King’s College London hosts screening of 7 October raw footage

King’s College London has become the first university to host a screening of graphic footage from the 7 October Hamas massacre, after an earlier attempt was abandoned on security grounds.

Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre includes raw footage captured from body cameras worn by terrorists.

The film was initially shown to a group of international journalists in November 2023.

King’s College is the first university campus in the world to show the film. The screening for around 20 students and five staff members was hosted by the campus Israeli Society in collaboration for security with Stop the Hate on Campus.

It forms part of an ongoing initiative led by independent civilian initiative lead Yael Di Castro.

Di Castro said: “Reactions were deeply emotional and varied. Many found the footage extremely difficult but important to witness, and some attendees chose to leave the room during the screening due to the distressing nature of the material. The audience included people from a wide range of faiths, backgrounds and professional communities.”

She stressed that universities “have a responsibility to engage with complex realities through factual and unfiltered evidence. Bringing this footage into the academic sphere is not about politics. It is about bearing witness, accountability and the role of higher education in shaping informed discourse. The screening forms part of a broader commitment to responsible academic engagement, historical testimony and constructive dialogue.”