Over 100,000 people joined a march against antisemitism on November 26th in solidarity with the British Jewish community who have experienced a severe rise in antisemitic incidents in London over the past two months.
The march, which was organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) — a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law — indented to push back against antisemitic hate crimes in London, which have risen by over 1000% after the outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza.
According to a poll from CAA, 69% of British Jews say they’re less likely to show visible signs of their Jewish identity right now.
However, the turnout of their march showed the British Jewish community that they are not alone.
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at CAA, said: “Antisemitism is very much something that is a boil that has been festering below the surface has been lanced.
“Sorry for the unpleasant analogy, but it’s the best one I’ve got.
“The poison is now there for everyone to see.”
He added that it’s important to see that the response to the largest atrocity committed against Jews since the Holocaust was a massive rise in antisemitism, and while protesting against what is happening in Gaza is, of course, perfectly acceptable, using that protest to harass Jewish people, vandalise Jewish businesses, or tear down posters of kidnapped Israelis, is not.
Islamophobic incidents in London have also risen by 140% in London since the outbreak of the war, with Muslim residents expressing similar sentiments of being attacked and blamed for the war in Israel/Palestine.
The march went from the Royal Courts of Justice to Parliament Square, where there were a wide range of speakers from Shadow Secretary of State Peter Kyle, to the Chief Rabbi, to Rachel Riley.
They all condemned the rise in antisemitism that they have witnessed over the past two months, and reassured the crowd that they are not alone.
Gideon Falter, CAA’s Chief Executive, thanked London’s Kurdish, Persian, Israeli, and Hindu communities, as well as many more, for coming out to support British Jews, and said that the march symbolised the slogan: “One United Kingdom, united against antisemitism.”
You can hear more from Silverman, and see footage from the march here:
