Arrested for Opposing Genocide - Ranjeet Brar Interview

Dr. Ranjit Brar, a vascular surgeon and political activist based in England, joins Proletarian Radio to discuss his recent arrest at his home for delivering a speech condemning U.S. and British imperialist involvement in the genocide in Gaza. The arrest, carried out under the Public Order Act and framed through the lens of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, is presented as part of a broader campaign of political repression targeting pro-Palestine activists. Brar details how his speech—delivered at a memorial for children killed in a U.S.-backed missile strike on a school in Manab—was selectively edited and weaponized by Zionist-linked groups and right-wing media figures like Julia Hartley Brewer to discredit him. He argues that the state uses the IHRA definition not to combat anti-Semitism but to criminalize legitimate criticism of Israel and imperialism, thereby protecting the global looting system that underpins British and American power. Drawing on historical parallels and Marxist theory, Brar emphasizes that the real threat to the ruling class is not violence, but organized working-class consciousness and resistance. He calls for building genuine revolutionary parties rooted in the working class, rejecting controlled opposition and false anti-war movements, and using state repression as an opportunity to educate, organize, and grow the movement. The episode underscores the deep entanglement of state power, media, and corporate interests in suppressing dissent. Brar and guest Barry Murray highlight the failure of traditional leftist groups to challenge the status quo, instead serving as managed opposition. They stress the need for sustained grassroots organizing, ideological clarity, and the reclamation of revolutionary traditions. Despite personal attacks and professional consequences—including suspension from his hospital job—Brar remains resolute, framing state repression as evidence of the movement’s growing threat. The conversation ends on a defiant, hopeful note: that the working class holds the real power, and that through unity, education, and courage, a new revolutionary force can emerge from the ashes of managed resistance.