18th October, around 500 to 600 people marched through Brighton, to protest increasing racism in society. As we passed through Brighton, many were supportive. Early on in the demo, on London road, one guy at the side of the road became abusive, the police asked him to calm down, and he started a fight with them, at which point around 5 of them arrested him. After the march, we went to a cafe in Hove. Initially, upon seeing Laila’s placard the woman behind the counter was frosty with us. She asked us if we’d been on a demo. Yes, and anti racism one. Are you supportive of Palestine she asked, yes..I showed her my jumper. She immediately opened up, explaining that a bunch of pro Israel demonstrators had just been in. They’d made racist comments about Muslims, adding that she would be forced to wear a Burka. She refused to serve them and asked them to leave. When she described what they looked like, it was clear she was talking about some of Sussex Friends of Israel, who’s recent antics have included shouting in the street at Jewish people who support Palestine, and generally harassing anyone who stands agains the genocide. We ended up having a nice chat about music, and some tasty snacks.
Voices from the Protests 