Son of Holocaust survivor on anti-Semitism

Holocaust survivor descendants at a recent demonstration in London

Mark Etkind, son of a survivor of the Lodz Ghetto and various concentration camps including Buchenwald - and co-organiser of Holocaust survivors and descendants against the Gaza genocide, writes:

Thanks for you and your colleagues' coverage of the appalling antisemitic attack in Golders Green. But this horror should not be used to justify more restrictions on British people's right to protest.

Starmer's claim that "If you are standing alongside people saying 'globalise the intifada', you are calling for terrorism against Jews" is an insult to the thousands of Jews who've happily joined protests where the slogan is chanted (BTW, the slogan is merely a call for pro-Palestine protests not terrorism against Jews!).

Mahmood's claim that pro-Palestine marches are full of "hate crimes" and that public order law is "not fit for purpose" are clearly intended to signal even more repression of these protests.

Please could you consider interviewing some of the hundreds of Jews who regularly attend the pro-Palestine protests.

Every large London march has a large Jewish Bloc and Jewish speakers, including Holocaust survivors, who are invariably cheered by the huge crowds. I've attended dozens of demos with placards showing my Holocaust survivor family background and have never once experienced any antisemitism at all.

I am not naive, I know antisemitism exists in the Britain. But I also know that these huge peaceful multi-cultural and multi-religious demos are reducing any potential antisemitism by uniting all humane British people against the US and Israel's genocidal, and near-genocidal, wars.

There are of course some in Britain, notably the present Government, who are content to continue arming and supporting Israel while it destroys Gaza, Iran and Lebanon. But, just as Britain's support for the invasion of Iraq led to a rise in domestic terrorism, Britain's support for Israel's endless wars can only encourage a repeat of such terrorism - some of which will be targeted against Jews.

In my view, the solution to the problem of domestic terrorism, especially antisemitic terrorism, is for the West to stop supporting wars in the Middle East - not to restrict the right to protest against these wars. Many British Jews agree with me, including Holocaust survivors and their descendants. Please get back to me if you wish to interview them.

Thanks,

Mark Etkind