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music, art and culture / Re: The right to counter-protest
« Last post by Tony on April 25, 2024, 08:49:39 am »makes me much more sympathetic towards GF's demonstration. Evidently he wasn't provoking something that otherwise wouldn't be there (that was what I had ignorantly presumed).
Judging by the timings, I don’t believe Mike’s (terrible) experience -on Monday- was related to any authorised procession.
The antagonising person to whom you refer, was not assaulted, nor were they the recipient of any hateful speech, etc. on that well publicised day. A police officer in a long conversation with them, used an ill-advised phrase/reason, and the police more generally prevented them from (repeatedly attempting to) counter-protesting within the procession.
The person to which you refer, could have organised and registered their intention to have a procession against the unacceptable abuse and harassment being experienced by the Jewish community (and the Met Police’s response, that appears to be their issue). That may have been facilitated elsewhere. Instead they sought to conflate two issues: pro-Palestinian support and anti- harassment of Jewish people in the UK (especially London). Two issues which, I’m sure, are simultaneously supported by many people.