As planned, yesterday saw an English Defence League rally in support of Israel outside the Israeli embassy in London, with a special guest appearance by California’s “surfing Rabbi” Nachum Shifren. A photo gallery of the event, by can be seen here and here; EDL posters on display included images of the Israeli flag, and messages such as “There is no Place for Fascist Islamic Jew Haters in England”; “Islam Must Learn to Leave Israel Alone”; and “The True English will Never Abandon Israel”. There was also a large poster attacking Islamic homophobia and citing a warning by Peter Tatchell about Hizb ut Tahrir, and a few LGBT rainbow flags. The EDL’s Kevin Carroll is shown wearing a chain necklace bearing the EDL’s cross logo, and a shirt commemorating his recent participation at Pam Geller’s anti-mosque protest in New York.
Shifren sent an account of the event to Geller, who has published extracts:
Today was one of the biggest most organized demos in London . It was an honor for me, and I was quite humbled with the esteem shown to me by Londoners whom I’ve never met. Something very special happended here today, something the whole world noticed.
[..]
When I was introduced at the demo, I got a minute long standing ovation, with shouts of : “Rabbi, Rabbi, Rabbi” Never in my life have I been appreciate so much. The love was overflowing, they were so grateful for me thinking of them and supporting them. Of course, it was I that was grateful. Today was a shot heard round the world!
Apparently, there were around 300 EDL members present – not quite “the biggest” demo in London.
Geller also points us towards Carroll’s speech on the EDL website; Carroll used the occasion to rail against the “lies” about the existence of a “Palestinian people”.
The EDL has supported Israel since its inception, vicariously identifying with the country for its militant approach to Palestinians and foreign enemies, although it’s doubtful whether most EDL supporters know much about the conflicts. Last year, the EDL website had a hyperlink to the Kahanist “Jewish Defense League” in the USA, although this was taken down shortly after I wrote a blog entry about it (Shifren, incidentally, was “excommunicated” from the JDL in 2005 after offering support to Pat Buchanan). Several months ago, the EDL’s “Jewish Division” showed up to support a Zionist Federation rally at the same location, although the ZF and other mainstream Jewish organisations repudiated its presence.
UPDATE: Shifren’s speech has been posted to YouTube; it’s a boilerplate rant which effectively whips up the crowd’s hatred and resentment. Despite some reports, he doesn’t directly say “Arabs are dogs”; here’s the actual quote:
I’m still waiting for Arabs and Muslims to have peace with each other. Sunni versus Shi’i. The Al-Qaeda versus the Hamas. Hamas versus Al-Fatah. Like the dogs that they are, they eat each other alive.
(1) Shifren’s own view on the subject of homosexuality is that it should remain a private matter, and he has railed against “Gay radicals” who want a “quasi Gay/Lesbian hegemony, where a huge ‘bookburning,’ reminiscent of the Nazis, will purge any remnants of the ‘Christian, White, mainstream America’ that has given ALL AMERICANS the most profound scope of freedom, liberty, and justice that Mankind has yet to experience).
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