Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticised plans by students to hold pro-Palestine demonstrations on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on Israel, describing them as “un-British” and disrespectful.
Starmer said protests planned at universities on Tuesday showed so little respect for others, accusing some demonstrators of using the movement as a despicable excuse to attack British Jews.
Today, on the anniversary of the atrocities of October 7, students are once again planning protests, he wrote. “This is not who we are as a country. It’s un-British to have so little respect for others. And that’s before some of them decide to start chanting hatred towards Jewish people all over again.”
The 2023 Hamas attacks killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken from southern Israel. Israel’s military response has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and wounded around 170,000, according to Gaza health authorities.
Starmer said the country must continue to stand against hate, calling the assault “the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
His comments came days after a terror attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester killed two worshippers, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, on Yom Kippur.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson urged students to pause and reflect, saying the anniversary was a time to remember the victims.
“There is, of course, a fundamental right to protest,but I would encourage those considering taking part to understand the deep sense of loss that many people are feeling today.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said repeated large-scale demonstrations had caused “considerable fear” among British Jews and announced plans to strengthen police powers to restrict or ban protests under the Public Order Act.
Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square on Sunday to mark the anniversary, while nearly 500 people were arrested during pro-Palestine demonstrations at the same site a day earlier.
