Holocaust Survivor’s Daughter Arrested at Palestine Action Protest
The daughter of a Holocaust survivor who was among those arrested at a protest against the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group has said she “can’t be a bystander”.
Carolyn Gelenter was one of around 100 protesters who gathered in Tavistock Square Gardens, central London, on Saturday afternoon, where police officers formed a queue to methodically arrest people sitting in silence holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
A similar protest took place in Belfast’s city center, but police there did not intervene and officers instead observed the rally from a short distance away.
Ms Gelenter, who is from Australia but lives in London, was arrested on Saturday for a second time over supporting proscribed Palestine Action.
The 67-year-old, who also wore a sign around her neck which said she was the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, told the PA news agency before her arrest: “I wasn’t sure I wanted to get arrested again.
“I thoght I’d made my point, and it got lots of media attention, but I just was worried there weren’t enough people and I’m realy worried about the erosion of our democratic rights.
“Right to free speech, peaceful protest and free assembly is all being eroded.
“As a jew, and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I just feel I cannot stand by and watch this happening.
“It feels really worrying what’s going on in this country, let alone what’s going on in Gaza and the West Bank. I can’t be a bystander.”
She was later carried off by officers.
Gil Murray, from Norwich, was arrested on Saturday for the sixth time over supporting Palestine Action.
The 68-year-old told PA before he was carried off: “people are now increasingly in politics calling other people traitors or terrorists but for the Government to call people terrorists when they’re not, and we all know that holding a placard is not terrorism, is quite another matter.
“We all know genocide is wrong.
“In the Second World War, we fought a war against this sort of thing and the guys who were invading other countries and committing genocide were the bad guys and now the government is doing the same.”