University leaders have urged students protesting on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks to think carefully about their actions, after the Prime Minister described the demonstrations as “un-British”.
Pro-Palestine protesters are set to defy Sir Keir Starmer’s call not to demonstrate on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, with students from several institutions set to gather at events around the country.
In a letter to students, University of Edinburgh principal and vice-chancellor Professor Sir Peter Mathieson said: “I appeal to members of our community, irrespective of their race, religion, nationality or beliefs, to think carefully about their actions, their motivations and the effect that they might have on other members of our community.”
He added: “Our community should not attempt to justify or glorify acts of gratuitous violence against innocents. It is important that anyone participating in demonstrations against what is happening in Gaza does not fall into this trap.”
Along with several other student Pro-Palestine groups, Edinburgh students have organised a rally expected to take place today.
In a response to the vice-chancellor’s letter published on social media, Edinburgh’s Justice for Palestine Society and the Student Coalition for Palestine said discouraging students from protesting is a “blatant attempt to suppress campus discourse on an ongoing genocide”.
Students from several London institutions are expected to gather at an event in the capital on Tuesday.
Details of the demonstration in the capital are posted online and include groups from King’s College London, the London School of Economics, University College London, SOAS and Roehampton University.
Other events are set to take place outside of London, including protests at Strathclyde University, Edinburgh University and the University of Leeds, but a Palestine “bake sale” by students at the University of Liverpool has been postponed.
A spokesperson for the University of Strathclyde said that while the university remains committed to upholding free speech, it asked the organiser to delay the demonstration.
“We believe that holding an event of this nature on this date is insensitive and we have asked that they delay to show their civic responsibility and common decency,” the spokesperson said.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, urged students and staff participating in protests to remember that 7 October is “the anniversary of an atrocious attack on innocent people, and that expressing support for a terrorist organisation is a criminal offence”.
Ms Stern added that Universities UK has signposted resources to help universities combat antisemitism.
Writing in the Times, Sir Keir had said the timing of the protests was “un-British” and showed “little respect for others”.
The anniversary of the attacks comes less than a week after knife-wielding terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, killed two men at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died in the attack, which unfolded on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Greater Manchester Police has pledged to put “every available resource into making sure that we understand precisely what has happened”.
Sir Keir said: “Today we mark two years since the horrifying attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 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.”
He added: “But back here in the UK, our Jewish communities have also endured rising antisemitism on our streets, in our country. And last week, a horrifying terrorist attack on the holy day of Yom Kippur in Manchester.
“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.”
A fundraising “bake sale” that had been planned by the Guild of Students at the University of Liverpool has since been moved to a different date.
A spokesperson for the university said: “We work in close partnership with our Guild of Students, the primary representative body for students at the University, to promote an inclusive, respectful and welcoming campus culture and environment.
“This includes working with hundreds of student societies, representing a wide range of causes, activities and areas of interest for our diverse, global community.
“Following discussions, the organisers of this proposed event have agreed to move this fundraising activity to an alternative date.”
Thousands of people have gathered in southern Israel to mourn those killed in the October 7 attack, while Israel and Hamas officials continue to hold indirect talks in Egypt to end the war in Gaza.
Since the incursion, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has displaced around 90% of the enclave’s population and restrictions on humanitarian aid have contributed to a severe hunger crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
Some 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and does not distinguish between civilians or combatants. The UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
Speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson urged students set to join protests to “pause” and “show some humanity”.
She told Sky News: “There is, of course, within our country the fundamental right to protest. It’s a cornerstone of our democracy.
“But my message is that, as we remember the awful atrocities that took place two years ago on October 7, I would just encourage those considering taking part in protests to pause, to reflect and to understand the deep sense of loss that many people in our country will be experiencing today, not least given the appalling attacks we saw at Manchester last week.”
In a post on X, shadow education secretary Laura Trott said university leaders must tell students clearly, “October 7th is not to be celebrated”.
Thousands of people attended an event in Trafalgar Square in central London on Sunday to mark the two-year anniversary, while pro-Palestine protests also took place in the same location, with almost 500 people arrested.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said repeated large-scale protests had caused “considerable fear” for the Jewish community, as she pledged to give police greater powers to restrict protests.
The Government will amend Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to explicitly allow the police to take account of the cumulative impact of frequent protests on local areas in order to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies.
The Home Secretary will also review existing legislation to ensure powers are sufficient and are being applied consistently by police forces – this will include powers to ban protests outright.
