OPINION: Even amid unprecedented anti-Jewish hate we must still be mensches
Ramping up understandable fears about antisemitism in this country since 7 October is showmanship rather than leadership, argues Lee Harpin
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Two wrongs do not make a right. A pretty basic concept that we all get taught early in life – yet it’s something that some people choose to ignore in order to make a point.
Let’s be clear: at any time, let alone one where antisemitism in this country is at unprecedented recorded levels, the hatred against Jews we are now sadly used to seeing on the regular protests in central London is undeniable and indefensible.
While there are many people marching whose sole desire is to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause and wish for an end to the violence on all sides we see in Israel and Gaza, they are joined by people acting in extremely bad faith. People who want to use this opportunity to continue their antisemitic campaign to see the eradication of the world’s only Jewish state.
These include the organisers of the marches. Even if only for show, you would hope they would brief their stewards on the march to take action against people with placards bearing swastikas or equating Zionism with Nazism.
It should be enough to know that Jews find ‘From the River…’ objectionable and hurtful to urge people not to use it – never mind freedom of speech, never mind different interpretations of that phrase.
But this never happens. Because, like all far-left organisations, they prize ideological purity and solidarity against calling out racism.
They abuse the trust those ordinary people who are simply marching for peace and they undermine their case. And they undoubtedly make the police’s job harder.
It is their right to march every week. But just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.
The right to walk around central London wearing a kippah on Shabbat is not a license to ignore a police officer’s well-intentioned suggestion about personal safety. The offer to provide an escort to avoid confrontation might be seen as entirely reasonable.
Yes, the language used by that PC was clumsy and stupid. But it wasn’t said to cause offence and it doesn’t mean he didn’t have a point.
As the unexpurgated recording of the episode which emerged last week demonstrated, he went out of his way to be supportive and protective. But that doesn’t make for such a good headline.
As Jews, we’ve always been proud of our ability to keep our traditions and beliefs whilst assimilating with other cultures. It’s why we’ve made such a disproportionately large impact on the culture, economy and civic life of this country, especially in its capital.
Which means we behave like mensches – we try to follow the law and are respectful of others.
What we saw last weekend was far from this. It was looking to cause trouble and – to be honest – it’s not clear what the point of doing it was.
If it is too dangerous because of the toxicity of the marches, then the policeman was right to handle it in the way he did. If he wasn’t, then was the interaction simply to provoke outrage, arrest, even?
The truth is that not everyone thinks London is a no-go zone, even central London, even on a Saturday.
Ramping up fear does nothing to assuage a community that, after 7 October and the immediate rise in antisemitism, is anxious and fearful. Ramping up those fears, playing games with them is not leadership, it’s showmanship.
And, like many in the community, I’m getting increasingly tired of this show’s presenter and his antics.
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