A Christian preacher and his wife are organising an anti-fascist demonstration in Golders Green next month as a “show of support for the Jewish community and Israel”.
Tim and Louise Gutman, 35 and 36, who work as pastors at Junction 28 Church in Derbyshire, said they wanted to raise support for the community following “all the antisemitism that has recently been going around, especially in Golders Green”.
Under the name Mordecai Voice, they have been working with other pro-Israel groups – such as the Christian Friends of Israel and Dovetail Shalom Ministries – to gather people together on September 12.
According to the couple, a similar demonstration that they organised three years ago in Westminster alongside pro-Israel lobby group StandWithUs brought 800 people together from across the UK; they are hoping to attract similar numbers for next month’s rally.
“There has been some nasty stuff taking place in recent months,” said Ms Gutman. “We just wanted to show our support and gather a crowd to sing and pray.
“We wanted to do this so that the Jewish community doesn’t feel alone or isolated. We want them to know that we stand with them.”
In June, cross-communal grassroots group Golders Green Together was set up to counter a planned neo-Nazi rally in the north-west London suburb.
Police eventually ordered the rally be relocated to central London on public safety grounds.