PALESTINE ceasefire march organisers have rejected the false claims of a pro-Israel activist claiming that Jewish people are not welcome at the peaceful protests.
Campaign groups Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa and others have organised weekly demonstrations since October 7, attended by more than a million people who want to see an end to Israel’s sustained military attack on Gaza and Britain’s complicity.
The groups said that pro-Israel groups and the government have made repeated false claims to demonise the protests and block any criticism of Israel.
A video emerged over the weekend of a police officer telling the head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), Gideon Falter, that his presence would not be welcomed by demonstrators because he was “visibly Jewish.”
“As is evident to everyone who has attended our demonstrations, this could not be further from the truth,” the organisers said in a joint statement.
“The reality, as we have made clear on numerous occasions, is that every single one of the marches calling for a ceasefire has been attended by a very large number of Jewish people, many marching in an organised and highly visible Jewish bloc.
“On each occasion, Jewish speakers have been warmly received from the platform.”
The CAA has a track record of anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia, the organisers said, and hit out at Mr Falter’s claims that he was simply taking a stroll in London during the march.
Mr Falter attended the protest with a camera crew, the organisers said, adding: “If his presence was provocative, it was not because he is Jewish, but rather because he deliberately sought to disrupt the demonstration.”
The statement said the “dishonest antics of groups like CAA must not be allowed to undermine democracy,” including the right to protest, and called on the public to attend the next national march in London on Saturday.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade held an emergency protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice today in support of a legal challenge against the government’s continued arms sales to Israel.
Despite overwhelming evidence of Israel breaching International Humanitarian Law, the case was originally dismissed on February 18, but permission has been granted for an oral hearing to challenge this decision.
The government argued in the preliminary hearing today that it wants a secret hearing, and successfully delayed it until October.
