Jewish activists critical of Israel barred from march against anti-Semitism

A group of Jewish activists claim that they were barred from participating in a march against anti-Semitism in Manchester on Sunday. Members of Na’amod and Jewish Action for Palestine Manchester reported being blocked by event organisers the Community Security Trust (CST) and the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester.

The activists carried banners critical of Israeli policies towards Palestinians. They condemn being excluded due to their political views, saying that it is contradictory to the spirit of fighting bigotry and racism which the groups say is part of the Jewish tradition. “We believe that all Jews should be safe and have a place in the struggle against anti-Semitism,” said Na’amod on X. “We also believe that our safety as Jews is interlinked with the safety of others.”

They accuse the organisers of the march, which was attended by members of the UK parliament, of failing to represent diverse Jewish perspectives by shutting out dissenting voices. The activists argue that no community organisation or event against hate should itself discriminate based on ethnic identity or opinions.

In their statement, Na’amod cited a rabbi who affirmed the right for Jewishness to be expressed in many forms. “The multiple voices make Judaism the rich tradition that it is,” Rabbi Josh Levy was quoted as saying. “It is about the broadness of Judaism’s shoulders which allows it to carry different forms and views, and always has done.”

By excluding those with opposing views to the Israeli state, the pro-Israel organisers stand accused of undermining their own credibility in claiming to stand unequivocally against anti-Semitism. Sunday’s incident spotlights the strong disagreement over when condemnation of Israel becomes anti-Semitic. Critics argue that equating all anti-Zionism and opposition to the apartheid state of Israel with anti-Jewish hatred ultimately does more harm than good.

Across the Western world there has been a growing crackdown on Jews critical of Israel. While opposition to Zionism was once a majority view within world Jewry, anti-Zionism became a minority view following the creation of Israel in the land of Palestine. Jews critical of Israel have been targeted not only by members of their own community, but also by Western allies of the settler-colonial state.

In the UK, anti-racist Jews critical of Israel have been persecuted by Keir Starmer’s Labour Party. The attack on anti-Zionist Jewish leaders, it is said, has exposed the scale of Labour’s anti-Palestine problem.

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