PM slams ‘un-British’ protests planned on anniversary of Hamas terror attack

Keir Starmer has called on students not to participate in planned pro-Palestinian protests on Tuesday, describing it as “un-British” to stage demonstrations on the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks.

In his strongest condemnation yet, the Prime Minister wrote: “Let me just spell that out for a moment: people on our streets calling for the murder of Jewish people they have never even met, for something they are not responsible for.

“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.”

Students in London are planning a joint march, and universities in Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Sheffield have also seen calls for demonstrations.

Starmer warned that previous rallies had been used by some as a “despicable excuse to attack British Jews.”

In an article for The Times, he emphasised that the UK would “always stand tall and united” against those seeking to harm Jewish communities, who “have also endured rising antisemitism on our streets, in our country.”

He described last week’s Yom Kippur attack in Manchester as “horrifying,” adding: “This is a stain on who we are, and this country will always stand tall and united against those who wish harm and hatred upon Jewish communities.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also cautioned against “so-called ‘protests’ that turn into hate marches on our streets.”

She said: “Two years on from the horrific massacre on October 7, we must also be honest: the same hatred that fuelled those barbaric attacks still festers today.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson echoed these sentiments, telling LBC radio: “You don’t have a protest today, of all days.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick called Tuesday’s planned protests a “disgrace.”

In a separate message marking the anniversary, Starmer said: “Today we mark two years since the horrifying attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, 2023.

“Time does not diminish the evil we saw that day—the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The brutal, cold-blooded torture and murder of Jews in their own homes. And the taking of hostages, including British citizens, some of whom remain in Gaza today.

“Since that awful day, so many have endured a living nightmare. When I spoke with some of the families of the British hostages, I promised them in person that we will not cease in our efforts to bring their loved ones home.’