🔗 Share this article

In today's Britain, public demonstration has ceased to be a basic freedom. Instead, it has become a privilege that those in power allow or deny as they see fit. This represents the underlying meaning of new regulations that the current government is advancing, which would determine the timing and location protests can occur, with potential imprisonment for those who defy these limitations.

Gradual Weakening of Civil Liberties

Previous governments had already undermined this fundamental freedom: the former Conservative government had given law enforcement extensive new authorities, which global rights bodies had condemned as "significant and undue restrictions" on civil liberties. Taken together, these progressive assaults on liberty have effectively abolished the hard-won right to public demonstration.

Using Atrocity to Justify Suppression

The most recent limitations are being defended by citing last week's heinous anti-Jewish attack on a Manchester Islamic center. We can all agree on widespread consensus that the safety of Jewish communities in Britain must be protected. However, employing this atrocity as a pretext to suppress dissent is not only unrelated to that duty but perverts it.

"When you cannot set boundaries at genocide, you likely cannot establish limits at democracy," observed a prominent American author, a statement that applies equally for the present administration.

Historical Perspective of Demonstration

Reflect on Britain's long tradition of public demonstration and activism against racial discrimination and authoritarianism, from the 1936 Battle of Cable Street to postwar Jewish groups opposing fascism and the 1970s demonstrations against the far-right organization. Many of these historical demonstrators were branded as radicals in their era, even while they were fighting for the freedoms of marginalized groups.

Present Situation

In today's complicated landscape, here's what's truly occurring: Israel – a foreign state – is perpetrating what United Nations investigations have described as systematic destruction. Its warfare have prompted the International Criminal Court to issue legal indictments against Israel's prime minister and his former defense minister.

International popular sentiment has shifted dramatically against Israel's violent actions. In Britain, a large percentage of citizens think Israel has likely committed war crimes. Most people would endorse a complete ban on weapons exports to the state, and approve the arrest of the Israeli leader.

Suppressing Opposition

Having essentially failed the argument, Israel's supporters are now seizing on a vile antisemitic crime to try to suppress a popular campaign against a moral catastrophe. The British government appears to be included in this attempt. Ministers have not enacted comprehensive sanctions on Israel and have permitted weapon shipments to proceed.

People who are protesting against the erasure of Gaza have been labeled as dangerous radicals. Yet there's a important factor why there hasn't been a more extensive crackdown on these demonstrators until now: extremely few protesters have made truly offensive statements about Jewish people, giving law enforcement little justification to intervene.

Dangerous Conflation

Equating Jewish identity with the policies of the Israeli state is not only manipulative but also dangerous. The standard interpretation of anti-Jewish prejudice, adopted by the British government and many organizations, has been appropriately challenged for potentially restricting valid commentary of Israel. However, there should be universal agreement about one of its central illustrations: that "holding Jewish people generally accountable for actions of the state of Israel" constitutes antisemitism.

Escalating Restrictions

This is why we've reached a point where law enforcement can suggest that demonstrations criticizing Israel's actions should be called off because they might "accidentally or deliberately" support anti-Jewish sentiment. Similarly, political figures have stated that acknowledgment of Palestine as a nation has made political parties "complicit" in alleged abuse faced by British Jews.

Inconsistent Treatment

On the very day as the synagogue attack, the Israel's army killed numerous of Palestinians in Gaza – increasing the horrific toll from 24 months of daily atrocities that have claimed tens of thousands of lives. British political leaders and media outlets have hardly hidden the minimal importance they assign to Palestinian existence. This represents one of the boldest demonstrations of racism in contemporary society.

Breaking Boundaries

Our government has already crossed a concerning boundary by banning Palestine Action, a peaceful, anti-genocide direct action organization. Multiple thousands of British demonstrators have been arrested, mostly for holding signs against mass killing and supporting the proscribed group. Many of those arrested are elderly citizens; including a former clergyman and the child of a World War II genocide survivor.

International Parallels

It's easy to see where this trajectory leads. In the United States, political leaders helped vilify demonstrations supporting Palestine: a ex-political leader implied that some were "connected to" other nations, while the current president described such demonstrations as anti-Jewish. In taking these actions, they helped legitimize the repressive measures on such protests – and on freedom of expression in general.

Future Concerns

If a conservative administration comes to power, it would be granted extensive authority to control dissent. What might a new administration do with this repressive toolkit? Our ancestors fought, endured hardship and sacrificed their lives to secure our freedoms. We may ultimately rue how casually we permitted them to slip away.