Tens of thousands attended October 7 memorials across the UK on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the Hamas attack, which approaches its one-year mark.
The main vigil was held in Hyde Park, central London, with two others in Leeds and Manchester. An estimated 30,000 people attended the memorial in Hyde Park, which was organized by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA), the Hostage Families Forum, and the Jewish Leadership Council, in conjunction with the Israeli Embassy. Security was provided by way of both the Police and Community Security Trust, a Jewish security organization.
One of the speakers at the London vigil was Mandy Damari, the mother of British-Israeli Emily Damari, who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. Emily is the only remaining British national in Hamas captivity.
Mandy Damari spoke of her “funny and brave daughter” who remains captive in Gaza.
“I know we could and should be doing more, and I and everyone else have failed her,” she said.
Emily Damari is a British citizen who has been held hostage since October 7, 2023. Emily's mother Mandy implores at a memorial rally today that the UK government must place pressure to release the hostages NOW! pic.twitter.com/CauSue5TUD
— Princess Jew (@PrincessJewess) October 6, 2024
'Each one of the hostages is someone's child'
“They need to be released: the ones still living to be returned to their families and homes, and the ones murdered returned for a respectful burial.”
Mandy reminded the audience that, while she spoke mainly of her daughter, “each one of the hostages is someone’s child, parent, grandparent, or grandchild.”
“They are real people with real families just like yours and mine.”
Every moment without the hostages, she added, was “another moment of unimaginable suffering.”
“I implore those in power here to use every ounce of influence to advocate for the release of all the hostages.”
A similar sentiment appeared in the words of the Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely, who demanded the immediate release of every hostage.
Tens of thousands of you came together today, to mourn and to remember October 7th.We thank you all.#BringThemHomeNow pic.twitter.com/rboXg5szPK
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) October 6, 2024
“For all of us, it is October 7 every single day,” President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Phil Rosenberg said to the crowd.
Speaking about the rise in antisemitism over the last year, Rosenberg said it was “shocking” that the rise in antisemitism rose most sharply in the immediate aftermath of October 7, before Israel went into Gaza.
“We learned something here: they didn’t hate us because they thought Israel was strong, they hated us because they thought Israel was weak.”
However, ending on a message of hope and strength, Rosenberg said “We have come through the pogroms, we have come through the Holocaust, we have come through 7[th of] October, and we are still standing. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Meanwhile, a separate memorial held in Glasgow, Scotland, was interrupted by protesters holding Lebanese and Palestinian flags and chanting “From the river to the sea.”
This comes after tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters marched through London on Saturday, calling for an end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon. There were17 people arrested.
BBC presenter Lyse Doucet referred to the memorials for the victims of October 7 as “protests,” leading to outrage on social media.
Also on Sunday, representatives of the UK’s different religious groups – including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and the Chair of Mosques Qari Muhammad Asim – cowrote a letter calling for an end to hate and violence.
“In these challenging times, we must also reject those who seek to divide us. Anti-Jewish hate and anti-Muslim hate have no place in the UK today.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke of the anniversary of October 7 in an opinion piece in The Sunday Times, saying that “the anniversary of the October 7 attacks should remind us of the cost of political failure.”
Also on Sunday, representatives of the UK’s different religious groups – including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and the Chair of Mosques Qari Muhammad Asim – co-wrote a letter calling for an end to hate and violence.
“In these challenging times, we must also reject those who seek to divide us. Anti-Jewish hate and anti-Muslim hate have no place in the UK today.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke of the anniversary of October 7 in an opinion piece in The Sunday Times, saying that “the anniversary of the October 7 attacks should remind us of the cost of political failure.”