Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called planned student protests on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel 'un-British', urging students to refrain from demonstrating. Writing in the Times, Starmer said the protests showed a lack of respect and had been used by some as a 'despicable excuse to attack British Jews'.
Starmer emphasised that every child of Israel should be able to live alongside their Palestinian neighbours in 'safety and security'. He noted that the anniversary comes less than a week after a terror attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, which killed two people.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson echoed Starmer's message, encouraging those considering protests to 'pause and reflect' on the deep sense of loss felt by many. Meanwhile, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick described the planned protests as 'a fucking disgrace'.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged to give police greater powers to restrict protests, including amending the Public Order Act to consider the cumulative impact of frequent demonstrations. The government will also review existing legislation to ensure consistent application of powers to ban protests.
