The Telegraph columnist Michael Deacon on Thursday quoted Aldous Huxley, renowned for his dystopian novel “Brave New World,” who stated in a foreword to Samuel Butler’s “Erewhon,” in 1933 (Pro-Palestine thugs are becoming a threat to democracy):
“The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people that they will have a chance of maltreating someone… To be able to destroy with a good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior ‘righteous indignation’ – this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.”
Deacon was reminded of Huxley’s warning as anti-Israel protesters targeted Luke Charters, the Labour MP for York Outer. Charters reported that a group of masked individuals hurled a can of baked beans at him in the street while chanting, “Labour, Labour, genocide.” The intimidation escalated on Saturday when around 20 protesters attempted to block the entrance to his constituency office, shouting, “Luke Charters, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.” As a result, he said, several constituents were too frightened to attend scheduled meetings with him.
“These foaming narcissists clearly believe that their cause is so unimpeachably righteous, that they’re entitled to bully anyone who doesn’t share their fanaticism. And they do it with the most jubilant relish,” Deacon wrote.
One night in February of last year, a mob of anti-Israel protesters staged an aggressive demonstration outside the family home of then-Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood. Just a few months later, in July, Labour MP Rushanara Ali revealed that during the election campaign, she had “spent as much time talking to the police and responding to threats and hostilities as I did talking to voters.” She warned that certain groups were “weaponizing” anger about Gaza.
Anti-Israel protests have long since graduated from harassment to outright violence. Palestine Action, a UK-based anti-Israel group, has sharply escalated its violent campaign, increasing from 17 attacks in 2020 to 170 in 2024, according to a detailed investigation by The Sunday Times published on March 8.
The group has caused millions of pounds in damage to factories supplying equipment to the British Army and Royal Navy, The Sunday Times reported. Drawing on open-source material, including the group’s own social media posts, the paper found that since its founding in July 2020, Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for 356 “direct actions” targeting UK-based companies and institutions it accuses of ties to Israeli defense firms.
The attacks have struck a wide range of targets, including defense and engineering companies, banks, property developers, accountancy firms, and universities. In total, 76 companies have been affected.
Such behavior goes far beyond the bounds of peaceful protest. When frenzied mobs not only intimidate Members of Parliament but also frighten constituents away from engaging with their elected representatives, the conclusion is unavoidable: pro-Palestinian extremists are becoming a genuine threat to democratic society, Deacon concluded.
