As the situation in the Israeli-occupied territories worsens, so the effects are felt not only across the whole of the middle East but also now on the streets of Manchester.
On Saturday, November 12, we, the members of Manchester Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (MPSC), and Jews for Justice for Palestinians, were attacked - not by the peace-loving Jewish community of Bury, Prestwich and Whitefield, but by a gang of what I believe to be professional thugs who appear to have taken it upon themselves to police the streets of Manchester city centre on Saturday afternoons, and rough up anyone or any group who publically support the Palestinians.
While they stopped short of attacking us physically, they nevertheless destroyed our table, tore up our literature, and screamed obscene abuse. We called the police and the minute they arrived, these thugs melted away. Unfortunately, when the police left, the thugs re-appeared. We were attacked a second and third time. What are we to make of this? The spectacle of Jews attacking Jews - for many members of MPSC are Jewish - is perhaps of little interest to the police, for in truth the police did nothing to defuse a very nasty situation.
We held our ground but at some risk. It begs the question therefore, why were these thugs not arrested?
GEORGE ABENDSTERN
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