Michael Gove accuses pro-Palestine protesters of turning a blind eye to 'lurid demonstrations of anti-Semitism'

[keenforhelp]

He says it is 'genuinely dangerous' to be a Jew near London marches.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13442195/Michael-Gove-Gaza-pro-Palestine-protesters-blind-eye-anti-Semitism.html

If you’ve come on here to immediately discredit his message, pause, ask yourself why?

Perhaps it’s because MG is a pathetic, useless politician, everything he touches turns to shit, and he’s employed by a desperate political party desperate to whip up any division and hatred as it the last chance of gaining any votes..wherever they may lie?

He’ll be off in a club somewhere soon, off his tits in the next few weeks so i wouldn’t take this failure of a man’s word for anything.

but that just my opinion

That's your opinion on him though.

What's your opinion on what he's actually saying?

If someone I disliked said 2+2=4... I'd concede that despite my dislike of them, they are in fact correct.

What's your opinion on what he's actually saying

I think, on the whole, he’s wrong.

Like he always is.

So you don't think there's any truth to it at all? What about the following quote from the article -

"Mr Gove called on the organisers of pro-Palestine marches and 'good people taking part' to do more to stop symbols of anti-Jewish hatred being displayed by elements on the marches."

You don't think the organisers and participants should do more to stop anti-Semitic posters and chants at the marches?

What about the following quote from the article

Its a pathetic, meaningless quote, designed to appeal to those that are easily whipped into a frenzy.

The police already have powers to remove and detain genuinely AS material from the marches, and have done already.

The vast, vast majority of people on these marches are simply peace loving people that are absolutely distraught at the actions of the Israeli govt. Gove, Braverman et al are simply attempting to close down any protest or expression of free speech, and in the process whip up division in the vain attempt of getting some votes.

That is exactly what is going on here.

Agreed.
I think the Conservatives still think there is good mileage to be made in accusing "the Left" of antisemitism. If you read the DM article (which I did) it is mainly lefty bashing rather than much actual concern about antisemitism.

This annoyed me too:
"It's an ironclad law of history that countries which are descending into darkness are those which are becoming progressively more unsafe for Jewish individuals and the Jewish community – the Spain of the Inquisition, the Vienna of the 1900s, Germany in the 1930s, Russia in the last decade.....So when Jewish people are under threat, all our freedoms are threatened. The safety of the Jewish community is the canary in the mine. Growing anti-Semitism is a fever which weakens the whole body politic. It is the mark of a society turning to darkness."

Who has been in control of society for the last 14 years? And which politician has been very influential all that time?

If he wants a safer country that isn't "descending into darkness" he needs to stop the current division and undermining of democracy his party are doing.

It feels like gaslighting to me, to read that. Just disgraceful.

You know how synagogues and Jewish schools need extra security? Why do you think that is?

I agree with him. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be Jewish and in central London while these marches are on. On one of the Saturdays I was in London and a protestor got into our tube carriage wearing a black balaclava and completely covered in Palestinian flags and anti Israel slogans.

Oh and that question is to the many posters on here who seem to want to deny anti semitism exists.

Noone is denying antisemitism exists, that's unhelpful hyperbole.

Some of us don't think Gove is acting out of concern for Jewish people. That's actually the opposite of anti-Semitism.

Regardless of what you think of him, he’s absolutely right. It’s a terrifying time to be Jewish in the UK

So you don't think organisers and protesters should do more? You don't think the organisers have some kind of responsibility to ensure the events they're organising are run safely and without any antisemitism? You think the police have successfully removed every single anti-Semitic poster from these marches?

You don't think the organisers have some kind of responsibility to ensure the events they're organising are run safely

But by and large, they are safe. I have seen very little reported violence on an of the peace marches, and these marches are attended by tens of thousands (or more) protesters.

You’ll see far more trouble at a far right gathering of a few hundred thugs, as we have seen several times in the last year.

I'm Jewish and that's nonsense - it's not 'terrifying' to be a Jew in the UK, my life is just as it was.

Also, as people always point out but are ignored, there are plenty of Jews on these marches. Huge marches, month after month, almost entirely peaceful. It's an amazing thing to witness.

One of the plus sides about the far right is they are generally more honest about their hatred..at least you know where you are. Unlike the far left who go through some unbelievable mental gymnastics and word play to get their hatred across whilst simultaneously trying to play the role of the good guys.

Granted there is some hyperbole in the article ( “descending into darkness”) but I don’t understand what it is that you feel is “gaslighting”
To be honest I think the gaslighting is from those who pretend that antisemitism isn’t a problem.

To be honest, I don't think that it's that you've seen very little reported violence or instances of antisemitism, it's that you have ignored the reports of it. Not just you, obviously. Others on here seem to ignore it on a regular basis too. Every time someone points out antisemitism at a march we get told "oh, it's only a small percentage". It all adds up though, doesn't it? Unless you think it's the same people being anti-Semitic every time? In which case I'm wondering why those people are still welcome.

I’m not Jewish and , for the most part , I agree that the marches are peaceful. But it doesn’t always feel a particularly safe space. It’s certainly not a safe space for anyone who wants to hold a placard asking for the release of Israeli hostages - does that not concern you?
I’ve been in London several times during the marches and been on the tube. I’m glad I haven’t got a child at a Jewish school because I would feel concerned about their safety. The mood has felt febrile at times (though pretty ok for the most part.) But I would not feel safe about testing the mood by carrying a poster condemning Hamas ….

What a wanker and full of bullshit. Gove and his cronies care more about Israel rather than the UK and the mess they have created. Kick the fascist bastards out

Unfortunately being antisemitic (or any other form of prejudice) is not illegal and so the organisers/police will never be able to just remove everyone who is antisemitic from marches. The police can arrest people if they commit crimes and they do.

I'm not sure what Gove and posters on this thread who agree with him are suggesting? "Banning hate marches" is the kind of thing that can potentially be used to shut down unwelcome opinions. Look at the concern around the SNP hate crime laws on women's rights, for example.

It is gaslighting to talk about the "descent into darkness" and potential threats to safety in the UK when he and his party have been in power and systematically eroded the systems that protected society from that happening.

Underfunding of the police so they can't act effectively.

Attacks on "wokeness" so that prejudiced people feel free to spout whatever opinion because of "freedom of speech"

A home secretary who basically incited violent far right protests to prove a point.

Undermining of our public servants- judges are "the enemies of the people", civil servants are "the deep state".

I'm sick of it.

You might want to check out the protected characteristics of the Equality Act & the definition of hate crime, not to mention public order offences.

I’m so angry by the first paragraph of this speech that I can’t concentrate properly on the parts about antisemitism. This once again isn’t a speech to unite people, it’s a political pile of shit which is mostly aimed at a Jewish audience, while simultaneously trying to bully people into supporting the way the Israeli response has been carried out.
I did manage to read some of the appalling examples on antisemitism, which I am very sorry people are experiencing. This should be focused on as a separate issue to the actions of the Israeli government, the speech should have focused on how we in this country should be treating people
of all religious faiths with respect and decency. It doesn’t help to conflate this with the political issues, surely a conflation of the issues is one reason that antisemitism is rising!

Underfunding of the police so they can't act effectively

Not only that but whipping up the “two tier” narrative and undermining them, when the police are simply there to prevent breaches in law and order.