It's illegal to be Jewish

A Jewish man, Gideon Falter, tried to walk through his own city and was told he’d be arrested, that his presence was “antagonising” the demonstrators, whom, as one officer revealingly observes, are greater in number. The message is clear – if you are numerous enough, behave obnoxiously enough and make enough noise, then the police will facilitate that, essentially because it’s easier. Those screaming “scum” at a member of a minority group and rehearsing the centuries-old blood libel trope of “baby-killers” – they are too complicated to deal with, so you kettle their intended targets instead.

Gideon Falter is now being monstered, accused of seeking out the march to prove a point, which isn’t quite the winning argument his critics imagine. Firstly, why shouldn’t Jewish people be free to walk wherever they choose? Secondly, if Falter, a campaigner against anti-Semitism, were attempting to prove a point – that Jews’ safety cannot be guaranteed anywhere near these marches – then he has succeeded.



The proof of the pudding is in the eating. If being “openly Jewish” in the vicinity is seen as a provocation, perhaps the marches aren’t so peaceful after all, perhaps – dare I say it – it isn’t just “Zionism” they are objecting to. Were a hijab-wearing woman ticked off for standing near an EDL march looking “openly Muslim”, these people would rightly be in uproar. The incident seems yet another example of David Baddiel’s observation that “Jews don’t count” as a minority.