A Gaza march which was to take place in central London on Yom Kippur has been rescheduled after a protest that it would intimidate Jews worshipping on the holiest day of the year.
The demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), has been brought forward by a week from October 12 to October 5.
It will still take place just after Rosh Hashanah and only two days before October 7, the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, the deadliest attack on Jews in a single day since the Shoah.
A statement on the PSC website said: “Following representations, including from members of the Jewish Bloc, representing the thousands of Jewish people who have taken part in every single march over the past year, we have decided to change the date to 5 October to avoid a clash with Yom Kippur.”
Dave Rich, Director of Policy at the Community Security Trust, had voiced concerns about an anti-Israel demonstration taking place on Yom Kippur, when Jews will be attending central London synagogues all day.
He called on the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police to postpone the march, which was likely to intimidate Jewish worshippers at nearby shuls.
“Every time there is a large anti-Israel march, it includes people carrying antisemitic placards, chanting for Israel to be eliminated and supporting Hamas,” said Rich.
“It would be completely wrong and grossly insensitive for another such march to go anywhere near a synagogue on Yom Kippur, or to disturb Jewish people on their way to and from synagogue on such a solemn day.
“It is welcome that this march will not take place on Yom Kippur, but this still does not address the bigger, ongoing problem of disruption caused by these marches passing near to synagogues on Shabbat.
“It should be a standard requirement that anti-Israel marches do not go near to synagogues or disrupt the journeys that people make to and from synagogue on a Shabbat or festival.”
At the most recent Gaza march last Saturday, six pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested for offences including “racially aggravated Public Order offences in relation to signs and a gesture”, criminal damage and assault, according to the police.
