Is the penny finally starting to drop about anti semitism and hate marches?

[mids2019]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/04/starmer-c al l-society-response-rising-antisemitism

I think we are now seeing the cumulative impact of the anti senitism that has built up over the last 3 years where there has been a permissive environment with politicians hesitant to intervene in events in the streets that have incubated anti Jew sentiment.

All political parties apart from the hate apologist Greens are now waking up to the fact we need better policing and perhaps legislation. I for one will acting a vote for a party that recognises hate marches for what they are and also willing to tackle the vile posts appearing on social media (and Labour have reacted too late too little). Enough is enough for a Jewish community that lives in perpetual fear.

Me too. I don't agree with any of those phrases being used and think they take away from the core message that is the rights of Palestinians to live without occupation and terror.

Thankfully the events I have attended have never used these phrases and stuck to the most important issues at hand .

I'm glad that some marches are actually about peace. What would happen if someone did try to start a 'River to the sea'?

It is dreadful that there’s been an increase antisemitism, but I don’t think most people protested because they were simply racists.

Starmer has said certain phrases must not be used
and I hope the police enforce that.

From the river to sea is difficult - because some protesters say it means that Palestinians should be able to live freely from river to sea, but others view it as a call to remove the country of Israel.

For some protesters, the issue of being anti-Zionism is distinct to being antisemitic. This is an extremely sensitive, difficult and probably highly personal subject. I am not sure I would use the language due to this. I can see you could protest for Palestinian rights with less contentious phrases.

This was an interesting read:

https://theconversation.com/the-conflation-problem-why-anti-zionism-and-antisemitism-are-not-the-same-267676

In 2022, I surveyed American Jews with a weighted sample to account for various demographics. I found that while 58 per cent identified as Zionist, 70 per cent identified as such when I defined Zionism as “a feeling of attachment to Israel.” When I defined Zionism as a “belief in a Jewish and democratic state,” the number rose slightly, to 72 per cent.

But a very different picture emerged when I presented a vastly alternate definition of Zionism. If Zionism, I offered, “means the belief in privileging Jewish rights over non-Jewish rights in Israel, are you a Zionist?” Here, respondents’ support for the kind of Zionism experienced by Palestinians plummeted: only 10 per cent of respondents said they were “definitely” (three per cent) or “probably” (seven per cent) Zionist, according to this definition, with a full 69 per cent saying they were “probably not” or “definitely not.”

All hate speech, whether against Jews or Muslims or gay people, etc is entirely wrong. All the recent attacks are terrible.

The support Palestine marches are not hate marches and most people on them do not hate all Jews, but of the actions of the state of Israel in the ME. They are peace marches, conducted in a peaceful manner. The leader of the Greens, Zack Polanski is not a 'hate apologist' @mids2019. He is a Jewish man, who has joined other Jewish people on these marches and has found them to be peaceful and has apparently not encountered any hate speech nor anti semetic comments as a Jew. He has spoken very patiently and eloquently about his experiences and was subject to anti semitic behaviour during the interview. How many of these marches have you been on @mids2019? How about Kemi Badenoch, who has been jumping on the political bandwagon about these marches?

From the river to sea is difficult - because some protesters say it means that Palestinians should be able to live freely from river to sea, but others view it as a call to remove the country of Israel.

Gosh yeah, it's tricky isn't it? Should we adopt the slogans of Hamas and pretend they are calls for peace or should we not? Decisions, decisions....

If Starmer and the police want this phrase to be illegal, then I would personally have no objection to that.

As for Zionist - yeah, let's repurpose a word that means someone who supports the existence of Israel to mean 'EVIL supporter of genocide' and then go around saying Zionists deserve to die. In the meantime, normal Zionists, which includes a large majority of Jews are bafflingly threatened by this.

And then start assigning the usual antisemitic conspiracies to 'Zionists' like 'Jews control the media' 'Jews are controlling the government', 'Jews are baby killers' become 'Zionists control the media', 'Zionists are controlling the government', 'Zionists are baby killers'.

Why would anyone think that was antisemitism, assigning antisemitic conspiracy theories to a word that most Jews identify with?

Even Corbyn admitted that antisemites use Zionist as a code word for Jew.

And then you get people waffling on about how 'anti-Zionism isn't antisemitism'. Idiots.

We also shouldn’t tolerate any hate language nor racist tropes.

The article was interesting - as it included a survey by a Jewish researcher of Jewish people and their view of Zionism. It does’t seem as clear cut as you make it.

Yes, it is 'tricky' and far more complicated than you suggest. When you refer to Hamas, I assume you mean the organisation that has been funded by Israel over the years? Jolly tricky.

Those who believe that the Israelis should not be committing a genocide in Gaza and now perhaps in Lebanon should be allowed to march peacefully and OAPs should not be arrested for holding 'Free Palestine' placards. Free speech is a key feature of a democracy. Tommy Robinson and his crowd are at least equally violent and foul mouthed and certainly racist against Muslims/brown people. Has Kemi said anything about that, I wonder? Tricky....

