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In contemporary Britain, protest has ceased to be a fundamental right. Rather, it has become a conditional permission that those in power allow or deny as they see fit. This represents the implication of new regulations that the ruling administration is advancing, which would determine the timing and location protests can occur, with possible imprisonment for those who disobey these limitations.

Erosion of Democratic Rights

Earlier governments had already undermined this essential right: the previous Tory administration had given law enforcement extensive additional powers, which international human rights organizations had censured as "serious and undue limitations" on civil liberties. Collectively, these progressive assaults on liberty have effectively eliminated the hard-won right to freedom of protest.

Exploiting Tragedy to Justify Crackdown

The latest restrictive measures are being justified by citing last week's terrible antisemitic assault on a Manchester Islamic center. We can all agree on universal agreement that the safety of British Jews must be safeguarded. However, using this atrocity as a justification to suppress opposition is not only unrelated to that responsibility but perverts it.

"If you cannot draw the line at genocide, you probably can't establish limits at democratic principles," observed a prominent American author, whose words that rings true for the current government.

Historical Perspective of Protest

Consider Britain's long tradition of protest and activism against racism and authoritarianism, from the 1936 Battle of Cable Street to after World War II Jewish anti-fascist movements and the 1970s demonstrations against the far-right organization. Many of these early protesters were labeled as radicals in their time, even while they were fighting for the rights of minorities.

Current Reality

In the current complicated landscape, here's what's actually occurring: The Israeli government – a foreign state – is perpetrating what United Nations investigations have characterized as genocide. Its warfare have prompted the global justice body to issue legal indictments against Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister.

Western popular sentiment has shifted dramatically against Israel's military campaign. In Britain, a substantial majority of citizens think Israel has likely committed international law violations. Most people would endorse a total prohibition on arms sales to the nation, and back the arrest of Netanyahu.

Suppressing Opposition

Having essentially failed the public debate, Israel's supporters are now seizing on a vile anti-Jewish attack to attempt to silence a popular campaign against a ethical disaster. The British government seems included in this effort. Ministers have failed to implement extensive restrictions on Israel and have allowed weapon shipments to continue.

People who are demonstrating against the destruction of Gaza have been characterized as hateful extremists. Yet there's a important factor why there hasn't been a more extensive crackdown on these protesters until now: extremely few protesters have made truly offensive statements about Jewish people, giving police authorities minimal reason to take action.

Dangerous Conflation

Equating Jewish identity with the actions of the government of Israel is not only manipulative but also harmful. The standard interpretation of anti-Jewish prejudice, accepted by the British government and numerous institutions, has been rightly challenged for potentially restricting legitimate criticism of Israel. However, there should be universal agreement about one of its key examples: that "holding Jewish people collectively responsible for decisions of the state of Israel" constitutes prejudice against Jews.

Increasing Limitations

This is why we've arrived at a point where police authorities can suggest that protests opposing Israel's actions should be canceled because they might "inadvertently or intentionally" support antisemitism. Similarly, government officials have declared that recognition of Palestinian statehood has made organizations "complicit" in alleged abuse experienced by Jewish communities.

Double Standards

On the same day as the synagogue attack, the Israeli military killed numerous of Palestinians in Gaza – adding to the horrific toll from 24 months of daily atrocities that have claimed tens of thousands of lives. British political leaders and news organizations have hardly hidden the limited value they assign to Palestinian life. This represents one of the boldest demonstrations of discrimination in our time.

Breaking Boundaries

Our government has already passed a dangerous threshold by banning a specific activist group, a non-violent, human rights-focused activist collective. Multiple thousands of British protesters have been detained, primarily for carrying signs opposing genocide and supporting the banned organization. Many of those detained are pensioners; including a former clergyman and the child of a Holocaust survivor.

International Parallels

It's not difficult to see where this trajectory leads. In the United States, political leaders helped demonize demonstrations supporting Palestine: a former House Speaker suggested that some were "connected to" other nations, while the sitting leader described such demonstrations as anti-Jewish. In doing so, they helped legitimize the authoritarian crackdown on such protests – and on freedom of expression in general.

Looking Ahead

If a hard-right government comes to power, it would be given sweeping powers to suppress dissent. What might a Reform government do with this repressive toolkit? Our forebears struggled, endured hardship and sacrificed their lives to establish our liberties. We may eventually regret how casually we allowed them to be eroded.