British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged students not to join pro-Palestinian demonstrations planned for Tuesday, the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, calling the protests “disrespectful” and “un-British.”
Students from several London universities were expected to walk out of classes at 2 p.m. before marching through the capital. Similar rallies and vigils were also scheduled in cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sheffield, and Manchester where a deadly attack outside a synagogue last week left two people dead.
In an article for The Times, Starmer argued that pro-Palestinian protests have often been used as a “despicable excuse to attack British Jews for something over which they have absolutely no responsibility,” describing such actions as “a total loss of empathy and humanity.”
“This is not who we are as a country,” he wrote. “It’s un-British to have so little respect for others. And that’s before some of them decide to start chanting hatred toward Jewish people all over again.”
The Jewish Bloc for Palestine rejected the government’s stance, accusing it of “weaponizing the fear and grief of our community” by suggesting that pro-Palestinian demonstrators pose a threat to Jews.
In a separate statement marking the anniversary, Starmer said the UK had witnessed “rising antisemitism” over the past two years, citing the recent Manchester synagogue attack on Yom Kippur. “This is a stain on who we are, and this country will always stand tall and united against those who wish harm and hatred upon Jewish communities,” he said.
The prime minister also reaffirmed his commitment to securing the release of British hostages still held in Gaza. According to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory, Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 67,160 Palestinians since the 2023 attack numbers the United Nations considers reliable.
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