As a Jewish person let me be clear . Being Jewish doesn’t mean you can’t be a antisemite. The fact that there are Jews on a march doesn’t mean it’s not a hate march. Polanski is a hateful individual who mentioned the perception of unsafety. Didn’t take long for that to be disproven but then poor Zack was traumatised by the sight of the terrorist being forced to drop the knife. He didnt seem traumatised by an elderly Jewish man being stabbed in the neck.
the fact that a Jewish person was told by police to stay away from a march so he doesn’t “antagonise” and was threatened with arrest- there’s your proof of so called peace marches.
the fact that Israel gets so much attention when there’s so many other causes to protest for- that’s antisemitism cloaked in anti Zionism

Yes, it is 'tricky' and far more complicated than you suggest. When you refer to Hamas, I assume you mean the organisation that has been funded by Israel over the years? Jolly tricky.

I mean Hamas, the group of Palestinians who are terrorists who murder both Israelis and Palestinians. The ones who many pro-Palestinians act like they don't exist because it doesn't fit the narrative, aren't Palestinians but some 'other', or actually support.

OAPS haven't been arrested for holding Free Palestine placards. Expressing support for a prohibited terrorist organisation might be what you are thinking of.

Tommy Robinson and his followers can be similarly foul, violent and racist, yes.

Free speech doesn't extend to being racist, threatening, or supporting terrorists.

Let's not forget the Iranian who was detained by police for holding a 'Hamas are terrorists' sign because the marchers didn't like it.

Why would peace marchers attack a man holding a 'Hamas are terrorists' sign?

It really reminds me of the trans debate. For some insane reason, the guardianista contingent thought a traditionally oppressed group was no longer deserving of their protection in the face of violence from a traditionally aggressive force.
As with the trans debate, the tide will turn.

You actually believe the words of ZP, tit whisperer who also lied about working for a charity. He runs a party where antisemitism is rife with 2 candidates being arrested for antisemitism just in the last week. Who believes what he says!

Difficult decision for antisemite, not difficult for those of us who aren't.

Of course he shouldn’t have been attacked and of course Hamas is a terrorist organisation. I am sure the vast majority of people on the march just walked straight past him. Those who assaulted him should have been arrested.

I read the guy who was holding up the sign worked for Tousi TV as a journalist.

I do feel for the police, and wonder what they think of all the marching and counter-protesting. I guess a price for right to protest.

Someone was stabbed at a protest. Nobody seems concerned about those protesters even though they stabbed someone? There was no talk of stopping those protests even though the protesters regularly threaten others online and in person including abusing the man they went on to stab when he was out with his children. They have attacked religious centres, attacked worshippers and still nothing, no calls for them to stop. There have been calls from the community for the government to step in an protect them but that has been ignored.

How many threads has the OP made about 'hate marchers' she clearly has a bee in her bonnet about marchers but only specific ones apparently, the ones who stab people, attack worshippers, throw molotov cocktails at religious centres they don't even warrant a mention. It's almost as if people want two tier policing.

Tommy Robinson hate marches and the weekly hate marches allegedly for 'Palestine' are both hate spreading and 2 cheeks of the same ass.

Indeed, why would they. Surely everyone would think Hamas are terrorists 🤔

It's really irritating isn't it, various posters having a bee in their bonnet (or in my case it was described as an "obsession" )against antisemitism.

What is wrong with us that we can't just accept the rise in antisemitism in UK society and stop going on about it.

Indeed. We should just ignore the antisemitism and it would stop, but it wouldn't, would it!

If you could show that there was an actual link between the marches an the rise in antisemitism then great. Except I don't think anyone has ever done that? If these marches were full of antisemitism there would be 100s of hours of footage of it online, we know how closely they are watched and have been since day dot. Where is all of this footage? Marches in multiple places across the UK, some weekly, where is the 100s of hours of footage of this antisemitism that you are trying to stop by shutting down these marches?

2 Jewish men were stabbed so we must shut down these marches. Where is the evidence that these marches had anything at all to with these stabbings? Prove the link then I will listen.

Now actual violent marchers who stab people and throw molotov cocktails at religious centres nobody is trying to shut them down?

I've got no problem with your 'obsession' with antisemitism, be obsessed with what you like but when you try to take away people rights because of your obsession then i have a problem with it.

Attacking the Green Party over ridiculous claims of anti-semitism has helped Reform get over 1,000 seats at the local elections on Thursday. I sincerely hope everyone involved is extremely happy with themselves. You all reap what you gosh darn sow.

When they hear, chanted through a megaphone: “Say it loud, say it clear, Zionists not welcome here,” they hear an echo of those who persecuted and expelled them in the past – because they know that “Zionists” has long been the euphemism of choice for hardcore antisemites who really mean Jews.

Even Jeremy Corbyn knew Zionist was used for Jewish. I'm sure people do actually know this and aren't really that naive thinking it doesn't when chanted as above.