Hundreds gather in London to mourn Israeli diplomats killed in Washington DC
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgram, due to get engaged next week, were shot outside a Jewish museum by a man shouting, “Free Palestine”
Hundreds gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in London on Thursday night to mourn two diplomats murdered in Washington D.C., in what US prosecutors say was a politically motivated attack targeting Israeli officials outside a Jewish institution.
The solemn vigil, organised by Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), honoured Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgram, both staff at the Israeli Embassy in the United States, who were gunned down on Wednesday evening outside the Capital Jewish Museum as they left a communal event.
The couple, known for their work in diplomacy, interfaith dialogue and peace building, had planned to travel to Jerusalem next week, where Yaron intended to propose.
According to Washington DC police, the suspected gunman, Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, was seen pacing outside the museum before opening fire on a group of four people. Witnesses say he shouted “Free Palestine” as he was detained by officers. He reportedly confessed to the shooting.
Rodriguez has been charged with first-degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, and multiple firearms offences.
He remains in custody and is due in court on 18 June. Investigators are analysing his online activity, which reportedly includes posts accusing Israel of genocide and expressing support for political violence.
Addressing the crowd outside the embassy in Kensington, Gideon Falter, chief executive of CAA, said: “They were a couple and had plans to travel to Jerusalem next week, where Yaron intended to propose to Sarah.
“This is what could have been. That is what should have been. Instead, their lives were stolen, and now, that proposal will never come. The family they would have built will never be realised.
“They were gunned down at the very gates of a Jewish museum – a place meant to preserve memory and culture – by a man shouting, ‘Free Palestine’.
This was not peace. It was violence. This was not protest. It was murder.
The attack has shaken Jewish communities across the UK and beyond, sparking urgent calls for authorities to confront what many see as the normalisation of extreme anti-Israel rhetoric in public spaces.
In a statement following the vigil, CAA warned: “The growing extremism of the ‘Free Palestine’ movement has been a ticking time bomb which has been waiting to explode. This is what they mean when they yell ‘Globalise the Intifada’ on the streets of capital cities, on our campuses and at trade union meetings.
“It means murder and terrorism, and yet the authorities have gaslit us, telling us that these are peaceful protestors.”
A statement from Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely was read to the crowd, in which she said: “At a time when tensions remain high, and Jewish communities are feeling vulnerable, this incident is a sobering reminder of the threats we face.
“All diplomats and representatives of embassies across the world should be able to work without fear for their lives or safety as they work to achieve greater cooperation amongst nations.
Last night’s events are a harsh reminder of the virulent antisemitism we are still seeing in the US, here in the UK, and across the world.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who also attended, told mourners: “We will never lose our hope, and we have every reason to be filled with hope, and that is because we know that the peace we are committed to, the justice that we want to see in the world, will ultimately triumph over those who seek to kill and to murder.”
The ceremony ended with a two-minute silence, followed by prayers led by Cantor Aaron Isaac and the singing of both the British national anthem and Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem.
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