JEWISH campaigners voiced their opposition today to legislation that will further boost police powers — warning that it threatens to silence those opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza under the guise of protecting worshippers.

The Crime and Policing Bill includes proposals to further clamp down on the right to protest, including vague rules to restrict protests in the “vicinity” of a place of worship.

Today, as the Bill headed to the House of Lords for its second reading, campaign group Jewish Voice for Liberation (JVL, formerly Jewish Voice for Labour) warned that the new powers have one specific target — marches in support of Palestine.

The group has urged the removal of clause 124 of the legislation, which suggests enforcing restrictions on the grounds that protests may intimidate and deter people from attending places of worship.

“Synagogues and their worshippers are now being deployed as arguments to eliminate the most effective expression of popular opposition to what Israel has been doing in Gaza,” JVL’s statement reads.

“Yet there is zero evidence beyond rhetorical assertion that the marches are anti-semitic in character, or that synagogues or worshippers are in need of protection.”

The statement went on to underline that calls to enforce the restrictions come from variety of groups, “including those who claim to represent the Jewish community.”  

“These bodies do not represent us in the Jewish Bloc, or any of the growing proportion of Jews appalled by Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.”

It went on to note that “action based on these new powers should they become law will depend purely on a police perception — namely that some worshippers may feel intimidated by an assembly or procession, regardless of its actual character.” 

“We know that when police are given powers to restrict protest, they are invariably abused.”

In January, the Metropolitan Police imposed an exclusion zone that prevented a Palestine march from gathering at the BBC’s headquarters, as it was 500 metres away from the Central Synagogue, even though the protest was moving away from the synagogue which was not on the route.

“This restriction protected the BBC, not Jewish worshippers,” JVL said.

Other new rules in the new Bill include bans on face coverings and plans to compel protesters on limited visas to leave the country if they receive a police caution.