Protests supporting banned terror group Palestine Action were “almost gloating over the Yom Kippur attack”, the Board of Deputies of British Jews has said.
Events marking the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel have taken place across England.
Thousands of people attended an event in Trafalgar Square in central London on Sunday afternoon – the same location where almost 500 people were arrested over pro-Palestine protests on Saturday.
Phil Rosenberg, president of Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD), told the rally: “In the face of loss, our community remains steadfast, determined to defend Israel’s right to exist in security and peace, and determined to confront antisemitism wherever it appears.
“That includes the despicable Palestine Action protests we’ve seen over these last days, almost gloating over Yom Kippur attack, these are unacceptable and we demand change.”
The BoD has called for those arrested under the Terrorism Act at Saturday’s protests to be investigated for stirring up racial hatred.
Addressing the event by video, British-Israeli former hostage Emily Damari, who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year, said: “When I was in Gaza, I sometimes saw clips of anti-Israel marches and protests … it was very hard to watch while I was being held hostage in Gaza, it was as if the world had forgotten about us.”
Keith Black, chairman of Jewish Leadership Council, said the Manchester attacks show “how deadly this virulent antisemitism has become”.
He went on: “Our streets have been filled with protesters screaming Jew hatred, our students had faced relentless waves of abuse on campus.
“A new concept called ‘ambient antisemitism’ has entered our vocabulary, a prevailing undercurrent across society, across a society that has turned against Israel, in consequence, against us as Jews.”
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “Today, we recall the precious lives who were mercilessly taken from our midst on October 7.”
He added: “Today, we remember all subsequent atrocities since that original day.”
He described spending Friday with the “grieving community” in Manchester, adding: “(We) came to give strength, we emerged strengthened.
“A remarkable community it is – their tenacity, their resilience.
“And hasn’t this been the story of the Jewish people over the past two years? We will definitely emerge stronger.”
Candles were lit in memory of those affected by the attack in Manchester on Thursday and Sir Ephraim delivered a traditional Jewish memorial prayer.
Shaun Lemel, a survivor of the attack on the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, told the rally how the ordeal will “never leave me” after he saw “fear everywhere” during the attack.
“We carry shared responsibility to stand against terror, to speak out against hate and to protect value of life and humanity that our enemy is trying to destroy.
“We are fighting, not only for Israel, but of the basic right of every person to live (in) peace and safety.
“Only when every hostage is home can our life and our nation truly begin (to) heal.”
He added: “My heart is with the families of those who those were murdered in Manchester.”
Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents were taken hostage in the October 7 terror attacks, said the community is standing in solidarity with Manchester after this week’s killings.
Dr Lifschitz, a British-Israeli academic and filmmaker from Walthamstow, east London, said it is almost two years “since our lives were torn apart”.
Her father, 84-year-old Israeli peace activist and former journalist Oded Lifshitz, died while he was held hostage. Her mother Yocheved was also taken hostage but was released two weeks later.
She said: “We will never forget our loved ones or the horror they suffered and our heart is also with the community in mourning for the recent hate crimes and murders in Manchester.
“May today be the last time we come (together) as a community asking, demanding, for the war to end and all 48 hostages returned.”
Demonstrators in the crowd chanted “bring them home, bring them home” in support of the hostages still help captive two years after the October 7 attack.
Hundreds of people also joined a rally in Manchester, despite safety concerns in the wake of the terror attack on a synagogue in the city on Thursday.
The gathering, organised by North West Friends of Israel, saw people wave Israel flags and some held banners calling for the release of the hostages, including Alon Ohel, a 24-year-old musician.
Police and security guards from the Community Security Trust charity monitored the event, which also commemorated 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, 66, who died at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.
Three men are still in hospital after the car and knife attack.
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was on bail for an alleged rape, was shot dead by police on Thursday as he targeted the place of worship on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
It is believed Mr Daulby was shot dead by police while trying to stop Al-Shamie from entering the synagogue during the attack.
Mr Cravitz, from Crumpsall, died helping prevent the attacker from entering the premises.
Police forces have deployed extra officers to synagogues and other Jewish buildings to offer protection and reassurance in the aftermath of the attack.
Organisers of the pro-Palestine protest on Saturday, Defend Our Juries, said more than 1,000 people gathered at the central London landmark to hold a mass, silent vigil protesting against the proscription while the names of Palestinian children killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict are read out.
Sunday also saw an anti-immigration protest and a counter protest in Bristol.
Inspector John Shaddick, of the Bristol Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Everybody has a fundamental right to protest in the UK.
“We have a duty to enable peaceful protest, but what we will not tolerate is hate or violence from anyone.”
