A Jewish community event in London was protested by a large group of anti-Israel activists on Sunday, in an incident that reportedly took the Metropolitan Police two hours to resolve.
The protesters – numbering about 150, according to Jewish News – stood outside the JW3 building on Finchley Road, where an event organized by Israeli left-leaning newspaper Haaretz was taking place.
The protesters held up signs with slogans such as “Israel burns children alive,” chanted that Israelis were “mass murderers,” and demanded an end to the “occupation.”
Blood libel outside Jewish community centre in north London. @metpoliceuk sanctioned this. pic.twitter.com/bZ8BmdaorK
— Hannah BRING THEM HOME (@nice_cuppa) October 27, 2024
In a video on X, the pro-Palestine crowd repeats the words of one protester who can be heard saying: “We will continue to occupy these streets every day of the week, no matter how many police… until Zionism no longer exists in the Middle East because Zionism is a racist ideology.”
The Metropolitan Police announced that they were dealing with a “protest” but did not specify that the event being targeted was a Jewish one.
The police added that one person, reportedly on the pro-Palestinian side, was arrested for criminal damage.
Someone at the scene told The Jerusalem Post that they saw an anti-Israel activist remove a yellow ribbon tied in memory of the Gaza hostages and wear it around their neck.
The source added that they had also seen messages in the WhatsApp group of the protest organizers saying, “We could do with more numbers as Zios coming.”
VILE display outside JW3, a Jewish center in London. A terror rally harassed and intimidated children and families. Where were the cops? pic.twitter.com/lPqkxF2ZC1
— Jews Fight Back (@JewsFightBack) October 27, 2024
The British Jewish community took to social media to question why anti-Israel activists chose to protest outside a Jewish community center, especially one holding an event that featured anti-Israel or Israel-critical voices.
The event being protested – the Haaretz conference – featured diverse voices, including, among others, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, former Fatah foreign minister Dr. Nasser al-Kidwa, an activist whose parents were murdered on October 7, and a consultant surgeon who worked in Gaza.
Policing failure
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said that the choice of protest location outside a key Jewish community center served as proof of an "ongoing effort, carried out under the guise of humanitarian concern, to harass and intimidate British Jews."
"Far too many people have decided to turn a blind eye to the hideous behavior exhibited at such protests," the Board added.
The Board also stressed the need for more stringent and more proactive policing, in order to protect the Jewish community.
Stop The Hate UK called it another failure by the Met Police and drew attention to one of the protesters who allegedly had been arrested previously on 5 October following hate speech and gestures.
"Yet again, @metpoliceuk is failing to protect the Jewish community in London. Today, they allow the terrorist supporters to spread their hate and antisemitism in north London opposite a peace conference organized by @Haaretz."
Another source at the scene told The Post that police presence at the protest was minimal, numbering around 20 officers. The police officers allegedly sat in their cars rather than confronting the anti-Israel mob.