Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged students not to protest on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on Israel, describing plans for demonstrations as “un-British”. Writing in the Times, Starmer said protests due to take place at universities on Tuesday showed a lack of respect for others, and that pro-Palestine protests had been used by some as a “despicable excuse to attack British Jews”.
The prime minister wrote: “Today, 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.”
Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during the 7 October 2023 assault on southern Israel. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, with at least 460 dying from starvation under Israel’s aid restrictions. The anniversary comes less than a week after a terror attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where two people were killed on Yom Kippur.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson echoed the PM’s message, telling Sky News: “There is, of course, within our country the fundamental right to protest. But my message is that, as we remember the awful atrocities that took place two years ago on October 7, I would just encourage those considering taking part in protests to pause, to reflect and to understand the deep sense of loss that many people in our country will be experiencing today.”
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick called plans for protests on the anniversary “a fucking disgrace”. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced measures to give police greater powers to restrict protests, including amending the Public Order Act 1986 to allow consideration of cumulative impact, and reviewing legislation to ensure sufficient powers, including to ban protests outright.
