Banning marches will increase antisemitism

Following the stabbing of two Jews in Golders Green, Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s adviser on terrorism and state threats legislation, is reported as saying

we may have reached a point where we need to have a moratorium on the sorts of marches that have been happening,

adding that

it is clearly impossible at the moment for any of these pro-Palestine marches not to incubate within them some sort of antisemitic or demonising language.

He described the situation as a

massive national security emergency.

There are two obvious questions in response to this:

1. Is Hall right that the protests against the Israeli genocide lead to violence against Jews?
   

2. Would banning protests reduce the violence against Jews? 

We believe that the answer to the first is probably not and to the second almost certainly not. 

In attempting an answer to these questions, let us first note that very little information is available about the factors that have influenced the attackers. While it is reported that a group called Hayi has claimed responsibility, we do not know who is really behind the various attacks. So, Hall’s comments are based on pure speculation.

We know of no evidence that peaceful protest against Israeli actions and against UK support for those actions has a significant effect on the level of violence against Jews. It can more convincingly be argued that the sight of large numbers of Jews and Christians participating in the demonstrations helps Muslim participants understand that these groups are not their enemy – and show them that people of faith (and no faith) are supporting a common cause.

On the contrary, we believe that the primary driver of violence against Jews is Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its ongoing war in Lebanon, and its instigation of the attacks on Iran, coupled with the endorsement of these actions by the UK  Jewish establishment – notably the Board of Deputies and the Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogues, Ephraim Mirvis. The widely publicised though false belief that all Jews support Israel’s war adds to this. Banning demonstrations will not reduce the power of this driver of violence.

The Chair of CAMPAIN Adam Waterhouse put the matter as follows in a recent FB post:

Pro-Palestine demonstrators are LESS likely to engage in violence than football fans... So sure, let's ban pro-Palestine protests, but only AFTER we've banned every single football match in the country. Please don't fall for this type of lying manipulation.

The UK government is still supplying weapons to Israel, and has been providing it with diplomatic, logistical and intelligence support, in open defiance of its obligation under the UN Genocide Convention to use all means reasonably available  [...] to prevent genocide. This, and the persistent refusal of both (hitherto) major political parties to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, even as the death toll mounted to tens of thousands, may have led vulnerable minds on the extreme fringes of British politics to believe wrongheadedly that they need to undertake armed attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions. A ban on protest will give grist to the mill of such beliefs and undermine the vast majority (including Muslims) that is committed to peaceful protest.

The result will most likely be the opposite to what the government claims it seeks to achieve. It will lead to more division and mistrust between societal groups and the encouragement of extremists.

Mike Cushman of Jewish Voice for Liberation put the situation very aptly, in a recently online post:

Falsely describing the marches to oppose genocide as ‘hate marches’ and using the appalling stabbings in Golders Green as another excuse to try to get them banned will not reduce antisemitism.  The marchers are clear about the distinction between Jews and Israelis. The sizeable Jewish Bloc is always welcomed on the marches. It is Zionists, Jewish and non-Jewish, who muddle the two.

Banning the marches will be interpreted by too many as showing that Jews have too much influence and are able to ban free assembly in order to silence criticism of Israel. This  will increase antisemitism.