When asked about the London demonstrations, Suella Braverman asserted that the police addressed a “significant number of individuals engaging in disruptive behaviour” and emphasised the importance of adopting a “zero tolerance approach to antisemitism.” The question arises: do these protests primarily manifest as expressions of antisemitism or anti-Zionism? Additionally, it prompts us to inquire whether Braverman distinguishes between these two concepts. Furthermore, there is a question of the sincerity of her interpretation of the protests and the intentions behind the protesters’ slogans.
Braverman insulting protesters
Suella Braverman’s Controversial Remarks on Palestine Protests are annoying and offensive to the protesters. As Sky News reports, when questioned about the demonstrations after a COBRA meeting chaired by Rishi Sunak, Braverman said: “To my mind, there is only one way to describe those marches: they are hate marches.
Labour backbencher Azal Khan has responded to the home secretary’s remarks. He says Braverman’s comments were “disingenuous, dangerous and deeply contradictory to the right we all hold to protest”.
According to ALJAZEERA, Suella Braverman faced anger within the Conservative Party after she called the demonstrations’ hate marches’.
As BNN Network reports, Braverman’s statements have faced widespread criticism. The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, called Braverman’ out of control.’ Some senior Tory figures have labelled her comments as ‘unhinged’ and ‘ignorant.’ Some figures suggest that Braverman’s actions are driven by her leadership ambitions, guessing she is purposefully trying to get dismissed.
Braverman’s reference to massacre
The Israeli military is heavily bombarding Gaza civilians, including women and children, and hospitals. The Israeli regime has killed more than 11,000 people in Gaza since the beginning of the war. The whole world is condemning the massacre and genocide in Gaza. Surprisingly, Braverman is ignoring such a disaster in Gaza. She claims that there is a massacre of Jewish people in Israel.
According to Sky News, Braverman added: “What we’ve seen over the last few weekends, we’ve seen now tens of thousands of people take to the streets following the massacre of Jewish people, the single largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, chanting for the erasure of Israel from the map.”
Braverman’s wrong interpretation or dishonesty
There is an apparent mistake in Suella Braverman’s Controversial Remarks on Palestine Protests.
Ms Braverman seems to have misunderstood the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” According to Sky News, Ms Braverman has named the chant as anti-Semitic (= anti-Judaism) and urged police to take a “zero tolerance approach”.
Braverman’s remark may be a wrong interpretation of antisemitism or an act of dishonesty. We need to clarify Suella Braverman’s possible wrong interpretation. The Israeli regime does not represent the Jews of the world. Many Jews around the world have many objections to the Israeli government and its war crimes. Many free people throughout the world are protesting against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. All these people, including Jews, are protesting against Zionism. Therefore, the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is an anti-Zionism slogan. However, Ms Braverman wrongly calls it antisemitism.
Braverman’s naming of the chant as anti-Semitic may be an act of dishonesty. She may have intentionally used the word ‘anti-Semitic’ to condemn the protests. The protesters are not ‘anti-Semitic. They are anti-Zionists and are blaming the Zionists for war crimes.
Antisemitism vs. anti-Zionism
Suella Braverman’s Controversial Remarks on Palestine Protests is based on her confusion of antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Antisemitism means anti-Judaism. A distinction needs to be made between Judaism and Zionism. Zionism is a political movement that was formed by abusing the Jewish religion. Today, Zionism was founded by Theodor Herzl in 1897 in Basel, Switzerland.
He proposed the idea of Zionism and the formation of an independent state for the Jews with a group of Jewish thinkers and wealthy people in this city. 1917 British Foreign Minister Sir Arthur Balfour announced England’s agreement to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. In 1948, the regime of Israel declared its existence.
Anti-Zionism refers to Ante-Israel ideas. Even many Jewish people around the world are protesting against Zionism.
Whom does Palestine belong to?
The chant of British protesters, proclaiming, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” suggests an assertion that Zionists are perceived as occupiers. According to this perspective, it is argued that Zionists employed inhumane means to establish a government and occupy Palestinian lands. The contention is made that the resulting Zionist regime, synonymous with the Israeli regime, does not authentically represent Jews worldwide. The assertion further highlights that before the establishment of Israel, the people of Palestine enjoyed a peaceful existence. The protesters deeply respect Judaism, acknowledging it as a divine religion. The essence of the chant implies a belief that Palestine rightfully belongs to its diverse population, including Muslims, Christians, and Jews who have coexisted in the region throughout history.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza is against Judaism.
Within the framework of Judaism, the act of killing defenceless individuals, including women, children, and the elderly, is deemed ethically wrong. The principle is upheld that civilians should be safeguarded regardless of their background. The actions of the Israeli regime, involving both killings and attacks on hospitals, are viewed as incompatible with the principles of Judaism. This perspective finds resonance among Jewish communities globally, as many condemn these specific actions taken by the Israeli authorities.
