13 Holocaust survivors and descendants slam Met Police over Palestine demo ban at BBC

Thirteen Holocaust survivors and survivor descendants have just signed a joint letter protesting against the Met Police’s plans to prevent the next Palestine march from gathering outside the BBC headquarters on 18 January.

Palestine protest: it is not antisemitic

As survivors of the Jewish genocide, or descendants of such survivors, the 13 say they are in despair at the UK government’s complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. This is especially the case when this same government intends to commemorate other genocides – including that of the group’s Jewish relatives – on Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January.

How any politician can commemorate past genocides while openly supporting an ongoing genocide is something future historians will study with horror and disbelief. But this just makes it all the more important for those of us who oppose all genocides to continue to protest.

Naturally, the government and other supporters of Israeli crimes want to discredit and suppress our protests. Having run out of other arguments, they can only resort to claims that people’s demonstrations are somehow antisemitic.

As survivors and survivor descendants, the 13 individuals say they take antisemitism extremely seriously. Consequently, they would always make sure of their facts before accusing anyone of antisemitism. Unfortunately, many supporters of Israel are rarely so careful and they routinely accuse anyone they disagree with of antisemitism without any evidence.

Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos spoke at a Palestine rally in Hyde Park in April:

Holocaust survivor and peace protestor Stephen Kapos: pic.twitter.com/z4JoMSZ3x8

— Greg Herriett (@greg_herriett) April 27, 2024

Note the respect with which the crowd listens to Stephen. This is not the sort of crowd that would ever chant the horrible phrase ‘genocide of Jews’ – yet this is the sort of completely unsubstantiated claim that the right-wing press are resorting too in order to have Palestine demos banned.

The 13 also took part in a previous Palestine demo near the BBC headquarters on 18 May:

Here's a literal Jewish Holocaust survivor saying that Gove is full of shit on this. pic.twitter.com/Fmn7nAuFsc

— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) May 21, 2024

The BBC also broadcast interviews with them there on that day and their journalists will have witnessed the overwhelmingly warm reception from the crowd.

The letter

The letter from the 13 reads in full as follows:

The Metropolitan police intend to ban the 18 January Palestine march from the area around the BBC headquarters in Portland Place in London. Their excuse is that Jewish attendees at a synagogue that is well away from the march route will suffer ‘disruption’ of their religious worship.

We are writing as Jewish Holocaust survivors, and descendants of survivors, to protest against this clear attempt to dissuade people from opposing the Gaza genocide. Along with thousands of other openly Jewish protesters, we have attended numerous Palestine demos in London and have received nothing but support and warmth from our fellow demonstrators. To suggest that the 18 January march is a threat to Jews, or is in any way antisemitic, is simply a fabrication in order to restrict everyone’s right to protest.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen Kapos (survivor of the Holocaust in Hungary)

Agnes Kory (survivor of the Holocaust in Hungary)

Haim Bresheeth (son of two survivors of Auschwitz)

Mark Etkind (son of a survivor of the Lodz ghetto and Buchenwald)

Aurora Yaakov (daughter of survivor of Dachau & Kaufering camps)

Yosefa Loshitzky (daughter of survivors of the Holocaust in Poland)

Miranda Pinch (daughter of a survivor of the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia)

Ursula Blumenthal (daughter of a survivor of the Holocaust in Germany)

Peter Kapos (son of a Holocaust survivor of the Holocaust in Hungary)

Peter Hall (son of a survivor of the Holocaust in Austria)

Sonja Linden (daughter of a survivor of the Holocaust in Germany)