Love & Hate

Let me transport you into the heart of London - Trafalgar Square, no less - in a nation that likes to pride itself on tolerance, the rule of law and mutual respect. There is a circle of people on the lower tier of the square, under the shadow of the National Gallery, surrounding a handful of people holding placards proclaiming support for Palestine Action, a proscribed “terror” organisation.

The sun has set, and for a brief time the only sound is a woman softly intoning the names and ages of Palestinian children killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza. She has been speaking for hours. Many of those sitting and standing weep as she reads from dozens of pages of carefully written notes. It is a painful, beautiful moment of reflection and solidarity.

Matthew Syed did not witness this moment. He was elsewhere, having already written his account of the day - a diatribe smearing all of these people as hate-filled anti-semites. According to him “the motivation for being here was obvious… the hatred of Jews”.

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The thing is, you can hear from many of those who sat in support of Palestine Action why they were there, in their own words. It is because of love, not hate. It is because they wish to stand against war crimes and the forced starvation of an entire population. It is because they love this country and wish to defend our right to protest when the government fails us. It is a deep-seated love of humanity and sense of duty that drives them, not hate.

How can otherwise intelligent people claim not to understand that one can abhor both genocide and anti-semitism? Indeed, that it is the only possible humanitarian response? Support for Palestine and criticism of Israel is being deliberately conflated with hatred of Jewish people. This is an incredibly dangerous lie, itself deeply anti-semitic.

I think it’s important that as a Jewish person, I am here today to show that there is no contradiction, in fact there is a connection between being concerned - deeply concerned - about the violence committed towards the congregation of Heaton synagogue in Manchester and being concerned about the violence committed against the whole Palestinian population.

As a Jew, I’m opposed to anti-semitism, I’m opposed to all racism. And of course as a Jew I’m opposed to genocide; it’s my duty to call it out wherever I see it.

It wasn’t, sadly, hard to find real examples of hatred last Saturday. It was there in the form of right-wing agitators, broiling for a fight with their live feeds rolling. It was there in the smirk of the Met police officer turning a blind eye to their aggression and Islamophobia. It was there in the wild eyes and muttered threats of a man so enraged by the sight of a young woman holding a Palestine flag; “if someone doesn’t fucking take that from her… I want to bite her face off”.

And it was there in the form of Matthew Syed, asking so-called “fair-minded questions” whilst parroting Israeli propaganda. A partisan mouthpiece for moneyed interests, trying to demean brave people for fighting injustice.

We must not allow these lies to have their desired effect, of sewing further division and unrest. This was a peaceful event; all of those sitting with signs did so in silence. Those in attendance were asked to respect that decision, to clap when protestors were arrested but otherwise to support the contemplative nature of the action.

Chants of “shame on you” from members of the public were nonetheless directed at police. These officers are the visible face of a desperate regime, given orders to enforce an unjust law. We know that they are “emotionally and physically exhausted” from the task. One young officer was crying so much as he read a woman her rights that she felt compelled to comfort him. A moment of shared humanity which highlights the cruelty and absurdity of what these officers are being forced to do.

Not all were as sensitive. Northern Irish police - perhaps shipped in because other forces have started to refuse - aggressively manhandled the last protesters, dragging their feet on the ground whilst physically and verbally intimidating onlookers.

Syed would have you believe - at a demonstration organised by a group called Defend Our Juries - that people were shouting “fuck democracy”, and that this reflects the views of the majority who were present. He would have you believe that hundreds of people, of all faiths and none - composed of doctors and priests and veterans and students - were willing to sit for hours on cold stone and subject themselves to arrest and imprisonment because they are filled with hate.

These lies are not even close to being convincing. If you believe, as I do, that those risking incarceration to protest a genocide do so out of love - not hate - then I implore you to do anything and everything in your power to support them and to stand with the oppressed people of Gaza.

In 2014, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said this:

This is what Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood once thought about Israel.

Follow her advice from 2014 - join our lobby of Parliament on Tuesday to “let out an almighty roar and tell this government we will not stay silent until the Palestinians are free!”https://t.co/PTkFxUxHpP pic.twitter.com/0TMigqAZra

— Palestine Solidarity Campaign (@PSCupdates) September 7, 2025

Transcription

“So many of the MPs, particularly on the government benches, had to stand up and say ‘I have received many emails from mhy constituents about this issue’. So please, keep up the pressure on your members of parliament. Go to their advice surgeries, take 20 people with you and ask them to justify their views on Palestine and on Gaza. And if they say they support Gaza and support the plight of the Palestinians, ask them to evidence it and to take some action to show solidarity. That’s how we can make a difference. Because Israel’s actions, its killing of children, its bombing of schools and hospitals must be condemned without equivocation. We know what they’ve done is wrong; if David Cameron fails to speak out, that is a moral outrage. He may stay silent, but we will never stay silent. So let out an almighty roar and tell this government we will not stay silent until the Palestinians are free!”

Israel’s actions, its killing of children, its bombing of schools and hospitals must be condemned without equivocation. We know what they’ve done is wrong… we will never stay silent. So let out an almighty roar and tell this government we will not stay silent until the Palestinians are free!

The only thing that has changed is the urgency. Mahmood has since brazenly turned her back on Palestine, and history will condemn her for it. But we must follow her advice from a decade ago; we must make our voices heard, even in the face of a government desperate to silence them.

- Ed

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Whether you have been to dozens of marches or this will be your first, it is vital we get out in greater numbers than ever before.

These national protests are a positive, family-friendly affair. People from all walks of life coming together with love and compassion, to protest what we all know is wrong.

It is easy to feel hopelessness when faced with the magnitude of the task ahead. But this task is not insurmountable; it can be split up and tackled by people all across the country. Make a noise on social media, challenge ignorance and misinformation when you see it. But also:

• Donate and raise money for Medical Aid for Palestine.
• Engage with the BDS movement.
• Support your local branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
• Learn about Defend Our Juries.
• Put pressure on your local MP.
• Find your local branch of Stand Up to Racism.
• Proudly wear a keffiyeh.
• Seek out the truth. Find sources of news that you trust.

Do what you can, because if kind, regular people do not draw a line in the sand and make their voices heard - and soon - then the truly hate-filled in this country will triumph.