We Will Walk the Streets as Zionists
Mark Birbeck writes that on this Armistice day, when we remember those brave young souls who 'gave their today for our tomorrow', we should have the decency to respect the right of Israelis to do the same.
On this Armistice Day, when we remember those cut down in their prime fighting to defend our country, Bob Vylan will be entertaining hundreds in the O2 Forum, with the occasional shout of 'death to the IDF'.
The punk duo — and their supporters — want to see an end to the army that is the only force maintaining the existence of Israel. 'Death to the IDF' would mean that the massacres and rapes of October 7 would be as nothing compared to the slaughter that would ensue. The brave young soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces — over 900 of whom have been killed since October 7 — deserve praise and recognition, and their families and friends across the globe are more entitled to honour them.
On a day on which we remember those brave young souls who 'gave their today for our tomorrow', we should have the decency to respect the right of Israelis to do the same.
Eliana Fleming
But the significance of today does not stop there. Around the venue for the gig tonight, placards began appearing saying Zionists are not welcome. Some of these displays include a picture of the Israeli flag — with its Star of David — with a line drawn through. The flag representing the nation that is keeping Jews from annihilation has been crossed out, just as these activists hope that one day Israel will be wiped out.
These posters appeared overnight, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht — or the November Pogroms. During this night and the following day, in 1938, the Nazis established that it was possible to round up and kill Jews, to set fire to over a thousand synagogues, and to smash and daub Jewish shops, all with no opposition.
Our Fight
So tonight we must be in Kentish Town, outside the gig, to proudly show our support for Zionism — for the belief that Jews are entitled to a state, and that the lessons of the Holocaust cannot be erased.
And to the police we say: we have heard all of your excuses this last two years, as you repeatedly arrested us to appease the mob. You have arrested us 'for our own safety', for breach of the peace, for false accusations of assault, for alleged terror offences, and for 'antagonising'.
Our Fight
So for tonight, let's be clear. Tonight we are not protesting. Tonight we are asserting our right to walk the streets of Britain, wearing a legal t-shirt. We are asserting our right to attend a gig. And we assert our right not to be arrested under whatever concocted charge you believe will allow you to appease the anti-Semitic mob — a mob that wants to drive Jews and Israelis out of public life.
Tonight we will say — as we did in Birmingham last Thursday — there can be no 'no-go' zones in our country, and everyone is entitled to be proud of their flag.
Our Fight
Our Fight
