PM urges students not to join pro-Palestinian protests on 7 October

On Tuesday, the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer cautioned that students should not attend pro-Palestinian demonstrations, fearing

rising antisemitism on our streets. Sir Keir said it was

un-British to have no regard for others

by staging protests on the anniversary, adding that demonstrations had been used by others as a

depreciable excuse to attack British Jews. Following the deadly assault on a Manchester synagogue last week, the UK is being put on increased measures to shield Jewish populations. Students from London universities are organizing a joint march, with marches planned at Strathclyde, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Sheffield.

Universities UK, which represents the university sector, said that although universities were places where controversial viewpoints could be expressed, students and workers participating in demonstrations should consider the dates of protests scheduled for October 7th.

Some have protested against the Israeli government's activities in Gaza, but

others have used this as a disgusting excuse to harass British Jews for something for which they have absolutely no responsibility,a Times columnist said.Students are once more organizing demonstrations on the anniversary of the atrocities of October 7.

This is not who we are as a nation. It's un-British to have so little regard for others. And that's before some of them decide to chant vehement against Jews all over again. Sir Keir said that the UK will

always stand tall and united" against those trying to hurt Jewish populations.

Bridget Phillipson said she would also ask protesters to consider if they had to protest today of all days if necessary.

There are 364 other days in the year in which you can protest,

she said on ITV's Good Morning Britain. And that does not mean they have the right to protest the suffering they see in Gaza.

But two years on from October 7, I would encourage people to reflect and explore our shared humanity and our obligations to one another – and particularly Jewish people in our country – who today are feeling a deep sense of sadness and sadness as well as profound anxiety. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, cautioned against

so-called 'protests

that turn into hate marches on our streets, with shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick describing Tuesday's planned demonstrations as Protesters protesting resistance

on October 7th echoes the explicit justification and glorification of the Hamas terrorist attacks on campus over the past two years,Union of Jewish Students said.No Jewish student should have to stand by as others commemorate a day that marks such sadness for our families,the organization said in a tweet.UC Action For Palestine, a pro-independence group that is participating in the London march, has stated on social media that it will not be silenced or threatened and stood in solidarity with the thousands of Palestinians who were killed before and after October 2023. Students are expected to march around university campuses as part of the protest in the capital. It has been promoted as a representative group from King's College London, London School of Economics, University College London's Soas, Roehampton University, City St George's, Imperial College, and University of Arts London have all been represented. At Queen Mary University and Goldsmith's, gatherings are also planned. Rallies are also scheduled at the Universities of Strathclyde, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, and Leeds.

According to the Metropolitan Police, nearly 500 people were arrested in central London on Saturday during demonstrations in favor of the banned group Palestine Action. Despite calls from ministers and police who called for demonstrations to be postponed after the synagogue attack, the marches continued. Last month, Sir Keir's government recognised Palestinian statehood in the face of international pressure to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza. According to a UN commission of inquiry report, Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has also denied the findings as "distorted and inaccurate. On October 7, 2023, the Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in reaction to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people and left 251 others dead and 251 other civilians hostage. According to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, 667,139 people have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza since then.