Islamaphobia is getting out of control

DD 7 a DF were working in London, and the mobile phone network was shut down, so that emergency services had no problems.

Every large demonstration has within it a capacity for violence and, lots of people marching with one cause are by definition a group act ofintimidation.

I often wonder how much extra oil each just Stop Oil event consumes. Firstly there is that used by the demonstrators to reach their destination. Can we be absolutely sure that none of them used a car or taxi at some point in their journey? and then there is all the extra fuel consumed by traffic stuck and idling, or moving slowly in traffic hold -ups, then there is all the fuel consumed by emergency vehicles attending the event.

And all these children of ours are law abiding citizens - policemen, doctors, scientists, that I know of - doing their best to keep others safe, while some reprobates seek to disturb the peace and order with hostility and violence.

Glorianny

I googled the closure of Tower Bridge to find that in the recent past, Extinction Rebellion, Stop the Oil and a group of ex-pat Israelis have all demonstrated there and closed the bridge. So the question is why has this pro-Palestinian march caused so much anger when the rest passed unnoticed? I think the reason is obvious.
As for the marches, I have viewed as much film of them as I can find. There are few, if any, people masked. Most people on them are not obviously Palestinian or Muslim. They are simply ordinary people sick of seeing the defenceless slaughtered.

I think you are wrong Glorianny

Any protest group closing any bridge or road receives vitriol.

When the QEII Bridge was closed for several days by Just Stop Oil it caused much anger and disruption (traffic was dreadful in this part of Essex)

It's quite clear to me that both the Tories and Labour will virtue signal about Islamophobia and anti-Semitism but their underlying issue is not losing Moslem votes. The Moslems vastly outnumber the Jews in the UK so the parties are more worried about one rather than the other. Historically Labour benefited from the Jewish vote but the population balance has shifted and in the north very much so. It was said a few years ago that Labour candidates in northern towns had to tread carefully around anti-Semitism. Labour's experience of Rochdale seems to align with that.

So, looking at the fear and panic emanating from some on this thread - and following James O’Brien - who do you think is the average person, going on one of the Gaza marches?

I think perhaps if you actually knew, your fear would I am sure dissipate.

It’s funny you mentioned Rochdale and the experience there Grantanow because last week, seeing there wasn’t much on television (as usual!) my husband and I looked at iPlayer for something to watch and we came across the mini series Three Girls. We did watch it when it was first released and I remember there being a thread about it on here, but we had forgotten much of what was portrayed and we were struck anew about the political correctness of the authorities in Rochdale and the bravery of the three girls and also the bravery of the government prosecutor who was himself Asian, but who was one of the main protagonists in getting those vile abusers prosecuted and sentenced.
For political correctness read fear!

GrannyGravy13

Glorianny

I googled the closure of Tower Bridge to find that in the recent past, Extinction Rebellion, Stop the Oil and a group of ex-pat Israelis have all demonstrated there and closed the bridge. So the question is why has this pro-Palestinian march caused so much anger when the rest passed unnoticed? I think the reason is obvious.
As for the marches, I have viewed as much film of them as I can find. There are few, if any, people masked. Most people on them are not obviously Palestinian or Muslim. They are simply ordinary people sick of seeing the defenceless slaughtered.

I think you are wrong Glorianny

Any protest group closing any bridge or road receives vitriol.

When the QEII Bridge was closed for several days by Just Stop Oil it caused much anger and disruption (traffic was dreadful in this part of Essex)

Glorianny is wrong and has put a slant on that from her own perspective.

Protests are fine, people should be able to voice their concerns but any protests which deliberately upset the public, stopping people getting to hospital for life-saving treatment, stopping ordinary people getting to their place of work, climbing war memorials, disrupting life for ordinary citizens are wrong.

They should be escorted to Speaker's Corner, with its tradition of free speech and protest

Why would my fear dissipate?
Why would James O’Brian make me feel differently.
Fear, and the need to protect our young is basic and genuine, and James O’Brian hasn’t got anything to do with it.

Whitewavemark2

So, looking at the fear and panic emanating from some on this thread - and following James O’Brien - who do you think is the average person, going on one of the Gaza marches?

I think perhaps if you actually knew, your fear would I am sure dissipate.

Sorry?

We're discussing the actual fear we felt when our children were caught up in the London Tube bombings.

Given the title of "is Islamaphobia getting out of control" It definitely is in these three countries India, Burma and China, where they are persecuted minorities, here not so much, because in the main we are a tolerant society, bu it is always appalling when isolated incidents happen. However, the operative word "getting" appears no longer to be the case within the Jewish community, hate crimes against them have risen exponentially, I'd say for their community, it is out of control. We now constantly hear they feel unsafe and given their history and their small numbers I can imagine they feel a constant onslaught. I witnessed flares being let off a couple of years ago and pro Palestinian agitators going in amongst the Orthodox Jewish population in Bournemouth when they were going to and from a synagogue on a Saturday, it was horrible to witness. Not that I think acts of racial hatred against any demographic is acceptable, but Jews are always in the wrong,! forever conflated with the worst acts of whatever the Israeli government are doing as if somehow to be Jewish is to be culpable of those crimes, but of course their persecution is historical and ongoing and somehow given previous acts of genocide it makes it so much worse.

I've vaguely heard of James O'Brien on GN, have never heard him and don't give a damn what he thinks, thank you.
I speak from experience not someone else's second-hand views.

Oh sorry, I’m still at the posts about people being fearful of people on the Gaza marches.

So far there has been an army officer and family man who are both marchers.

I have a friend whose husband goes regularly, and you couldn’t meet a more self effacing, kindly man, who tends his garden and watches birds.

The point is yet another war in the Middle East is bringing fear to UK citizens, conflict between groups, on our own soil.

I don't understand why people don't understand that there is fear in some communities.

I have a friend whose husband goes regularly, and you couldn’t meet a more self effacing, kindly man, who tends his garden and watches birds
How lovely.

I expect they're all like that.

Callistemon21

Unlike some people I don’t confuse ISIS and Islam, just like I don’t consider all Germans to be Nazi, all Irish to be IRA etc etc.

Cossy
So what are you saying? That the violent protestors on the streets (and I am aware that not all are violent), those intimidating MPs and Jewish people, are all members of ISIS?

No but I think anyone who resorts to violent protest, for any reason, in our Country, is probably an extremist and therefore not to be encouraged.

I’m a great supporter of peaceful protest, whether I agree with those protesting or not, I do not think protesting should scare people, everyone is entitled to go about their own business, members of the public and MPs.

Well people were deliberately blocking Tower Bridge and letting off flares and singing From the River to the Sea on Saturday. What does your quiet, self effacing, kindly friend think about that?

Yes, I see and agree, Cossy
I suggested Speaker's Corner in a post above, the right place for proteststo be heard.

I saw on the news this morning that three MPs have had to be given body guards now. Why would that be if the protesters are all peace loving, wouldn’t hurt a fly kind of people?

The MPs weren’t named, probably because of their security.

I do understand the fear, of course I do, but a bit of perspective does no harm.

Is a bit of perspective going to protect those MPs or people trying to walk across Tower Bridge last Saturday?

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Change the title to ‘AntiSemitism is getting out of control’ and you are nearer the mark.

What I am trying to portray is that people like Braverman who seek to conflate everyone who attends protest marches (because they feel so strongly about genocide or climate) are all extremists - they aren’t and to do so I think makes people unnecessarily fearful.

Would I trust anyone who made it known he gives 30% of his income every month to charity ? No