http://rt.com/uk/179508-uk-discrimination-jewish-gaza/A group of British Jews and Israelis visited the UK city of Bradford on Sunday in defiance of MP George Galloway’s recent claim that Israeli tourists weren't welcome there and the district should be an “Israel free zone”.On August 2, Galloway, who has represented Bradford since 2012, suggested the city’s populace should take a firm stance against Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza and boycott Israeli goods, services, academics and tourists.
In the wake of Israel's Gaza offensive – a protracted military assault that has been criticized by UN officials, high profile British politicians, academics, and UK citizens – Galloway told activists, “we have declared Bradford an Israel-free zone.”
“We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics, coming to the university or the college.”
“We don’t even want any Israeli tourists to come to Bradford, if any of them had thought of doing so. We reject this illegal, barbarous, savage state that calls itself Israel”, he said.
‘Galloway offended my British sensibilities’
Following two separate formal complaints, Galloway’s controversial remarks were investigated by West Yorkshire Police.
Rabbi Odze and his associates made the decision to visit Bradford to send a message to Galloway that British Jews and Israelis resident in Britain would not be intimidated by his “extreme”, “arrogant”, “discriminatory” and utterly “un-British” remarks.
The group held a protest in the city center on Sunday and spoke with numerous locals regarding the issue. Certain members present reportedly hold duel UK-Israeli citizenship, and elected to bring their Israeli passports along to illustrate this fact to onlookers.
‘Anti-Semitism always follows’
When asked whether Britain’s Jewish community had experienced a rise of anti-Semitism in the wake of the Gaza crisis, Rabbi Ozde said “this always happens” when conflict in the region breaks out. But what is particularly noteworthy, he claimed, is “the changing nature of this anti-Semitism”. “Increasingly, we are seeing minorities on minorities. It’s a shame”, he added.
“I say this cautiously: there are predominantly Muslim areas in London where many Jewish Britons find it intimidating to walk through. When I go through the East End of London, it’s scary”, Odze said.
Topic: Group of British Jews and Israelis flout MP Galloway's Bradford ban (Read 374 times)