London neo-Nazi rally moved after outcry from Jewish leaders and MPs

From the Guardian

An anti-fascist protester in London. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

A neo-Nazi “anti-Jewification” demonstration that was due to take place in Golders Green, north London, on Saturday has been moved out of the area following a robust response from the local community and weeks of pressure from Jewish leaders and MPs.

Police said the static demonstration would now be confined to one hour and would take place in central London. Organisers of Golders Green Together (GGT), formed to mobilise the community against the antisemitic protest, welcomed the decision.

(...)

There has been some strain between the mainstream Jewish organisations in GGT and other groups. Some expressed concerns that a proposed counter-demonstration would attract leftwingers who take a strong line against Israel’s occupation of Palestine. “Everyone’s against [the neo-Nazi demonstration], but they may be against it in different ways,” said one insider. “This is revealing tensions within the community.”

Arkush said some of those who were planning to protest against the neo-Nazis had “a discordant message themselves. I fear all extremists, whether from the far right or the far left. They should not be permitted to hijack the agenda and take over the streets.”

Some viewed the neo-Nazi demonstration as a distraction from more significant threats to the Jewish community. “It’s very unpleasant and upsetting, but one shouldn’t forget that the antisemitism that most concerns the majority of UK Jews today comes from Islamic fundamentalism and the [anti-Israel] left,” said Keith Kahn-Harris, co-author of Turbulent Times: the British Jewish Community Today.

“The groundswell of effort to mobilise against this demonstration is because it’s relatively straightforward to do so. It’s much more difficult with other forms of antisemitism.”