The Metropolitan and Greater Manchester police forces have said they will arrest people holding placards and chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ – an Arabic word for rebellion.
In a statement after Sunday’s mass shooting on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, he said, “Violent acts have occurred; the context has changed – words have meaning and consequences. We will act decisively and make arrests.”
Both forces also cited the Manchester synagogue attack in October.
Britain’s chief rabbi described the decision as “an important step towards challenging the hateful rhetoric seen on our streets, which has inspired acts of violence and terror.”
Police forces said,
We know the community is concerned about placards and chants such as ‘Globalisation of the Intifada’ and those using them in future protests or in a targeted manner should expect action from ‘both forces’.”
“Frontline officers will be briefed on this enhanced approach. We will also exercise our powers under the Public Order Act, particularly in the vicinity of London synagogues during services, according to the statement.
We have increased visible patrols and protective security measures around synagogues, schools, and community sites in London and Greater Manchester.
15 people were killed and dozens more injured in the Bondi attack on Sunday, which targeted Australia’s Jewish community at an event celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
Two people died in a knife attack on Oct. 2 at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.
Criticising the police forces’ decision on Wednesday, Ben Jamal, director of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, described the move as “another low in the political repression of protests for Palestinian rights.”
He said the police did not consult with the coalition organising the major protests in London or representative groups of the Palestinian community in Britain “before making this far-reaching statement on our rights”.
Mr Jamal said, “The horrific massacre in Sydney, Australia, should not be used as justification to further suppress the fundamental democratic rights of freedom of protest and expression in this country.”
In support of the statement, the Board of Deputies of British Jews said, “We strongly welcome this necessary intervention.”
The board said, “We have long warned that people chanting slogans such as ‘Globalisation of the Intifada’ are inciting violence, and we have been making the case for stronger enforcement regarding this slogan with all levels of government for some time now.”
Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said police chiefs were now waking up “after two years of repeatedly pretending to globalise the intifada”.
In a statement, he said that “banning this one chant is a useless symbolic measure” and added, “It is hard to see how they could possibly enforce this ban.”
The Jewish Voice for Liberation—which describes itself as standing up for the rights of Jews and Palestinians—said it did not believe the response was appropriate.
The group said it has almost never encountered any anti-Semitism in response to the demonstrations and said its community has “always been welcomed”, adding that “protests in London and elsewhere have not attacked synagogues or Jewish schools”.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in parliament on Wednesday that his government has increased funding for Jewish security by £28 million.
“I’m pleased to do it, but I’m sad to do it,” he said, adding that he has ordered a review of protest and hate crime laws.
He was responding to a question from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who said antisemitism was real and “poisonous” and “we must all work together to stamp it out”.
The term ‘intifada’ came into popular use in 1987 during the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Some have interpreted the term as a call for violence against Jewish people.
Others have said it is a call for peaceful resistance to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and actions in Gaza.
