Conservative MP Greg Smith stated, ‘There is legitimate protest, and then there is this – utterly offensive and wrong.’
The historic Parliament Square in Great Britain was transformed into an anti-Israel billboard on Wednesday.
Organized by the antisemitic group ‘Led by Donkeys,’ protesters spread a 40 x 40-meter banner emblazoned with “Yes it’s a genocide” across Parliament Square while Metropolitan Police stood idly by.
The orchestrated display came complete with prepared statements from Prof. Amos Goldberg, an Israeli historian who provided cover for the activists’ claims.
“It does not need to look like the Holocaust to be a genocide,” Goldberg insisted in his statement, citing the United Nations Genocide Convention’s definition of destroying a group “in whole or in part.”
He went on to claim the Israeli government, military, and media had shown “clear indication of intent to destroy Gaza.”
However, the demonstration drew immediate condemnation from British political figures. “These protesters should have been stopped,” declared Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, while his deputy Richard Tice highlighted the apparent double standard: “Imagine how long a similar poster saying ‘Israel can defend itself’ would last.”
Conservative MP Greg Smith was equally direct, stating, “There is legitimate protest, and then there is this – utterly offensive and wrong.”
Yet despite mounting concerns over increasingly provocative demonstrations, London authorities continue to take a permissive approach.
Over the weekend, an anti-Israel protest was held at Piccadilly Circus by The Palestine Solidarity Campaign where a number of placards were seen in the thousand-strong crowd comparing the Israeli defensive war in Gaza with the Holocaust.
One read: “1st Holocaust: The Germans humiliated, mistreated and murdered vast numbers of Jews. 2nd Holocaust: The Zionists have mistreated, injured and killed countless Palestinians. The abused have become the abusers.” Another described Zionism as a “cancer” that had to be removed “before it engulfs the whole of the Middle East.”
According to T Metropolitan Police, the two protests were specifically intended to disrupt one of the busiest shopping weeks in the lead-up to Christmas.
“We expect this weekend to be very busy with many people shopping during the Black Friday sales, and visiting the capital ahead of the festive period, including Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, which is nearby. We have worked with organizers to seek to minimize disruption and balance the right to protest,” said Met deputy assistant commissioner Jon Savell.
“Officers will be highly visible along the protest route and wider area to ensure the events take place safely and will deal with any offenses.””
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