The CST has rebuffed a claim from fringe Jewish group Na’amod, who said they were “blocked” from marching against antisemitism in Manchester on Sunday.
Na’amod accused the security body and the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region (JRC) of barring their entry to the rally in an accusation that led to sympathy from left-wing pundits on social media, including Owen Jones.
But both bodies have refuted these claims. The CST investigated the allegation and said: "it is not correct - CST did not block or prevent Na'amod's participation in the march.”
“CST security officers were present only to protect the march from any physical threats and were not responsible for any decisions about participation.” There is no suggestion that Na’amod presented such a threat.
A spokesperson for JRC said: “The first we were made aware of any issue was after the event when [Na’amod] posted on social media. The JRC had no contact with anyone from the organisation and we did not deny them or anyone else entry to the event.
The spokerson denied Na’amod’s claim: “We have subsequently established that [Na’amod] did walk the route and their allegations are categorically untrue. At the Castlefield Bowl, we believe that they were asked to stand to one side by the police to ensure the continued smooth running of the event.”
The march in Manchester attracted 6,500 people and was the largest gathering of Jews in the city in recent history.
On Sunday, Na'amod claimed: “We were distressed to be blocked from the main march by @CST_UK and the @JewishMCR who would not let us attend with our banners.”
Na’amod are a Jewish group, who refer to the situation in Israel and Palestine as an “apartheid occupation”, Na’amod has frequently been part of the so-called “Jewish bloc” at anti-Israel rallies.
In November, the group claimed the London march against antisemitism had been politicised and refused to attend the 100,000-person event in protest.
The group said they could not attend “in good faith, because we know this march is not just about antisemitism.”
They said that the march was organised "in response to the huge weekly ceasefire demonstrations in London.” They said it was a “smear” to call the anti-Israel rallies antisemitic. Nine people were arrested in the capital during the most recent large anti-Israel rally on January 13.
The JC has approached Na’amod for further comment.
