Pro-Israel protesters pelted with eggs after Hackney backs move to end Haifa twinning
Campaigners say they were abused and targeted outside Hackney Town Hall after councillors voted to begin ending the borough’s Haifa partnership
Around 20 pro-Israel campaigners say they were verbally abused and pelted with eggs outside Hackney Town Hall after councillors voted to begin ending the borough’s 58-year twinning agreement with the Israeli city of Haifa.
Members of the anti-antisemitism campaign group Our Fight had gathered on Tuesday evening to oppose the Green-led council’s decision to start the formal process of severing ties with Haifa, a relationship first established in 1968.
Video shared by the group appears to show a woman shouting abuse at protesters before eggs are thrown towards the demonstration. No injuries have been reported.
The incident came after an emotional council debate in which councillors voted to begin the process of ending the partnership. The move does not immediately dissolve the relationship but begins a consultation process, including writing to the Mayor of Haifa, carrying out an equality impact assessment and establishing a cross-party working group before a final decision is expected early next year.
Hackney’s Green administration says ending the twinning agreement fulfils an election pledge made over the war in Gaza. Opponents argued that the move unfairly targets a city widely regarded as a model of Jewish-Arab coexistence and risks damaging relationships with the borough’s Jewish community.
Mark Birbeck, founder and director of Our Fight, condemned both the council’s decision and the behaviour of some counter-protesters.
“The significance of this decision is striking,” he said. “Haifa is widely regarded as a beacon of coexistence, with Arab and Jewish restaurants jostling for customers, representation of all religions, and world-leading universities that are completely multicultural.
“Yet the Greens – and the radical left that has thrown its weight behind them – are so desperate to break any connection with Israel that they are happy to destroy a relationship that has lasted nearly 60 years.
“Their act of destruction demonstrates that those who call themselves ‘progressive’ are not interested in peace or building connections; they are interested only in isolating Israel and whitewashing Hamas.”
Speaking about the protest, Birbeck added: “We knew the Green Party majority would carry the vote, and having been attacked on previous protests in Hackney, we also knew we risked physical attack by attending.
“Our activists being ‘egged’ may not sound much, but this is just the latest in a list that included being spat on, kicked and punched, as well as getting food thrown at us, rubbed in our faces, and smeared over banners.
“But we still went despite the risks. We attended to celebrate Haifa. We went to show that there are non-Jews who stand against the drive to isolate Israel, and we went to prove that we will not be scared away from the public square.
“Despite being targeted with violence, we must continue to push back against the isolation campaign against the world’s only Jewish state, wherever we can.”
During the council meeting, Conservative councillor Simche Steinberger criticised the proposal, saying councillors had been elected “for local issues, not for national issues” and describing the move as “a disgrace.”
Labour councillor Ben Lucas also opposed the proposal, saying: “Haifa is not perfect, but for those who want peace, it represents a model of coexistence, a fighting chance for peace.”
Following the vote, Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg wrote on X: “Tonight, the Hackney Green Party showed its ignorance and bigotry.”
He added: “This vote represents the prioritisation of spite over sense.”
Hackney’s partnership with Haifa has, in recent years, largely centred on links between Homerton Hospital and Rambam Health Care Campus in Israel, although those exchanges have been dormant since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has long campaigned for the twinning arrangement to end, arguing that civic links with Haifa should be severed in protest at Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Jewish News has contacted Hackney Council and the Metropolitan Police for comment on the reported incident outside the town hall.