High Peak Against Racism respond to criticism

Over recent months, our coverage of the local campaign group High Peak Against Racism has prompted discussion and, in some cases, criticism.

Some readers and members of the community have raised questions about the group’s positions and activities, particularly around issues relating to international conflicts and engagement with local communities. 

In the interest of fairness and balance, we offered the group an opportunity to respond directly to some of the most commonly asked questions. Topics included their stance on the 7 October attacks in Gaza, their engagement with Jewish communities locally, the principles guiding their work against racism, and their position on groups and movements associated with the Israel–Palestine conflict. 

The following responses are provided by the group in their own words, to help readers understand their aims, values, and approach to campaigning. 

1) The Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 involved a large-scale assault from the Gaza Strip on Israeli communities, including thousands of rockets fired and fighters breaching the border, resulting in over 1,200 deaths and many hostages. Why has the group not publicly condemned these attacks, and how does it view those events? 

“We did condemn the Hamas attack on civilians when it happened. 

However, we think it is necessary to put that attack in context, and we would echo the words of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who said: 

'It is important to also recognise the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing. But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.' 

We condemn all attacks on civilians, especially children. 

When we were in Glossop recently, reading out the names of the 1,893 children under two who have been killed in Gaza, which took us just over three hours, some people commented 'What about the Jewish children?' There were two infants killed on the day of the October 7th attack, according to ‘The Times of Israel’.” 

2) There have been questions about whether the group has sought to show solidarity with, or engage with, Jewish communities locally. Is this something the group has considered, and how do you respond to concerns that such solidarity has not been visible? 

“We condemn any form of antisemitism and have taken part in online training about being sensitive to antisemitic tropes. We take part in Holocaust Memorial Day activities every year, and we were the first to report antisemitic graffiti which appeared in Glossop recently. We were not aware of 'Jewish communities' locally but would be very happy to meet with any Jewish groups who would like to discuss the situation in Gaza, or our response to what is happening there. 

There are Jewish members of our group. Many of us take part in demonstrations in Manchester and London alongside a number of Jewish organisations including 'Holocaust Survivors and Descendants for Palestine'.” 

3) Critics have asked whether the group applies its opposition to racism consistently. How does the group define racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia, and what principles guide its campaigning in this area? 

“Racism is the oppression and marginalisation of individuals based on the colour of their skin, ethnicity, or nationality. It is a form of prejudice, hatred, or discrimination against a person because of their skin colour and/or ethnicity and it largely affects individuals from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic backgrounds. 

Much of our campaigning has involved expressing support for refugees and asylum seekers, particularly when they are being targeted by what we perceive as unjust government action or hostility from the far right. 

We received massive support from the local community when we campaigned for 'Black Lives Matter,' with on one occasion 200 people taking the knee alongside Glossop High Street. 

Antisemitism is hatred of, or prejudice against, Jewish people, simply because they are Jews. It does not include criticism of the State of Israel and its actions. 

We would endorse the definition of Islamophobia which is supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims. Islamophobia refers to prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed at Muslims or those perceived as Muslim. It’s rooted in racism and targets expressions of “Muslimness.” 

There is great support for the Jewish community from the Government, all political parties, and the media. The same cannot be said for the Muslim community. 

When the appalling terrorist attack took place at Heaton Park Synagogue in early October 2025, there was widespread media coverage and political condemnation. A few days later there was an arson attack on a mosque in Peacehaven. The attackers tried to break in, and when they failed, they set fire to the front door. There were people in the building, so who knows what would have happened if they had gained access. As it was, a car was burned out and the front door severely damaged, and there was very little publicity or public comment on this incident or the 26 other attacks on mosques which took place last year. 

After the attack, Wajid Akhter, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) secretary general, said: 'These incidents do not occur in a vacuum. This comes as media and political figures escalate collective blame and deliberate misrepresentation of Muslim communities, their causes and their faith.' 

Our campaigning is focused on raising awareness and lobbying against the actions of our Government, where we think these are unjust, exacerbating racism, or, in the case of their support for Israel, facilitating war crimes.” 

4) How does the group characterise Hamas and the Israeli state? Does the group view Hamas as a legitimate resistance movement, and how does it define terrorism within the context of the Israel–Palestine conflict? 

“Hamas is the elected Government of Gaza. It is regarded as a terrorist organisation by most western governments, but the majority of the world's people and governments consider Hamas to be a legitimate resistance movement. 

Under the Geneva Conventions of 1949, it was settled that resistance and even armed struggle against an occupation force is not just recognised under international law but specifically endorsed. This does not include the deliberate killing of civilians, and we condemn all attacks against civilians. 

Hamas was formed after the beginning of the Intifada or uprising against the Israeli occupation in 1987. Tens of thousands of Palestinians had been killed by Israel before this, and three quarters of a million people expelled in 1948. 

For many years, according to ‘The Times of Israel’, Netanyahu encouraged Hamas to flourish and allowed large amounts of cash to enter Gaza, because he wanted to maintain the tensions between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. This was because he was determined not to allow any progression towards a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. 

Israel - We consider that the Israeli Defence Force has been acting over the last two years as a terrorist organisation, at the instruction of Prime Minister Netanyahu and some of his senior ministers. They have destroyed hospitals, ambulances, schools, places of worship, and critical infrastructure. They have deliberately targeted journalists – more killed in Gaza than in all wars put together over the last 80 years. They have abducted and tortured doctors. And they have deliberately targeted young children. This has been a matter of great distress to the foreign doctors who have been to work in Gaza and seen the evidence. 

The IDF has now admitted that they have killed at least 70,000 people in Gaza, after consistently telling the media that this was Hamas propaganda. 

And they are still withholding crucial aid and denying access to aid organisations, still bulldozing homes, still bombing and shelling people, some of them living in tents, despite the ceasefire. 

This is a genocide, say hundreds of human rights organisations, several UN bodies, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars. High Peak Against Racism fully endorses this analysis and deplores the complicity of our Government, first Conservative and now Labour, in arming and supporting this genocide, and collaborating with Netanyahu and his ministers who are wanted for War Crimes.” 

5) Does the group support or is it affiliated with Palestine Action? 

“We gave our full support to the activists of Palestine Action until the moment they were proscribed by the Government. 

The Home Secretary bundled together proscription for three groups: 

• 'Maniac Murder Cult' – an extremist violent US organisation linked to 'No Lives Matter' and advocating terrorism and school shootings. 

• 'Russian Imperial Movement' – a neo-Nazi, white supremacist Russian organisation which has sent letter bombs to European leaders. 

• 'Palestine Action' – a group of British campaigners who had been damaging the property of Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms company, which is responsible for much of the death and destruction in Gaza. 

Spot the odd one out… 

We do not, as a group, express support for Palestine Action as this is currently against the law. But we are delighted that the High Court has ruled that the proscription of Palestine Action was, and is, unlawful. It is disappointing that the Home Office has chosen to use yet more public funds to appeal against this decision, but we are confident that justice will prevail and the ban on Palestine Action will be lifted.”