UK minority groups slam attempts to silence Israel criticism
UK minority groups slam attempts to silence Israel criticism
Dozens of minority rights groups have spoken out against moves to stifle free discussion on Israel and Palestine.
5 min read
Minority groups believe that their right to criticise Israeli violations is being stifled [Getty]
More than 80 organisations from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in the UK published a letter on Friday expressing concern with growing attempts to supress their freedom of expression and stifling discussion on Palestine.
The letter criticises the working definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016, which critics say conflates anti-Semitism with legitimate criticism of Israel.
"Public discussion of these facts, and a description of these injustices, would be prohibited under the IHRA’s guidelines, and therefore withholds vital knowledge from the public," the statement reads.
"This silencing has already begun. Today we can freely describe the racist policies experienced in the era of British and European colonialism in our countries of origin (indeed it is taught in British schools), but the colonial history of the Palestinians is continually erased."
The statement adds, "this is a dangerous breach of our own rights, and of the wider British public: we must all hear the full story of the Palestinians in order to make sense of the current discussions about racism and Israel."
While not mentioning the Labour party, the letter comes as the Party finds itself mired in an anti-Semitism row, with Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn facing increasing pressure to adopt the full IHRA definition.
The letter goes on to slam the discourse centred around Palestine and Israeli violations, saying that, there are efforts being made by far-right organisations "to deny Palestinians’ basic humanity by suppressing their entire history and current plight."
"We are deeply worried about current attempts to silence a public discussion of what happened in Palestine and to the Palestinians in 1948, when the majority of its people were forcibly expelled. These facts are well established and accessible, are part of the British historical record, as well as the direct experience of the Palestinian people themselves.
The Palestinian community in the UK has raised the disturbing absence of key information about these past and current injustices, and highlighted the racism it exposes then and now."
The Palestinian community in the UK has raised the disturbing absence of key information about these past and current injustices, and highlighted the racism it exposes then and now."
The letter also makes a mention of the Grenfell Tower fire and the Windrush scandal as examples of the "legacies of British colonialism, where racism forms an integral part of British policies, and renders our communities invisible".
The List of Signatories are:
1. African Rainbow Family
2. The Arab Labour Group
3. The Arab Refugee Support Group (ARSG)
4. The Association of the Palestinian Community in the UK
5. Baraka Youth Association (Somali)
6. Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts (BARAC)
7. Black Lives Matter UK
8. Black Women’s Forum UK
9. The British Arab Association
10. British Muslim Initiative (BMI)
11. The British Palestinian Communications Centre
12. The British Palestinian Policy Council
13. The Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CACC)
14. Communities Inc, Nottingham
15. Community Integration Project, London
16. Congo Great Lakes Initiative
17. The Cordoba Foundation
18. Daikon East Asian Women’s Collective
19. Dar Assalam – Iraqi Association in Britain
20. Decolonising Our Minds
21. Deport, Deprive and Extradite Project
22. Eritrean Elders Welfare Association in UK (EEWA-UK)
23. Eritrean Parents and Children’s Association
24. Europal Forum
25. Facilitate Global
26. The General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS)
27. Grenfell Speaks
28. Ikram United Kingdom and Eire
29. Indian Matters UK
30. Indian Workers Association
31. International Workers of Great Britain – United Private Hire Drivers Branch
32. International Workers of Great Britain – University of London Branch
33. Iraqi Transnational Collective
34. Iraqi Women’s Organisation: Tadhamun
35. Jawaab
36. Justice for Grenfell
37. Kashmiris for Labour
38. Kurdish Student’s Union
39. Kurdish Assembly in the UK
40. Lebanese Association of Britain
41. Leeds Unity Centre
42. Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants
43. London Latinx
44. London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium
45. Media Diversified
46. Meridian Women’s Association
47. The Meena Centre, Birmingham
48. Migrant Media
49. Migrant Rights Network (MRN)
50. Migrant Solidarity Manchester
51. Migrants Organise
52. Min Quan – Chinatown People Rights Group
53. Minaret Community Centre
54. Momentum Black Caucus
55. The Monitoring Group (TMG)
56. Movement for Justice
57. Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland
58. Muslimahs Resist
59. Muslim Association of Britain (MAB)
60. Muslim Worker’s Association
61. Network of Eritrean Women
62. Nijjor Manush (Bengali and Bangladeshi Campaigning Group)
63. North West Peoples’ Voice
64. Olive – Palestinian Youth Group
65. Oxford Syria Solidarity Campaign
66. Pakistani Community Centre Oldham
67. The Palestine Return Centre (PRC)
68. The Palestinian Forum in the UK
69. Pal Med UK
70. PCS Union National Black Members Committee
71. Peace in Kurdistan Campaign
72. Racial Justice Network
73. Rethink Rebuild Society (Syrian)
74. Right 2 Work UK
75. Roj Kurdish Women’s Assembly
76. Sante Refugee Project
77. The Society of Black Lawyers
78. South People’s Project (SOPPRO)
79. Tunisian Association in Britain
80. United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC)
81. Voices for Creative Non Violence UK
82. West London Moroccan Association – Widadia
83. Women’s Alliance for Kurdistan, Iraq and Syria
84. Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO)
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