UK’s PM calls on students not to engage in pro-Palestinian rallies

(MENAFN) Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called on students to refrain from participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Tuesday, marking the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, citing concerns about “rising antisemitism on our streets.”

Sir Keir described staging protests on the anniversary as “un-British” and emphasized that some demonstrations had been exploited as a “despicable excuse to attack British Jews.” Heightened security measures are in place across the UK to safeguard Jewish communities following last week’s deadly incident at a Manchester synagogue.

Plans are underway for students from London universities to hold a coordinated march, with additional rallies expected at Strathclyde, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Sheffield, according to reports. Universities UK, representing higher education institutions, urged students and staff to consider the timing of demonstrations scheduled for 7 October, noting that universities remain spaces for expressing contentious views.

Writing in a national newspaper, Sir Keir acknowledged that while some protests have targeted Israeli government actions in Gaza, “others have used this as a despicable excuse to attack British Jews for something over which they have absolutely no responsibility.” He added, “On the anniversary of the atrocities of October 7, students are once again planning protests. 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 Prime Minister reaffirmed that the UK would “always stand tall and united” against those aiming to harm Jewish communities. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also appealed to potential demonstrators to reflect on the significance of the day. Speaking on national television, she said, “There are 364 other days in the year where you can protest. And that is not to diminish their right to protest about the suffering that they see in Gaza... But two years on from October 7, I would just ask people to reflect and try and think about our shared humanity and our responsibilities to one another – and particularly Jewish people in our country – who today will be feeling a deep sense of mourning and loss and real concern.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch warned against “so-called 'protests' that turn into hate marches on our streets,” while shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick described Tuesday’s planned events as a “disgrace.” The Union of Jewish Students also criticized the timing, stating that observing the day “echoes the explicit justification and glorification of the Hamas terrorist attacks on campus witnessed over the last two years.” The organization stressed, “No Jewish student should have to stand by as others glorify a day that marks such loss for our community.”

In contrast, the protest group UCL Action For Palestine, which is participating in the London march, declared on social media that it would not be “silenced or intimidated” and expressed solidarity with the thousands of Palestinians killed before and during October 2023. The demonstration in the capital is expected to involve students marching between university campuses, according to reports.

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