🔗 Share this article

In today's Britain, protest has ceased to be a basic freedom. Rather, it has become a privilege that authorities allow or withhold at their discretion. This constitutes the implication of new regulations that the ruling administration is advancing, which would determine the timing and location demonstrations can occur, with possible prison sentences for those who defy these restrictions.

Erosion of Democratic Rights

Previous administrations had already undermined this fundamental freedom: the previous Tory administration had granted law enforcement sweeping new authorities, which international human rights organizations had censured as "serious and undue restrictions" on civil liberties. Collectively, these incremental assaults on freedom have effectively abolished the historically earned right to freedom of protest.

Exploiting Tragedy to Justify Crackdown

The latest restrictive measures are being justified by referring to last week's terrible antisemitic attack on a British mosque. There should be widespread consensus that the safety of British Jews must be protected. However, employing this horrific incident as a justification to suppress dissent is not only disconnected to that responsibility but distorts it.

"If you can't draw the line at genocide, you likely cannot establish limits at democracy," observed a well-known American author, whose words that applies equally for the present administration.

Historical Perspective of Demonstration

Reflect on Britain's long tradition of protest and activism against racism and fascism, from the historic 1936 Cable Street confrontation to postwar Jewish anti-fascist movements and the 1970s mobilizations against the National Front. Many of these early protesters were labeled as radicals in their time, even while they were fighting for the rights of marginalized groups.

Current Reality

In the current complex situation, here's what's truly occurring: Israel – a foreign state – is perpetrating what United Nations investigations have characterized as systematic destruction. Its military actions have led the global justice body to release arrest warrants against Israel's prime minister and his former defense minister.

International popular sentiment has shifted dramatically against Israel's violent actions. In Britain, a large percentage of citizens think Israel has probably committed war crimes. Most people would endorse a total prohibition on arms sales to the state, and back the detention of Netanyahu.

Suppressing Opposition

Having essentially lost the argument, Israel's supporters are now exploiting a vile anti-Jewish attack to attempt to suppress a mass movement against a moral catastrophe. The British government appears to be involved in this attempt. Government officials have failed to implement comprehensive sanctions on Israel and have permitted arms exports to continue.

People who are protesting against the destruction of Gaza have been labeled as hateful extremists. Yet there's a important factor why there hasn't been a broader suppression on these protesters until now: extremely few protesters have made truly offensive statements about Jewish people, giving law enforcement little justification to intervene.

Problematic Association

Equating Jewish identity with the policies of the government of Israel is not only cynical but also dangerous. The standard interpretation of anti-Jewish prejudice, adopted by the British government and numerous institutions, has been appropriately challenged for potentially restricting valid commentary of Israel. However, there should be universal agreement about one of its central illustrations: that "making Jewish people generally accountable for decisions of the state of Israel" constitutes prejudice against Jews.

Increasing Limitations

This is why we've arrived at a situation where law enforcement can suggest that protests opposing Israel's actions should be canceled because they might "accidentally or deliberately" endorse anti-Jewish sentiment. Similarly, government officials have declared that recognition of Palestine as a nation has made political parties "implicated" in alleged abuse experienced by British Jews.

Double Standards

On the same day as the religious center assault, the Israel's army killed numerous of Palestinian civilians in Gaza – increasing the terrible count from 24 months of ongoing violence that have claimed many thousands of lives. British politicians and news organizations have barely concealed the minimal importance they assign to Palestinian life. This represents one of the most brazen expressions of discrimination in our time.

Breaking Boundaries

Our government has already passed a concerning threshold by proscribing Palestine Action, a non-violent, anti-genocide direct action organization. Thousands of British protesters have been arrested, primarily for holding signs opposing mass killing and supporting the proscribed group. Many of those arrested are elderly citizens; including a former clergyman and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.

International Parallels

It's not difficult to see where this trajectory leads. In the United States, government officials helped vilify demonstrations supporting Palestine: a former House Speaker implied that some were "connected to" other nations, while the sitting leader characterized such protests as antisemitic. In doing so, they contributed to normalizing the repressive measures on such protests – and on freedom of expression in general.

Future Concerns

If a conservative administration comes to power, it would be granted sweeping powers to suppress dissent. What might a new administration do with this repressive toolkit? Our ancestors struggled, endured hardship and died to secure our freedoms. We may ultimately rue how easily we permitted them to be eroded.