A few reflections on the march against antisemitism today, the biggest since the Battle of Cable Street.
There was not a single masked face; not a single act of intimidation or vandalism; not a single call for death or genocide; not a single desecration of our monuments or statutes; and not a single bad-tempered interaction with the police. (I did however see a placard about chicken soup, one about Jewish mothers not being monsters, one asking people to become anti-Marmite rather than antisemite, and one declaring a desire for a Jewish husband, including a phone number.)
It was all very good-humoured and moving. The police were there to protect those attending, not to defend society against them. Officers were all smiles and everything was smooth and easy. The @metpoliceuk was thanked at the end, as was the glorious @CST_UK.
I especially valued seeing the proud Iranians there, flying their flags and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel and Jews against fanatical jihadism and the theocratic regime in Tehran.
Old Tommy Robinson was carted off shortly after he arrived, and good riddance. As the march got going, the atmosphere was at times quite quiet. We ordinary folk are not activists. We are not used to this sort of thing, did not have ready-made chants and felt a little embarrassed by raising our voices. When we did, however, we called for the release of the hostages, the prosecution of those guilty of hate crimes and peace. @Roxanna04749331 and I overcame our Englishness to lead several rounds of “bring them home.” We were slightly over-caffeinated. We sang traditional Jewish songs asserting the right of the people of Israel simply to live and calling for peace. One poignant sign read “I’m allowed to be proud of being Jewish,” as if the bearer was almost trying to convince himself.
In Parliament Square, the statue of Winston Churchill stooped above us like an ally. There were many chants and songs for peace, repeated frequently and with much feeling. In the @chiefrabbi’s wonderful and moving speech, which stood out magnificently from the rest, he made it utterly clear that every innocent Palestinian death — fetishised by Hamas — is a tragedy. He made it clear that this was a war that Israel did not ask for or want, and we raised a universal prayer for peace.
We did feel the absence of political support. It was wonderful to see @TomTugendhat, @RobertJenrick, @peterkyle and others, but there should have been so many more politicians standing up for Jews, including party leaders and front benchers. It was also baffling to see that while the @JLC_UK came out to bat, the @BoardofDeputies failed dismally to wholeheartedly support the rally. This shouldn’t have been controversial. It was a matter of fundamental British and Jewish values.
But let’s not focus on the negatives. I can say with all confidence that not one of the 105,000 people there wished anything but peace and prosperity to Palestinians and Muslims. There were no hate chants, no calls for violence and absolutely no racism. If there were any extremists there, I didn’t see them and they were utterly insignificant in number.
On the streets today were people from all backgrounds, religions and walks of life. There were many bobble hats. (Many excellent @JewishChron people.) This was unmistakably the silent majority finally discovering its voice. There was much camaraderie and good humour. One lady gave my step-daughter a yellow ribbon to demand the release of the hostages, and tied it into her hair. Many people recognised me and expressed their love and support. It was a unification of Jews and non-Jews alike, marching in favour of tolerance, freedom, liberalism and justice. And standing against jihadism.
Great Britain: 105,000 of you turned up in the cold and wet today and did us bloody proud. We can all hold our heads a little higher tonight. Thank you @antisemitism, led by the heroic @gideonfalter, for organising such a powerful and historic moment. עם ישראלַ חי
