The Jewish demonstration outside the Phoenix cinema in support of the screening of a documentary about the October 7 massacre was “one of the highlights of my time in politics”, the Tory candidate for Finchley and Golders Green has told the JC.
Alex Deane said he had “never seen such an effective counter-protest”, and it served to remind people of the community’s strength in the face of the anti-Israel protests that have rocked London since the October 7 massacre.
He was also strongly critical of the way the protests have policed, saying they had “turned central London into a no-go area, which is completely unacceptable. The Metropolitan Commissioner should be told this by the mayor – who is supposed to be the mayor for everyone, not the mayor for everyone except Jews”.
Deane said he had great respect for his Labour opponent Sarah Sackman, calling her a “palpably decent” person with whom he looked forward to having a serious and civilised debate.
