I was at the Gaza/Palestine rally in Whitehall yesterday (18 Jan 2024) which was to have concluded with a march to the BBC and I witnessed all that happened.
The police banned the rally from being held, as originally planned, outside the BBC because they said it would offend the kahal kodesh (congregation) at a neighbouring synagogue during their time of service. The pro-Palestine movement have never threatened synagogues and, in any case there would be more Jews on the march than several synagogue congregations. These photos show orthodox Jews at the rally, descendants of holocaust survivors and the Jewish Bloc.
When the march organisers said they would rally in Westminster, place the Jewish Bloc at the front of the march, and arrive at the BBC long after any religious service, the police then changed the reason for the ban.It would be a nuisance to traffic. All marches are a nuisance to traffic. Their reasoning was obvious. The state broadcaster and its propaganda needs to be shielded from the opponents of the genocide they support.
After the Whitehall rally ended the organisers announced that they and some ‘celebrities’ present would now walk to the BBC and, if prevented from doing so, would lay flowers in front of police lines. To my way of thinking that is positively Gandhian. Later in the day The Guardian reported that "More than 70 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested in central London on Saturday on suspicion of breaching protest conditions after some allegedly broke through a police line as they marched from a rally in Whitehall."
No one 'broke through’ a police line. Two lines of police stood aside and even drove their vehicles away from blocking the road. I walked through the first line and exchanged smiles with the cop I walked past. They clearly wanted the marchers to proceed. After Trafalgar Square a third line of police and their vehicles did not move aside and Chris Nineham, chief steward, then attempted to effect the laying of flowers in front of the police by Juliet Stevenson, an 87-year old holocaust survivor and others. No attempt was made to continue on to the BBC. Chris was violently arrested, held in custody for 19 hours and charged under the Public Order Act for 'organising an illegal demonstration'. Terms of his bail mean he is not allowed to organise or take part in any demonstration. This is a threat to all our civil liberties.
The truth is that the police wanted the marchers to go through their first two lines so that they could represent them as an unruly rabble set upon breaking through their lines. They successfully fooled The Guardian, but none of us who were there.
Michael Rosen puts it well...
“Arresting demonstrators who are posing no threat to public order, and posing no threat to individuals or groups, is an expression of state power ...It's hard to gauge, but it seems as if the mainstream media are finding it hard to sustain the idea that what Israel has been doing in Gaza is legitimate. But in essence, the view that Israel's acts are legitimate, is the government view and is part of its alliance with the US. It's just possible that some people on high made calculations that arresting people will discourage some from attending demonstrations ... It looks as if the Met has boobed. We can see film of the police letting the leaders of the march through (thereby collaborating with them in 'breaking the law'!) ”.
Chris Nineham was held for19 hours, charged under the Public Order Act and then released on bail. More than 40 others are still in custody as I write this. Release them all without charge Meanwhile we must charge the police and their State masters with using the laying of flowers in front of the police to move this country uncomfortably nearer a police state.
While writing this I received an email from a friend of mine ....
“Nothing about this (the events as described above) on the News. When I walked up Whitehall after my meet with friends at Tate Modern - I wandered into Trafalgar Square. I was wearing my Palestine scarf and a policewoman told me if I didn’t move in 30 seconds I would be arrested. I asked why. She said the square was a ‘non designated area’ and started counting . I said this was nuts and went off to see Francis Bacon. Earlier I had a Palestininan flag on my bag - a doorman at the Tate said I had to remove it. Why said I? Because the Tate is neutral. FFS
