On Sunday I had the great privilege of being able to attend the Rally for Peace for the People of Israel and Gaza held in Albert Square with hundreds of people from the North West of England.
I think all those who attended would agree that the most inspiring, uplifting and moving speech was made by a non-Jew, Lorna Fitzsimons, former MP for Rochdale and now CEO of BICOM (British Israel Communications and Research Centre), an organisation dedicated to tell the truth about Israel and its detractors and to counter the half-truths, lies and bias of the British media. She spoke of her recent visit to Sderot and her passionate support of Israel and the Jewish people. To hear such truth from someone not of a Jewish background drew the loudest cheers and many tears. Lorna proclaimed that it should not be left to the Jewish People alone to tell the world the truth but that it was the duty of everyone.
What a striking contrast, then, to those Jews of Jews for Justice for Palestinians who stood ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with Islamists, left-wing agitators, Stop The War Coalition and others. As Joy Wolfe asked for one minute’s silence to remember the victims in both Israel AND Gaza, the counter-demonstrators, who had kept up a constant barrage of noise and abuse throughout, could be heard to chant ‘Kill The Jews’. What did the Jews in that counter-demonstration feel at that point, I wonder. Although these misguided individuals have every right to their beliefs and opinions and also to march or demonstrate in support of those beliefs, it is beyond appalling that they should associate with the Jew-haters, islamo-fascists and left-wing dupes and find themselves actually marching IN SUPPORT OF HAMAS, an organisation dedicated to kill every Jew in the world, including (well-meaning) them. Make no mistake; if they thought they were marching to show that Jews too feel for the people of Gaza and Palestine then not only should they have been with us inside Albert Square, but they were naive to the point of recklessness. How sad it is that our fellow Jews should send such a message to the world. Frankly, their behaviour is scandalous and I hope they learned a lesson that day.
In London and Manchester the calm, thoughtful and dignified rallies for peace and life were in stark contrast to the rabid behaviour of the anti-Zionists and Jew-haters who clearly showed just why Jews need their own state and a state that is militarily strong enough not only to defend itself but to have the strength of will to act in the teeth of world ‘opinion’. The prostrate leaders of the world’s democracies have shown themselves to be more concerned about potential insurrection at home from an enemy within than the pursuit of peace and the facing down of these jihadis and their deranged fellow-travellers.