Far-left activists lead call for ‘intifada from London to Gaza’ at Palestine demo
In an incendiary rant while attending the latest pro-Palestine demonstration in central London, Piers Corbyn tells Jewish News the Hamas terror atrocities of 7th October are 'a lie, a lie, a lie'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Pro-Palestinian protesters affiliated to far-left Trotskyist organisations led the calls for an “intifada from London to Gaza” at the latest demonstration to take place in central London under the pretext of demanding a ceasefire to Israel’s war with Hamas terrorists.
Jewish News observed activists from the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Appeal group use loud-speakers to whip up protesters attending Saturday’s demo into joining inflammatory chants calling for a global uprising or “intifada”, along with the “resistance” by Palestinians against Israel was “justified”.
Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour leader, who attended the demo, and later delivered a speech away from the organisers main stage, attempted to deny that Hamas has committed atrocities when quizzed by Jewish News close to Westminster tube station.
In an incendiary rant, he denied Hamas had butchered women and children on 7th October, insisting: “It was a lie, a lie, a lie – and the Israeli government admits it was a lie.”
Asked if he denied that 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered by Hamas he said: “Yes I do deny that. There’s no evidence of this stuff. The whole thing was a set up from start to finish to justify an invasion and take the oil. And destroy Palestine and make an Israeli superstate.”
‘From London to Gaza….intifada ‘ pic.twitter.com/aUvVYA55LE
— lee harpin (@lmharpin) October 28, 2023
The latest demonstration sparked continued fears among many in the UK Jewish community about the often inflammatory nature of pro-Palestinian demos, with some commentators only helping to further that nervousness by posting comments on social media suggesting the scale of the protests meant Jews should question their future in this country.
Later, the elder brother of the former Labour leader was filmed delivering a speech to a small group of activists who had attended the main protest.
The group cheered and waved Palestinian flags as Corbyn repeated his claim “the whole thing was a set up to justify an invasion”.
He then added: “It will only end when we stand up in numbers and break the legs of the New World tyranny behind them all.”
Later as the demonstration, which attracted about 150, 000 people, left Victoria Embankment and proceeded into Whitehall, a small group of females were filmed chanting in Arabic – “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return”, a slogan harking back to the seventh-century which prompted the mass slaughter of tribal Jewish communities.
The Metropolitan Police later said they were investigating a “hate crime incident” and posted a picture of two women in the video clip officers wished to speak to.
A Met spokesperson confirmed that nine people were arrested on Saturday, seven for public order offences – some of which are being investigated in relation to possible hate crimes – and two for assaults on officers.
Police had been eager to show they were responding to perceived offences, after coming under criticism over their failure to act on previous demos.
Many people brought along handmade banners and placards to the demo, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Friends of Al Aqsa, the Muslim Council of Great Britain and other groups.
While none expressed explicit support for Hamas, one woman held up a sign reading “The Real Terrorists Wear Suits”. Another woman held a cardboard sign reading”What Do Zionists See When They Look In The Mirror? Nazis #FreePalestine”.
A front page of the SWP’s weekly newspaper was widely sold on the demo with the front page headline Smash Israeli Terror State.
It typified the alliance between most far-left Trotskist groups and organisations with an Islamist outlook that has grown and flourished around the pro-Palestine movement.
While small in number, there was a not insignificant presence of anti-Zionist Jews also at Saturday’s protest, many marching as part of a co-ordinated “Jewish bloc.”Groups involved included members of Jewish Solidarity Action, Jewdas, Black Jewish Alliance, Na’amod, the Jewish Socialists’ Group, Jews for Justice for Palestinians and Jewish Voice for Labour.
It was impossible to judge just how many Jews joined the protest, but numbers appeared to be over one hundred.
Jewish News spoke with three women, two of whom held aloft banners reading: “This Jewish Person Thinks Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right” and another which said:”Jews Against The War on Gaza”.
Judith told Jewish News:”We want to be here with everyone else because we are humanists. But we also want to say this is not being done for us. Not in our name.”
Another woman on the Jewish bloc added:”Many people think Israel and Jews is all one thing. Many of us do not associate ourselves with Israel.We are Jewish, not Zionist.”
Asked for her thoughts on the Jewish people in Israel, Judith said:”The people who live there, there’s a lot of evidence that the occupation is not at the front of anybody’s mind.”
Another woman, Charlotte, said it was “difficult to speak with Jewish friends and family”.
While another on the “bloc” said that while “it was really important to state my opposition to the Israeli regime, at the same time, I am horrified by what Hamas did. We all are distraught”
They agreed the actions of Hamas had “set back the cause of peace, decades”
Later a man, who wore a kippah and held a Palestinian flag tied around him, and who identified himself as Yoni, said he had attended the demo because: “Never Again means Never Again for everyone.”
He added: “What the Israeli state has carried out in our name is horrendous, a crime against humanity. ”
Yoni, who said he was observant and had walked to the demo from synagogue, said he compared what Israel was doing with “the situation in South Africa in the 1980s, a complete abandonment of democracy, the averted use of violence, and the explicit genocidal language around Gaza.”
He claimed that the Israeli government was “not confronting the reality of what Hamas did” by working to free the hostages through a ceasefire.
Among those holding up a JVL banner at the demo was Glyn Secker, the group’s national secretary, who had been expelled from Labour.
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