Birmingham venue says it cannot provide safe space for ‘Jewish supremacy’ conspiracists event
The Old Print Works was scheduled to host the launch of the 'Anti-Zionist Movement' on Sunday
A venue due to hold an event featuring some of the country’s most notorious peddlers of “Jewish supremacy” conspiracy theories has said it can no longer host the meeting – because it cannot guarantee a “safe space” for participants.
The Old Print Works in Birmingham was due to hold the launch event for the “Anti-Zionist Movement” this coming Sunday, featuring individuals such as David Miller, Rahmeh Aladwan and Latifa Abouchakra, all of whom regularly post on social media about so-called “Jewish supremacy” in control of the UK.
Miller, who was sacked by the University of Bristol in 2021, has since become a producer for a show on Iranian regime-operated Press TV channel, which Abouchakra also works for. Aladwan was arrested by the police twice last year, including on suspicion of inciting racial hatred. In December, a medical tribunal voted to suspend her for 15 months while the General Medical Council conducted a full investigation into her conduct.
In a statement on Instagram to its five thousand followers, the venue said: “As a community charity The Old Print Works has limited resources available and under current circumstances cannot guarantee a safe space on the day for this event, its audience and our community.”
The venue adds that it is “committed to providing a safe civic space where topics of interest to our local community can be respectfully discussed. With the safety of our community in mind, we aim to put measures in place so that we can continue to host events, including those that provide a platform for under-represented voices.”
Responses to the post include criticisms of how the venue has “bowed down to the Zionist lobby” and accusations of the statement being “deliberately vague….maybe it would be better to be more transparent about your f**k up and about which under represented voices you are truly supporting.”
In a joint statement, grassroots advocacy groups Our Fight and Stop the Hate said they “welcome the announcement that The Old Print Works in Birmingham, that was due to host the launch event of the new hate campaign ‘The Anti-Zionist Movement’, has pulled out.”
The two had called for a public march to the venue, whilst the group Action on Antisemitism had encouraged people to write to the venue, the police and the Home Office.
Mark Birbeck, director of Our Fight, said: “Just because we are committed to free speech doesn’t mean that we aren’t entitled to draw the venue and the public’s attention to the bigotry that the Anti-Zionist Movement is promoting. Their event announcement called on anyone who supports ‘armed resistance’ and oppose ‘Jewish supremacy’ to attend. We have seen on Bondi Beach and outside Manchester Synagogue what this means. They are calling for — and trying to justify — the use of the most extreme measures against Jews and anyone who stands with them.”
Itai Galmudy, founder of Stop the Hate, added: “We believe that most British people, of whatever faith, will see the launch of such an extreme organisation as a sign of growing blatant and unapologetic anti-Semitism. We are pleased that so many people joined in the letter-writing campaign organised by AOA and answered the call to march from Our Fight and Stop the Hate.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We welcome the news that the charity hosting this event has cancelled it. This event was for people obsessed with conspiracy theories about ‘Jewish supremacy’ and those who are ‘pro armed resistance’. This sort of rhetoric has no place in modern Britain, and we hope that other venues will be equally resistant to hosting those who spout it.”
The Old Print Works has not responded to requests for comment from Jewish News.
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