Jewish groups condemn ‘hateful' pro-Palestine march during Passover
Jewish groups have condemned a 'hateful' pro-Palestine march that took place during Passover.
Critics called the march in Westcliff, near Southend in Essex, a 'hateful procession through the heart of a small Jewish community'.
Crowds marched through the streets, allegedly chanting 'stop killing children' as families walked home from synagogue after Sabbath prayers.
The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said: 'Even by the standards of the past 18 months, the march in Southend was despicable.
'Not only did police allow this march, despite it apparently being organised without the required legal notice, they took minimal action as marchers shouted 'stop killing children', a chilling echo of mediaeval blood-libels.'
The group also alleged that the protesters 'displayed support for terrorist organisations banned in the UK' and assaulted a volunteer from its demonstration and event-monitoring unit.
Videos circulated on social media showed crowds of protesters carrying crosses and dressed in celebration of Christianity. It was also alleged that campaigners marched past several synagogues during a time when Jewish members of the community were celebrating Shabbat at the end of Passover.
'Deliberately antagonistic'
The Community Security Trust, which helps protect Jewish communities, condemned the march as 'a deliberately antagonistic act'.
A spokesman said: 'People have the choice about when and where to protest, and organising a pro-Palestinian march of this nature near to synagogues on the Sabbath is a deliberately antagonistic act that we utterly condemn.
'It causes fear and alarm in the local Jewish community and damages wider relations. The new police powers announced by the Home Secretary to prevent this kind of intimidation cannot come into force a moment too soon.'
Amy Abdelnoor, 46, from Essex, an author and a speaker at the march, confirmed that protesters were chanting 'stop killing babies' but defended the choice of words.
She said: 'Given that Unicef has called it a war on children, I think it's entirely accurate to say stop killing children.
'We were calling on the Government to stop arming Israel, we were calling on the Israeli government to end the occupation, we were calling on the Israeli government to stop bombing Gaza and we were calling on the Israeli government to stop killing children.'
Addressing the concerns raised by Jewish groups, Ms Abdelnoor said: 'There was no provocation whatsoever, and it was made very clear that this was presented as religious, but it's not, its political. There were two speakers at the rally today who were Jewish, and one of them made very clear that he felt safe.
'The marches normally are at the end of the sabbath, so it's utterly disingenuous, cynical manipulation of the Jewish faith and utterly untrue. This has nothing to do with religion – it's all to do with ideology. It's absolutely cynical manipulation of Judiasm'.
A spokesman for Essex Police confirmed a group of orthodox Jews in the vicinity of the demonstration 'were supported by officers who escorted them to the opposite side of the road to ensure their safety'.
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