Jewish activist arrested for ‘Intifada’ placard while right’s hate unpunished

Jewish anti-genocide activist Tony Greenstein was arrested at the Nakba Day march in London on Saturday 16 May. Greenstein’s supposed offence was to hold a placard saying “Globalise the Intifada”.

Greenstein was handcuffed and bundled into a van, triggering crowing from Israel lobbyists. The lobby hates Greenstein and other anti-Zionist Jews for exposing the lie that all Jewish people support Israel and its crimes.

Brighton-based Greenstein was attacked by all the ‘usual suspects’ of the most hateful and racist social media accounts that push pro-Israel propaganda.

The phrase, “Globalise the Intifada”, has been declared by the Zionist Starmer regime to be criminal and arrestable because, supposedly, it is a call ‘for the death of all Jews’. This is flatly untrue: the first intifada was a Gandhi-esque, non-violent campaign of civic resistance in Gaza.

‘Intifada’ simply means ‘shaking off [chains]’. But it is one of the facets of Starmer’s war on pro-Palestine speech and protest. It is cast as inherently antisemitic even though it is aimed at a colonial project, not at Jews — and even when, as on Saturday, it is held by a Jewish protester.

Greenstein punished amidst fascist impunity

But while peaceful resistance is criminalised under the Starmer regime, outright fascist hate is not. Greenstein pointed to the openly racist and Islamophobic signs held by the misnamed, extremist “Unite the kingdom” flop that took place at the same time as the huge Nakba march.

Like this one:

Those holding such signs went untroubled by the Met Police. Indeed, they were protected.

Greenstein is defiant. He says he hopes the police charge him, so he has a chance to expose the nonsense of the ban in court.

‘I HOPE THEY CHARGE ME FOR THE SIGN’ – Greenstein defiant after arrest pic.twitter.com/aVOLSL3H6s

— The Crispin Flintoff Show (@CrispinShow) May 17, 2026

He knows what he is risking. Greenstein has already been convicted of planning to participate in an action to damage an Israeli weapons factory. He still faces prosecution under terror legislation for other acts of protest. He refuses to stop challenging the Starmer police state and the Israel lobby.

Featured image via Tony Greenstein