So it all got a little ‘Citizen Smith’ today. They had the rivalries between the Socialist Worker’s Party and the Party for Socialist Workers, with the Working Socialist Party disagreeing with both of them. Well we had a ‘march against Antisemitism’ today, in Whitehall. Organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism. But the Board of Deputies of British Jews arranged a ‘rally’, same day, same place, an hour earlier. Oh. Then the Jewish Disruption and Argumentative Society organised a ‘Mally’ (a marching rally) an hour before that. The time was largely irrelevant because we are culturally opposed to time constraints. And the venue was pretty much the same for all the ‘events’, so they eventually came to an accord and joined the three together. And we didn’t ‘march’. We did last time but really, for policing, a rally is much easier to control.

The whole thing was beautifully summed up by a woman’s banner which read: “I can’t believe we’re still having to protest against this shit”. But we are. As antisemitic attacks still plague the community, something has to be done. Not sure a large crowd of Jews hugging and kissing each other outside Downing Street is the precise answer to the question but it kind’a makes you feel better whilst we wait for the ‘powers that be’ to decide how to rid our larger society of the curse of antisemitism.

And because this was not a ‘pro-Israel’ march or a campaign for Zionism, this was more kind’a an open invitation to non-Jews, non-Zionists even, who are just sympathetic to our cause. An opportunity for those in our nation who don’t have ‘skin in the game’ but are just decent people who oppose the exponential growth of antisemitism. An opportunity for the ‘silent majority’ to speak. Alas it didn’t really happen. They remained silent.

So the Iranians turned up. In numbers. The nice Iranians. ‘Our Iranians’. They love Israel, love Jews, love pretty much everybody other than the Ayatollahs and the IRGC. And there were a few Christians (note the capital ‘C’), because bible-bashers love Jews too. But not many. So you couldn’t help thinking: well, ‘we’ already hate antisemitism, and no-one much else is here, so the speakers are indeed ‘singing to the choir’. Good speakers too. Richard Tyce, bathing in the Reform Party glory, said his piece without mentioning his team’s inherent dislike of Muslims. And a bishop gave a great speech too. As did Boy George. A friend indeed. Prepared to stick his head above the parapet to support his friends and call out our nation’s disease.

Kier Starmer would have come; he wouldn’t have had far to travel, but he was busy trying to work out how to cope with the fact that his own party consider themselves completely unelectable whilst he’s at the helm. Creating an horrendous shit-show in the Labour ranks. Because most of them see Andy Burnham as the King-elect, that natural successor. But he’s not a viable candidate because he’s not an MP. So they want to ‘set a timetable’ for Kier’s departure that would enable Burnham to win a by-election somewhere where he might actually be able to beat a Reform candidate. Others want him gone now. Can’t wait for the ‘King of the North’ (‘tosser of the north’, more like) to gain a seat, they want ‘change’. Probably just the ‘change’ that Starmer was banging on about before the last election, having that as his chosen word to the point of nausea. Still, his ‘wife’s Jewish’ (when it suits) so he should have made an appearance. He’d have come if someone had brought rugelach.

Happy marching/protesting/rallying Sunday

A xxxx