On Gideon Falter there was was an ex superintendent on the TV this morning defending the Lawrence family concerns. He also mentioned it's worth watching the full news clip on Sky news. Gideon had a camera crew ready and was trying to cross the path of the March itself. The superintendent was clear the Jewish comments were totally unacceptable but Gideon doesn't seem to be quite what he claimed.
https://news.sky.com/story/sky-news-footage-reveals-new-details-of-exchange-between-police-and-antisemitism-campaigner-called-openly-jewish-13120104
Essential viewing to get the full context. I think the police in that footage are being the adults in the room and look calm and polite. Of course he has a right of freedom of expression of faith, and to wear whatever he wants and go where he wants. But compare with a normal weekend afternoon up and down the country when rowdy opposing tribes of football fans are escorted by police in an effort to try to retain the peace, and not allow potentially volatile crowds to antagonise each other to the point of violence... we don't hear much about self-important football fans claiming they're being victimised by not being allowed their freedom to freely walk into an emotionally-charged crowd of people who may not like you very much, risking their own safety and those of the people who would inevitably have to try to sort it out following an inflammation. And then complaining that the police aren't keeping them safe by allowing public order to breakdown because of their lemming-like fondness for a confrontation with reality.
He's acting like a man-baby. Says it all that now the fuller picture has emerged that he claims he's now being victim-blamed. He has 'want-to-be-victim-of-injustice' stamped all over his core based on that footage.
There was also a piece on C4 news - where they found phone footage of Gideon F trying to cross the march on at least two other occasions and being asked not to by two different police officers. It appears that his behavior was being observed by a plain clothes officer and when G was challenged about this and denied it - said officer piped up to contradict him.
Whatever one may think about GF, a point remains that the marches are not safe places for Jews (nor Iranians) who do not join in with the slogans. The police know this and that is why they police away counter-protesters who insist on placing themselves in the march.
I imagine that GF was seeking to illustrate this. And even if he wasn't I don't really care bc the point still stands.
I'm sure that people are aware that London has become a less safe place for Jews, generally. I was almost destroyed in the Edgware Road yesterday (which is at the Marble Arch end of Oxford St) as I left synagogue yesterday. Like GF I would have been easy to identify, kippah and tallit bag, no camera crew just a wife and sister.
I appreciate that it is the first time that it's been quite so hostile; I've been going to synagogue there for decades and this has never happened before. That said, there's usually 10 police around premises at kicking out time but first day Pesach isn't the best attended service.
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