To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing on behalf of the Jewish community in North London to express our deep concerns regarding the planned protest scheduled to take place at the Phoenix Cinema on Thursday, 23rd May, at 7 pm. This protest coincides with the screening of the documentary "SuperNova," which depicts the atrocities and unprecedented moments of terror in southern Israel on October 7th.

Over the past four months, and particularly since October 7th, there have been more than 4,500 recorded instances of anti-Jewish hate crimes across the UK in 2023, as reported by the Community Security Trust (CST). This figure represents a 147% increase from the 1,662 incidents reported the previous year and is 81% higher than the previous record of 2,261 incidents in 2021. Alarmingly, over two-thirds of these incidents occurred after October 7th, following the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. The CST report highlights that anti-Semitic incidents began spiking before Israel’s military response, with 416 incidents recorded in the week immediately following October 7th, surpassing any subsequent week.

The Jewish community in North London has always lived peacefully, harmoniously coexisting with surrounding communities. However, the planned protest poses a significant threat to our community's safety and tranquility. The presence of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel protestors during the screening of a sensitive documentary is likely to lead to provocations and potentially escalate into violence.

We respectfully demand that the relevant authorities take immediate and decisive action to disallow this planned protest to prevent any escalation. The Jewish community in this area seeks to continue living in peace, free from the threat of external provocations and disturbances.

Unfortunately The Metropolitan Police have declared several time in several cases that it is dangerous for our community members to openly display their Jewish identity, speak Hebrew, or practice their beliefs. This statement underscores the urgency of our request. It is untenable for our community members to live in fear, particularly on Shabbat, when attending synagogue or engaging in communal activities may expose them to attacks from protestors coming from other parts of London.

While we uphold the right to freedom of speech, this right must be balanced with our community's right to live in safety and peace. We urge the authorities to relocate this protest to a different venue, far from our quiet and peaceful neighborhood, to avoid creating an unnecessary crisis.

We appreciate your prompt attention to this critical matter and trust that you will act to protect the safety and well-being of the Jewish community in North London.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

The Jewish Community of North London