(JTA) — A planned pro-Palestinian march in London is rebuffing police orders to move its starting point after complaints that it will disrupt a nearby synagogue’s Shabbat services.
The rally by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is due to begin at the headquarters of the BBC on Saturday, Jan. 18, at noon, and then move toward Whitehall, the British government district. The gathering point is around the corner from the Central Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation founded more than 150 years ago.
Leading up to the march, dozens of British lawmakers, including Jewish officials, wrote a letter to police protesting the route of the rally and saying frequent pro-Palestinian marches on Saturdays interfered with Jewish religious practice.
“Members of the congregation at Central and other London synagogues have suffered massive disruption to their Shabbat services from marches taking place on Saturdays for more than a year,” the letter said, according to The Times. “The effect has been that many Jewish families have been intimidated by large protests and stayed away.״
Claudia Mendoza, who heads the Jewish Leadership Council, an umbrella group of British Jewish nonprofits, echoed that concern, saying that the group wasn’t calling for the protest to be banned, but “We just want it to start away from the synagogue.”
Palestinians continuing with protests
On Thursday, nine days ahead of the march, London’s Metropolitan Police issued a statement saying it would use its powers to “prevent the Palestine Solidarity Campaign forming up in the vicinity of a synagogue ahead of its planned protest.” The statement said the decision had been made prior to the lawmakers’ letter.
Commander Adam Slonecki said in a statement that pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the city often take place on Saturdays, and that “this has been a cause of increased concern for many Jewish Londoners who have altered their plans, avoided parts of central London and reduced attendance at religious services.”
He added, “On Tuesday, I wrote to the PSC to inform them that we have reached the view that a protest forming up so close to a synagogue on a Saturday – the Jewish holy day – when congregants will be attending Shabbat services, risks causing serious disruption.”
But the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said in its own statement that it rejects the police order, and that it had agreed on the route with the police in November. The group said the synagogue itself was not on the route of the march and pointed to “thousands” of Jewish participants in its rallies as a sign that they aren’t antisemitic. It said discussions with the police remain ongoing.
“We have already announced our intention to assemble outside the BBC to protest against the pro-Israel bias of its coverage,” the statement said, adding later, “We firmly reject any attempt to suppress our right to campaign for an end to Israel’s genocidal violence and decades-long violations of the rights of the Palestinian people.”
The BBC has also drawn allegations of anti-Israel bias from Jewish groups. The Board of Deputies of British Jews, a leading group, met with BBC leadership in August to decry the “unacceptable state of affairs, both in terms of content and coverage.”