Bristol – A banner portraying Prime Minister
Theresa May wearing a Star of David earring was removed following accusations
of antisemitism.
The
large banner had hung in the city of Bristol in southwest England before it was
removed on Tuesday. It depicted May, of the Conservative Party, surrounded by
negative words and phrases, facing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, surrounded by
positive ones.
May
could be seen wearing a blue Star of David earring, and one of the words
surrounding her was “Balfour,” presumably referencing the Balfour Declaration,
the 1917 declaration declaring England’s support for a Jewish homeland in
Palestine. Jewish Bristol residents told newspapers that they found the poster
antisemitic.
Prior
to removing the banner, one of the organizers behind the banner said that the
Star of David symbolized the English government’s relationship with Israel
and was not meant to be antisemitic.
“What we are doing with that
symbol – it’s an earring – is a reference to Theresa May’s government’s
relationship with Israel. It is a critique of her foreign policy, rather
than against religion,” Nina Masterson told The Bristol Post.
Masterson added: “I’m definitely not an anti-Semite. I have
Jewish friends, and my half brother and sister are Jewish.”
