignored if he'd been allowed to squeeze through to wherever he was going. I really don't think commenting on the man as 'visibly Jewish' was acceptable, because I can't see evidence that that would put him in danger, and because it's not a good reason to prevent someone from walking where they wish to go. That said, I am sure the job of the police is extremely difficult and judgements under pressure are hard to make.

And you don't think saying that no decent person would attend a counter protest is adding to the polarisation?

Here's a novel thought for you: maybe they would be marching for actual peace, marching against anti semitism, marching for the release of hostages, marching for a negotiated ceasefire, marching in condemnation of hamas.

Or maybe those with ties to Israel are far fewer than those with ties to countries antagonistic to Israel, or who march because of their politics, or who march because they’re anti-Jewish racists.

Who knows?

Marching for actual peace? How can you put Israel and peace in the same march. Such a thing doesn't exist. They've genocided, stolen, traumatised, starved and guarded the Palestinians since 1948. If they'd wanted actual peace they'd be marching alongside the jews at the ceasefire marches. If they wanted to march for the hostages they'd not march for Israel who have rejected deals yo get them back in exchange for a permanent ceasefire. I'd do some reading before you come on here saying this stuff

Oh yes because everyone who marches against Israel are anti Jewish racists even the Jewish marchers. How do people have this messed up thought process? Id love to know because no one is buying it anymore

Honestly any decent person who knew the history wouldn't attend a pro Israel march. Its as simple as that. 30,000 + people have been murdered, over half children and babies. The IDF are making videos of them gutting children's toys and wearing the lingerie of dead women. They're not much better than hamas, are they?

I do wonder sometimes what would happen if the Palestinians all converted on mass to Judaism?

Going back through history, I believe their ancestors would have been Jewish (?) anyway, then converted to Islam.

@stormy4319trevor

"As the man refused these options I don't know why he was not then allowed to carry on walking through the march as he wished to do? I'm sure I've had to cross through a crowd to get somewhere before, I'd have thought it was my right. And the officer seemed to make an assumption it wasn't safe, but I don't know why. "

The officer didn't make an assumption, as per my earlier post a crowd had started to form threatening the Jewish man. He was doing it for the man's safety.

Would you have preferred the officer to have done nothing and allow the man to be lynched by the crowd in order to prove a point?

I take it you don't want peace then? Why do you attend the marches then, if that's not your objective? Your point is getting a little lost amidst all the hyperbole.

@stormy4319trevor
@Superfoodie123

Evidence of the man being in danger?

On the following video between 5:11 and 5:44

www.lbc.co.uk/news/met-police-officer-threatens-arrest-jewish-man-breach-peace-pro-palestine-march/

Well under Islamic law apostasy is punishable by death, imprisonment or confiscation of property.

They'd all be Israeli citizens then though wouldn't they and so under the protection of the Israeli govenernment. They could then surely travel freely and move around Israel.

There is so much hate directed at Israel as a state and not it's government that we have to worry. An Israeli flag is an state emblem seen across the world (including the Israeli embassy). The flags actually do not constitute full support of the Israeli government but do indicate heart felt support of a state that has underwent October 7th and a massive aerial attack from Iran. The flag could be seen as symbolic support for hostages that if alive are suffering unbearably.

We don't want religious and state hate on our streets. We want Jews to feel safe and not feel they maybe at the wrong end of a lynch mob.

Enough is enough. End the marches.

I thought they were peaceful marches? Who would have lynched hm & why?

The pro Palestinian marches are for peace and a ceasefire. A pro israel one wouldn't be. Because they don't seem to want their hostages back and keep deliberately killing innocent people. Its not hyperbole there are children dying, sorry if its inconvenient to your argument.

@SharonEllis

"I thought they were peaceful marches? Who would have lynched hm & why"

Although the majority of the protesters are indeed peaceful, not all of them are - see my earlier post with video from lbc.

Why would they have lynched him? Because as the officer said he was "visibly Jewish ".

@Superfoodie123

Don't you think it strange that out of the hundreds of thousands of protesters, not one is holding a placard condemning Hamas?

The only occasion this has happened was when the Iranian man tried it and was attacked by some protesters and then arrested by the police. So I can only surmise that the reason there are no placards condemning Hamas is either because people are afraid of also being attacked , which is perfectly valid but does undermine the argument of a peaceful protest and freedom of speech.

Or that many protesters do indeed sympathise or support Hamas and their actions.

Or a combination of both.

@1dayatatime Sorry, from the Sky news update I posted I think the issue was that the man wished to cross through an ongoing march, instead of using the pavement or crossing at a different point. If he had been joining the march the officer would not have called his leaving the pavement and pushing against the flow as 'antagonistic.' I do think that, the officer having advised him, he still had a right to push his way through, but I do not know the law on this. Possibly the officer was concerned that others might do the same as this man and it would get out of control. As to danger, I don't know that people were shouting insults at him or someone else, but that is reprehensible. Your video does not make it clear when this happened and what preceded it. My transcript does not describe the event as beginning with any hostility towards the man. It began with an officer telling him it was antagonistic to leave the pavement and attempt to push through the march. I think the reference to the man's ethnicity/religion was wrong. I apologise in advance if I've misunderstood anything, but that is what reading leads me to conclude.

Not what I said. Naughty.

@stormy4319trevor

Yes I think you are correct. As I saw the video the timeline went the man initially wanted to walk across the protest to get to the other side (chicken jokes aside). The police officer said he couldn't (which is understandable as it would be disruptive to walk across any protest march). The man then questions the officer why, it's at this point the officer makes the "visibly Jewish " comment.

By now a group of protesters are gathering shouting "scum" "Nazi" "I'm going to follow you etc". The police officer then wants the man out of the area (imo for his own safety) and offers police protection to escort him away. The man then says what if he refuses and just stays by the side of the protest. The officer then says that he would arrest him.

I genuinely think that the officer was acting in concern for the man's safety. The real question is why someone should be threatened by some of the protesters just for looking visibly Jewish or for visibly any religion for that matter.