OPINION: The whole community is invited to dance with us at London Pride

This weekend, for the first time, the London Pride parade will be Judenrein (Jew Free). This comes after Keshet and the West London Synagogue, who run the Jewish grouping, were forced to pull out as Pride in London could not guarantee the safety of our marchers.

Over 1.5 million people turned up for London Pride in 2023. If we do not act, this will be the largest event in UK history from which Jews will be excluded.

After a year in which Jews have been attacked in the streets and Jewish businesses vandalized, Jews are now unsafe at major public events. Now Pride, but what next? It’s time for our Jewish community to stand up!

We must not allow Jews to be edged out of spaces. We must reclaim our right to celebrate Pride alongside all other communities. So we are throwing a Jewish LGBT+ Pride Event of our own, and the whole community is invited to celebrate Pride with us.

This isn’t about politics or what views we may have on the conflict thousands of miles away. This is about antisemitism here in London, and we will not allow this to be a Jew-free Pride.

We know that the vast majority of Londoners are decent people and the vast majority of the LGBT+ community too. So let’s turn up, let’s celebrate, and together let’s out-dance hate.

We call on everyone in the Jewish community: gay and straight, to come together and join us at our event on Saturday; to demonstrate that we as Jews belong at Pride, in London, and in this country; to show those who would exclude us that we won’t stop dancing and our love is stronger than their hate.

Join us: Saturday 29th June 2pm – 4pm at Miznon Soho (8 Broadwick Street, W1F 8HW) for a defiant celebration of LGBT+ Pride and of Jewish Pride.

We will dance again!

David & Max