Chants calling for an intifada, placards claiming Zionists control Britain and money waved at counter-protesters – the atmosphere was predictably hostile as tens of thousands joined the Nakba Day rally through central London on Saturday afternoon.
Despite repeated appeals from Jewish leaders for the Metropolitan Police to change the march to a static rally, the procession from South Kensington to Waterloo Place via Piccadilly went ahead. With the Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) led far-right Unite the Kingdom rally also taking place on Saturday, the combined policing operation cost £4.5 million and 4,000 officers were deployed. There were 12 arrests at Nakba Day and 20 at Unite the Kingdom, with 11 held for hate crime-related offences.
A number of incidents were of particular concern to the Jewish community, for example when members of a shul had to walk along part of the protest route on their way home home from Shabbat.
Money waved at counter-protesters
A man wearing a hooded jacket and dark glasses waved a £10 note at counter-protesters as demonstrators streamed past in Knightsbridge. One witness said he believed the gesture was antisemitic because it invoked the “rich Jew” trope.
‘Intifada’ gestures and abuse
Outside Hyde Park, one demonstrator approached counter-protesters while repeatedly making the inverted triangle gesture associated with Hamas terror targets. Chanting “intifada, intifada”, he responded to a shocked bystander’s exclamation of “really?” by repeating the gesture and replying: “Yeah, really, really.”
Another woman shouted at counter-protesters: “Israeli terrorist, get your dog to rape people, why don’t you?” referencing unsubstantiated allegations published by The New York Times that the IDF has trained dogs to sexually assault Palestinians.
Other demonstrators used megaphones to shout “baby killers” at pro-Israel attendees, while some directed middle-finger gestures at counter protesters.
’Globalise the intifada’
Veteran anti-Israel activist Tony Greenstein, who is Jewish, was arrested and handcuffed after carrying a placard carrying the message “Globalise the intifada”. Elsewhere, large crowds could be heard chanting the same slogan. This was despite an announcement by the Metropolitan Police after the Heaton Park murders that anyone using phrase at protests in London would face arrest.
‘Death to the IDF’
The chant “Death to the IDF”, which gained notoriety after being shouted by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury last year, echoed through parts of the demonstration.
Explicit antisemitism
One protester interviewed by the far-right Canadian outlet Rebel News declared, “Hitler knew how to deal with these people” while discussing Zionists.
“If the West feel so sorry for the Israeli Zionist, why don’t they give [them] a place in Germany? Why don’t they go to Hitler’s back garden and make an occupation there? Then they will know what kind of people these are. Why every hundred years do these Zionists get slaughtered?” he said, wrapped in a black-and-white keffiyeh.
Praise for direct action
Several protesters carried placards appearing to endorse violence. One demonstrator, their face covered with a keffiyeh, held a large banner reading: “Direct action is not terrorism.”
Others carried posters produced by the pro-Iran Islamic Human Rights Commission bearing the slogans “Resistance by any means necessary” and “Choose the right side of history”, alongside an image of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Another handmade sign read: “We will not surrender victory or martyrdom.”
‘Zionist control’ conspiracies
A number of signs promoted classic antisemitic conspiracy theories alleging Zionist control over institutions. One placard declared: “Wake up our media, TV, radio, government, police, legal system are controlled by Zionists,” adding: “Zionists are ruthless, brutal heartless thugs.”
Another read: “Zionism is racism and narcissism wrapped in a wet dream of colonialism,” while a separate placard stated: “Zionism is murder and theft.”
One sign alleged that “money from Tel Aviv and shady British Zionists” had “enslaved” the UK.
Another stated: “Killing ain’t kosher! Bruv”, while two women held signs styled like Israeli flags but replacing the Magen David with a grotesque caricature of a strictly Orthodox settler baring his teeth.
On Exhibition Road in Kensington, a demonstrator displayed a sign reading: “Hang every Zog, pedo, c***”, the acronym ZOG widely understood as shorthand for “Zionist Occupied Government”.
Meanwhile, a short distance away at the Unite the Kingdom rally, two demonstrators from a far-right group carried a banner declaring: “End Zionist occupation of Britain! Stop white replacement.”
Tin can hurled toward pro-Israel counter-protesters
One activist was filmed throwing a can toward a group of pro-Israel counter-protesters before disappearing back into the crowd near Hyde Park Corner. Draped in a keffiyeh, the activist sprinted past stewards in high-vis jackets, a protester dressed in NHS scrubs and a man carrying a banner reading “Operation Epstein”.
The individual was reportedly arrested shortly afterwards and charged with possession of drugs, assault of a police officer and criminal damage, and has been banned from attending protests and entering the borough of Westminster ahead of a court hearing on July 6.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.