UK: "TRAFALGAR SQUARE WAS FULL" OF iSRAEL LOVERS

UPDATE: VIDEO!

Consider the above peaceful protest and yesterdays "peaceful" protest of Hamas terror lovers in the UK here

Thousands support Israel at UK rallies

Thousands of police were on duty in London and Manchester for the pro-Israel rallies that took place on Sunday after violent clashes again erupted at an anti-Israel demonstration at the Israel embassy on Saturday.

They didn't need police. These were civilized people, not the savages that tore through the streets of London yesterday. Actually police were needed to protect the civilized from the savage.

An email claiming Sunday's Israel solidarity rally in Trafalgar Square has been cancelled has been dismissed as a hoax

Despite that over 10,000 supporters of Israel showed up.

However, on Friday evening, an email purporting to be from the Board of Deputies was sent to thousands of people throughout the community claiming the event had been scrapped. It also stated the Board wanted an end to the IDF operation and talks between Israel and Hamas.

The email though was a hoax, apparently sent by a member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians.

UK attendee said, "The organisers did a really good job – especially considering (a) it was sub-zero, the water in the fountains had ice on it (b) from conception to event was just 5 days (c) the hoax email on Friday night saying it had been cancelled."

UPDATE: Phillip's lovely report:

The counterdemo this morning was a model of peaceful protest and has been distorted and played down dramatiacally by al Beeb, who estimated attendance at 4000.

Utter nonsense. I'm no expert in crowd dynamics or estimating, but there were many, many more than that present - Trafalgar Square was totally packed.

I'd say the majority there were British Jews - but the wonderful, uplifting surprise of the morning was the number of non-Jewish Brits (like me) and foreigners that turned up to show solidarity with them. There were also a healthy contingent of Christians and some Hindus too.

There were a couple of hundred at most from the 'other side' there - restricted by Police to the North side of the Square, outside Canada House. A few keffiyeh wearing Alahu Akbar merchants showed up too, who appeared to be being directed by an American (I'm going to try and have him identified later today).

There was also a contingent of what I call 'GuiltyJews™' on this side - waving placards reading 'Talk to Hamas' (might as well have read 'Talk to my Ass'), and other such nonsense. I'm surprised that they had the strength to hold their boards up with all the pain from the self-flagellation and the unbearable weight of the guilt they were carrying.

An the extreme of this, there was a small contingent from Naturei Karta there - but I suppose you can always count on a visit from Haredim for Allah at events like these.

All in all a great morning with a positive atmosphere that re-energised me and actually made me proud to be British again - it was heartening to see the Jews standing up for themselves - and to see Brits standing with them.

A chink of light may be shining through at last, in that at least some British people are seeing through the media Pro-Pallywood spin.

I'd also like to add that the Police and the CST appeared to be cooperating extremely well with each other to ensure crowd safety. The atmosphere was good.

Photos here.  .

UPDATE: Atlas reader Davod was there. Here is his after actions report (yay!)

Report from Trafalgar Square 11 Jan 2009 after the Rally for Israel Pictures and video to follow.

I arrived a little late, about 20 mins after it had begun, to find it in full swing.  Access roads were lined with police vehicles and a few mounted police.  On reaching Trafalgar Square a policeman asked us whether we had come to join “the pro-Israel group or the protesters?”  Being with friends who, unlike yours truly, were anxious to avoid confrontation, we moved in the direction of the rally itself.  We saw, segregated to one side of the Square, the protesters, who were making their point megaphonically, and with the usual array of posters.  I would say they numbered 200-300.  First impressions, later confirmed, were that their diatribes were coming more from Jewish leftards than muslims.

The rally itself, by local standards, seemed quite well attended by Israel supporters, replete with banners, most of which, I had the impression, had been supplied by the organizers.  There did not seem to be the variety and quantity of creatively independent banners, posters, etc that one sees at other rallies such as in NY.

I would estimate there were some 5,000 supporters in Trafalgar Square today, but my estimate is rough at best.

Whatever the precise attendance, it clearly paled by comparison with what I had read about yesterday’s anti-Israel protests in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Kensington, where there were said to be tens of thousands.  In another marked and pleasing contrast to that event, today’s rally was without apparent violence, although there was a good deal of “enthusiasm” from both sides, especially from Jewish teenage supporters, who had showed up in force.

The official speeches ran for about an hour, I missed most of them as, to hear well,  one had to be in proximity of the stage that had been set up.  I made my way into the crushing crowd there in time to hear in full the final speech, given by Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, who spoke passionately about how we, Israel, seek the peace and welfare not only of our own, but also of our enemies whose peace we seek more than they do for for themselves, and that this is a conflict that has been reluctantly forced upon us.  For my own tastes, the Chief's speech was lukewarm, too kumbaya, didn’t emphasize enough that we are fighting a wholly moral war, and that to not fight it, and to its conclusion, would be to abrogate our moral duty, that our first duty is to our own.  Also, that the war we fight is not only for ourselves (and for the Palestinian citizenry, as he seemed to imply) but for the whole of western civilization and the world.

Nonetheless, his words seemed to resonate with this crowd, and were followed by a Shalom song then the British and Israeli National Anthems, in all of which the crowd joined generously.  As we sang G-d Save the Queen, I couldn’t help thinking how very true rings that prayer as we see the hordes that thugged their way through yesterday’s happenings and the under-readiness and limp response of the local constabulary.  On the other hand, to their joint credit, today’s police and CST -- the Community Security Trust, which is the local Jewish security framework which had many members on duty today – did a very good job of keeping order, and seemed to apreciate it when I said so in person to many of them standing guard in the various phalanxes they had  formed.

At the end all were asked to leave quickly and peaceably, but many, especially youngsters, tried to linger, especially to counter the protesters who appeared to be staying on.  An organizer went around with a megaphone asking us to leave since, he said, the media is just looking for any excuse to portray the rally as a violent event when in fact it had been remarkably peaceful.

To sum it up:  British Jewish leadership had made a concerted effort in recent days to step up to the plate and galvanize support, with a 5-day Israel action program, culminating in today’s Rallies (London and Manchester).  Clearly, there is a strong contingent of Jewish/Israeli support, but it still seems to suffer from that propensity or preference to stay under the radar screen.  But considering the tsunami of anti-Semitism that has surfaced locally and worldwide, triggered by Operation Cast Lead, this just ain’t enough. Wake up Anglo Jews and supporters of Israel! Wake up before it’s too late! R(e)ally.

(Pics and vids to follow)

UPDATE: Pro Israel rally in Prague! Go Here

Comments

[Ginro]

I am so pleased the UK rallies were a success, or at least the London one. I wasn't able to get to the Manchester rally as it was miles away and I honestly don't even have enough money for the bus fare, lol. But I'd have been there if I could have.
It's so nice to see how peaceful and decent-hearted so many pro-Israel supporters are. It's such a stark contrast to the 'other' lot, and the silent majority is clearly watching and taking note.

[Grimer]

Unfortunately, I got there too late and it had all finished. I'd stayed at a friend's house on Saturday night and it was a bit of a late one. I made the mistake of 'engaging' with some of the anti-Israel protesters in Tescos and got a verbal onslaught. They really are deranged in their hatred.

[Stephen Gash SIOE England]

I was there and I would say the number was nearer ten thousand. The reason there was little variety to the banners was that the organisers said banners and flags would be provided and hats off to them for keeping the meassage simple and unambiguous.

It was a fun day as well as conveying a serious meassage and unsurprisingly there was no violence.

Afterwards I went along to look at a Palestinian rally outside the Syrian embassy calling for a Kalifate (Caliphate) of all Muslim countries against Israel.