MANCHESTER, England — “Jews were hated because we were poor, because we were rich, because we were communist, because we were capitalist, because we kept to ourselves, because we infiltrated everywhere,” Mark Adlestone, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region, told a rally of 6,000 people here Jan. 21, the largest action against Jew-hatred in the city in years.
“In the East End of London in the 1930s graffiti on the wall read ‘Jews go back to Palestine.’ Now it reads ‘Jews get out of Palestine,’” Adlestone said. In the month following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre of Jews in Israel, the number of threats and attacks on Jews has spiked, as it has worldwide.
“We will not be scared, we will not be intimidated, and we will stand together as Jews, alongside our non-Jewish friends to say, loudly and clearly: ‘Never again! Am Yisrael Chai!’” (The people of Israel live!) 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Ike Alterman told participants.
Peter Clifford, Communist League candidate in this year’s parliamentary election for Manchester Central, joined the action. Clifford, a member of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union, carried a sign that read, “Fighting Jew-hatred is a union question!”
Geoff Levy, who lives in Ashkelon, Israel, joined the protest while visiting family in Manchester. He asked Clifford about his sign. “Jew-hatred is used by the capitalist rulers in times of deep crisis to win supporters to reactionary and fascist movements, which are unleashed on the working class and its organizations,” Clifford said.
“That’s true,” Levy replied, “but today many unions are supporting the cease-fire call which benefits Hamas.”
Clifford pointed to the opening to debate this question in the unions. “An appeal from the International Transport Workers’ Federation for humanitarian aid and a cease-fire was read out at my branch meeting,” Clifford told Levy. “I said there was a problem — the letter didn’t mentioned the Oct. 7 pogrom. Without that you can’t understand why Israel is fighting to defeat Hamas. A discussion opened up among the 25 union members present.
“As workers begin to use unions to fight for our interests, more will see the need to defend Israel’s right to exist as a question the working class needs to support,” Clifford said. Levy got a Militant.
Over two dozen copies and two subscriptions to the paper along with three copies of The Jewish Question by Abram Leon and a copy of On the Jewish Question by Leon Trotsky were sold by Communist League campaigners attending the action.
Labour Member of Parliament Lisa Nandy and Conservative Minister of State for Security Thomas Tugendhat spoke. Tugendhat lauded the government’s Jan. 18 decision, with Labour backing, to make it illegal to join or support the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. The group praises Hamas’ Oct. 7 slaughter and has held rallies in the U.K.
The ban is dangerous for the working class, Clifford told the Militant. “Shutting down the free speech and association of reactionary Islamist groups today will be used against working people and our unions tomorrow.”