UK Black Lives Matter rejects Israeli annexation of West Bank

BLM under fire from UK Board of Deputies, which accuses it of propagating an 'antisemitic trope'

Palestinians came out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement when Trayvon Martin was shot dead by police in Florida in 2012 (AFP)

By MEE and agencies Published date: 28 June 2020

The UK chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) said it "proudly" stands in solidarity with Palestinians and rejects Israel's plans to annex large areas of the West Bank, which it intends to carry out on 1 July.

Posting a series of tweets on Sunday, BLM also criticised British politics for being "gagged of the right to critique Zionism and Israel's settler-colonial pursuits".

The tweets led to criticism from senior British Jewish figures.

As Israel moves forward with the annexation of the West Bank, and mainstream British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism, and Israel’s settler colonial pursuits, we loudly and clearly stand beside our Palestinian comrades.

FREE PALESTINE.

THE TWO WORDS THAT ZIONISTS WON'T SAY 

— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) June 28, 2020

The Board of Deputies president, Marie van der Zyl, described the "gagging" comment as "beyond disappointing" and accused BLM of propagating an "antisemitic trope".

"[A] supposedly anti-racist organisation has leaned into the antisemitic trope that British politics is 'gagged' in terms of debating Israel, a claim particularly preposterous because Israel is one of the most-discussed foreign policy issues in the country," van der Zyl told the Jewish News.

Following van der Zyl's criticism, BLM took to its 60,000 followers, reiterated its support, and shared a quote from renowned academic and former Black Panther Angela Davis, who has long supported the Palestinian cause.

"One more time for those at the back," BLM UK wrote on Twitter.

"From the British Black Panthers to Black Lives Matter, solidarity and learning from Palestinians in the fight against systematic racism has always been part of our shared struggle and shared strength."

The growing row between BLM UK and the UK Board of Deputies comes only days after the UK Labour Party fired shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey for alleged anti-semitism.

One more time for those at the back.

From the British Black Panthers to Black Lives Matter, solidarity and learning from Palestinians in the fight against systemic racism has always been part of our shared struggle, and shared strength. pic.twitter.com/DlwBydqqNe

— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) June 28, 2020

Long-Bailey shared an article that suggested that the US police officer who killed George Floyd had received training from Israeli forces.

The article in question was a wide-ranging interview with British actor Maxine Peake for the Independent website, which was published on Thursday.

In the interview, Peake is quoted as saying: "Systemic racism is a global issue... The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd's neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services."


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An initial version of the article referred to a 2016 Amnesty International report on training programmes for US law enforcement officers in Israel. The reference has since been removed.

In a statement, Amnesty International said it had "documented appalling crimes under international law and human rights violations meted out to Palestinians by members of the Israeli security forces".

But it said it had never reported that "neck kneeling" was a tactic taught by Israeli secret services.