March Against Antisemitism
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| Date | 26 November 2023 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Royal Courts of Justice |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Participants | 50,000-100,000 |
The March Against Antisemitism was a demonstration held in London on 26 November 2023 organized by Campaign Against Antisemitism.[1][2][3] The march was held in response to growing antisemitism in England resulting from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; as police reports indicated that antisemitic offences have risen ten-fold compared to the previous year.[4] Estimates from police indicate that between 50,000[4] and 100,000 people attended the march.[5] It was claimed by the organisation to be "the largest gathering of its kind since the Battle of Cable Street".[6] Demonstrators held placards containing slogans such as "shoulder to shoulder with British Jews" and "never again."
The March Against Antisemitism followed a London-based pro-Palestine rally in Central London with approximately 45,000 attendees[4] led by the Stop the War Coalition. The coalition "stressed that those taking part oppose racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia".[7] On the other hand, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, Gideon Falter, claimed that "week after week, central London has become a no-go zone for Jews," [8] and the campaign later produced polling findings suggesting that "90% of British Jews say that they would avoid travelling to a city centre if a major anti-Israel demonstration was taking place there" [9][10] Antisemitic hate crimes had increased dramatically during the period, with 554 reports of antisemitic offences in London between 1 October and 1 November in London, compared with 44 in the same period last year.[11]
Having been shunned by the organisers and refusing to leave the event per police request, English far-right activist Tommy Robinson was detained. Sources indicate that one other individual was arrested for racist rhetoric.[2] The chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, Gideon Falter, remarked: "You don’t fight prejudice with prejudice, you can’t fight racism with racism… They don’t realise how naked their attempt is to try to fool us."[12]
- Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson[5]
- Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis[7]
- Science minister Peter Kyle[2]
- Security minister Tom Tugendhat[1]
- Immigration minister Robert Jenrick[1]
- Actress Louisa Clein[1]
- Actress Felicity Kendal[1]
- Actress Elliot Levey[1]
- Actress Dame Maureen Lipman[5]
- Actress Tracy-Ann Oberman[1]
- Comedian David Baddiel[2]
- TV presenter Rachel Riley[1]
- TV personality Robert Rinder[1]
- Broadcaster Vanessa Feltz[1]
- Singer Rita
- Actor Eddie Marsan