We are approaching a tipping point: what unites us may soon be weaker than what we disagree about
Over a weekend that felt like the last days of Weimar, “patriots” chanted “England till I die” at the Cenotaph, and a pro-Palestine marcher declared that “Hitler knew how to deal” with the Jews. These thugs do not speak for the thousands who protest in good faith on either side. But hate speech will be used to smear each cause, posted as proof that it is out for blood. Meanwhile, millions of us feel paralysed by the moral complexity of the Israel-Gaza conflict, and silenced by fear of causing offence.
If you say “I sympathise with you, but…”, you’ll likely get called a coward, for the marchers see no “but” – not a glimmer of light on the other side of the argument, not a shadow over their own. London has become the theatre for a new wave of tribal politics.
