A community centre in Brighton is under investigation by the Charity Commission after a local Zionist made malicious complaints about a proposed screening of the documentary film Jenin Jenin on 7 July organised by Brighton supporters of RCG.
The Brighthelm Centre is based in the centre of Brighton and is utilised by many activist groups including the RCG. It has hosted a wide range of events which include those about the Palestinian struggle. The film showing was due to take place in Afrori, a radical bookstore that specialises in Black literature and is based within the premises of the Brighthelm Centre. Afrori similarly plays a prominent role in the community as they regularly host events with the aim to give a voice to marginalised groups.
Jenin Jenin covers the aftermath of an Israeli military invasion that happened in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank in 2002. This invasion took place during the Second intifada, a period of uprisings that took place across Palestine against Zionist occupation between 2000 and 2005. The RCG organised this event to challenge censorship by screening a film about the Second intifada and to raise awareness of the significance of the term intifada, as well as its criminalisation under the current government.
Heidi Bachram, a notorious Brighton Zionist posted a photo of the poster promoting the screening of Jenin Jenin on her X profile along with hysterical captions deriding the RCG as ‘extremists’, claiming we support a proscribed organisation and calling on the Brighthelm Centre to cancel the event.
Bachram subsequently approached the Brighthelm Centre, the Charity Commission and Sussex Police directly to bring their attention to the film showing taking place in Afrori, along with absurd and provocative claims that the event would incite violence and racial hatred against Jewish people. In particular, she pointed to our use of the word intifada and falsely claimed that this was a call to violence and invited support for terrorism.
Intifada is an Arabic word that translates as ‘shaking off’ and is used to describe the Palestinian uprising. The word also refers to several important events in recent Palestinian history, including those covered in Jenin Jenin. Use of the word intifada is not illegal and attempts to ban the word are racist. This is just one of the many devices that Bachram and other Zionists use in their attempts to criminalise the Palestinian solidarity movement.
Anxious of a backlash and concerned for the safety of its staff, Afrori postponed the film showing. As a result of Bachram’s complaints, the Brighthelm Centre is now under investigation by the Charity Commission. This is not the first time that the Brighton branch of the RCG has faced harassment from Bachram. On 14 March, a supporter was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after Bachram filmed her at a demo leading on chants and then posted the video on X to bring her to the attention of Sussex Police. Bachram posts extensively on X and regularly spearheads doxxing campaigns against pro-Palestine activists.
The Brighton RCG is building a campaign in collaboration with several other local groups to defend the Brighthelm Centre and its trustees from Zionist harassment and censorship. If the Charity Commission rules in Bachram’s favour and attempts to shut down the Brighthelm Centre or Afrori, this would set a dangerous precedent as it would amount to shutting down support for Palestine in Brighton and would have a devastating impact on the community, as well as activist groups who rely on venues such as these to organise.
The investigation into the Brighthelm Centre must be stopped and the Charity Commission must not give in to Heidi Bachram’s pathetic complaints. It is not illegal to support the Palestinian right to resistance and this film showing as well as other such events must be allowed to go ahead.
Defend free speech on Palestine!
No to Zionist censorship!
Seamus O’ Tuairisc
Support the campaign here: https://linktr.ee/defendbrighthelm
