Peter Tatchell assaulted at Rally Against Antisemitism

Veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was assaulted and forced out by a mob at the Rally Against Antisemitism in Whitehall on Sunday 10 May.

He described attendees at the rally wrestling and shoving him and stealing a Free Palestine badge. He also received threats of violence if he attempted to rejoin the rally. And police even threatened him with arrest while taking no action against his attackers.

Tatchell said:

They ripped off my Free Palestine badge (which I wear everywhere), grabbed, wrestled, shoved and threatened me.

I was there to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, against hate and violence. My placard said: ‘I stand with the Jewish community. Fight antisemitism. Love will triumph over hate.’

The assailants falsely accused me of supporting Hamas and terrorism against Jews. They said ‘f*ck off’, ‘get out’, ‘Jew hater’ and ‘terrorist supporter’.

I oppose Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians, including 20,000 innocent children (according to Save the Children). But I also totally oppose terror attacks and have condemned Hamas as an antisemitic, sexist and homophobic dictatorship for many years.

The police who were present did not arrest my assailants or retrieve my badge. Officers threatened me with arrest for breach of the peace and escorted me, against my will, out of the rally area.

When I was out of the rally area, a group of aggressive, menacing men tracked me down and threatened violence. One said: ‘If you come back in, you won’t come out’ which I interpreted as an implied death threat.

This incident was not typical. I received many ‘thanks for attending’ from Jewish people at the rally. Some told me they opposed the war policies of the Netanyahu regime and, like me, supported a two-state solution.

My support for Jewish victims of hate crime is unconditional.

Tatchell has reported the assault to the police and is seeking charges against the assailants.

Featured image via Peter Tatchell Foundation