🔗 Share this article

In contemporary Britain, public demonstration has ceased to be a basic freedom. Instead, it has become a conditional permission that authorities grant or withhold at their discretion. This constitutes the underlying meaning of proposed measures that the current government is advancing, which would determine when and where protests can take place, with potential prison sentences for those who defy these limitations.

Gradual Weakening of Civil Liberties

Earlier administrations had already weakened this fundamental freedom: the previous Tory administration had granted law enforcement extensive additional powers, which global rights bodies had condemned as "serious and unjustified limitations" on civil liberties. Collectively, these progressive assaults on freedom have practically abolished the hard-won right to public demonstration.

Exploiting Atrocity to Justify Suppression

The latest restrictive measures are being justified by referring to last week's terrible antisemitic attack on a Manchester mosque. We can all agree on widespread consensus that the safety of Jewish communities in Britain must be protected. However, using this horrific incident as a pretext to suppress opposition is not only unrelated to that responsibility but perverts it.

"When you cannot draw the line at genocide, you probably can't establish limits at democracy," observed a well-known American author, whose words that rings true for the current government.

Historical Context of Protest

Reflect on Britain's rich history of public demonstration and activism against racism and fascism, from the historic 1936 Cable Street confrontation to postwar Jewish anti-fascist movements and the 1970s demonstrations against the National Front. Many of these historical demonstrators were branded as radicals in their time, even while they were advocating the rights of minorities.

Present Situation

In today's complex situation, here's what's truly happening: The Israeli government – a foreign state – is perpetrating what United Nations investigations have characterized as systematic destruction. Its warfare have led the global justice body to release arrest warrants against Israel's prime minister and his ex-military leader.

International public opinion has shifted dramatically against Israel's violent actions. In Britain, a large percentage of the public think Israel has probably committed war crimes. Most people would support a total prohibition on weapons exports to the state, and back the detention of the Israeli leader.

Suppressing Opposition

Having essentially failed the public debate, pro-Israel advocates are now exploiting a despicable anti-Jewish attack to try to silence a popular campaign against a moral catastrophe. The British government appears to be involved in this effort. Government officials have failed to implement comprehensive sanctions on Israel and have allowed weapon shipments to continue.

People who are demonstrating against the destruction of Gaza have been labeled as hateful extremists. Yet there's a significant reason why there hasn't been a more extensive suppression on these protesters until now: very limited protesters have made genuinely hateful statements about Jewish people, giving law enforcement minimal reason to take action.

Dangerous Conflation

Merging Jewish heritage with the actions of the government of Israel is not only manipulative but also harmful. The standard interpretation of anti-Jewish prejudice, accepted by the British government and numerous institutions, has been rightly questioned for potentially restricting legitimate criticism of Israel. However, there should be universal agreement about one of its key examples: that "holding Jewish people collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel" constitutes prejudice against Jews.

Escalating Restrictions

This is why we've arrived at a situation where law enforcement can propose that protests criticizing Israel's policies should be canceled because they might "accidentally or deliberately" support anti-Jewish sentiment. Similarly, government officials have declared that recognition of Palestinian statehood has made political parties "complicit" in supposed mistreatment experienced by British Jews.

Double Standards

On the same day as the synagogue attack, the Israel's army killed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza – increasing the terrible count from two years of ongoing violence that have taken tens of thousands of lives. British politicians and news organizations have barely concealed the minimal importance they attach to Palestinian existence. This represents one of the most brazen expressions of racism in our time.

Breaking Boundaries

Our government has already passed a concerning threshold by banning a specific activist group, a non-violent, anti-genocide activist collective. Thousands of British protesters have been detained, primarily for holding signs against mass killing and endorsing the proscribed group. Many of those detained are elderly citizens; among them a retired priest and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.

International Parallels

It's easy to see where this path leads. In the United States, government officials helped demonize pro-Palestinian protests: a ex-political leader implied that some were "connected to" other nations, while the sitting leader characterized such protests as antisemitic. In taking these actions, they contributed to normalizing the authoritarian crackdown on such protests – and on freedom of expression in general.

Future Concerns

If a conservative administration comes to power, it would be given extensive authority to suppress opposition. What might a Reform government do with this repressive toolkit? Our ancestors struggled, endured hardship and died to establish our liberties. We may ultimately rue how easily we permitted them to slip away.