As thousands prepare to take part in pro-Palestine demonstrations on university campuses this Tuesday, the second anniversary of Hamas’s brutal assault on Israel, Sir Keir has called for a pause.
He urged young people to consider the significance of the date, labelling the October 7 terror attacks as “heinous” and reminding them of the 1,200 lives lost.
Keir Starmer has issued a stark plea to students across the UK
The Labour leader made his feelings unmistakably clear in a strongly worded piece for The Times, describing the planned campus protests as “un-British” and warning that such gatherings are being exploited by some to “attack British Jews.”
“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,” Sir Keir Starmer, writing in The Times
The call for student-led action comes just days after two individuals were tragically killed in an attack near a Manchester synagogue. The proximity of that attack to the anniversary of Hamas’s incursion into Israel has heightened tensions across communities.
Despite this, pro-Palestine rallies are scheduled to go ahead at universities including Queen Mary in London and Strathclyde in Glasgow. Hundreds were already detained during a weekend protest in London, organised by Palestine Action.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister echoed Starmer’s concerns: “Just because there is freedom to protest does not mean you should necessarily go ahead with these gatherings, given the context.”
In a televised interview, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stressed the importance of empathy: “As a country, we’ve always had a sense of respect and responsibility for one another.
We understand our responsibilities to demonstrate empathy, compassion and respect, given the grief that many, many people in our country will today be experiencing.”
She, too, urged a pause in protest activity out of respect for the Jewish community still mourning the lives lost in last year’s terror attacks.
The Political Fallout
Tensions over the planned protests have cut across party lines. Conservative frontbencher Robert Jenrick launched a scathing attack on organisers, describing the planned October 7 rallies as a “f***ing disgrace.”
Speaking at a Tory conference event, he didn’t hold back: “Show some common decency. Think of your fellow citizens, British Jews, people who might be fearful and lonely and afraid right now, and call off those protests.”
Jenrick went further, suggesting that if demonstrators refuse to cancel, the Government should consider legislative changes to limit such protest activity.
From the Jewish Community: “Maximum Pain”
Jewish organisations have also condemned the timing of the demonstrations. Keith Black, chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, described the planned campus events as a “disgraceful and deeply upsetting strategy to cause maximum pain to Jewish students.”
He warned the rallies could feature antisemitic content and incitement to violence.
Louis Danker, president of the Union of Jewish Students, added: “There are 365 days in the year, and on one of them, October 7, Jewish students seek the space to mourn their loved ones murdered in southern Israel.
No Jewish student should have to stand by as others glorify a day that marks such loss for our community.”
Community Leaders Call for Solidarity
Communities Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh called this a “really tough time” for British Jews, adding: “We have had, for the first time in our history, a Jewish person killed because they are Jewish.
That is absolutely unacceptable… we should be compassionate and thoughtful and considerate.”
As the UK marks the second anniversary of one of the darkest days in recent Israeli history, the call from government leaders and Jewish organisations is clear: Let October 7 be a day of reflection, not confrontation.
While the right to protest remains protected, the question remains: Should it be exercised on a date so raw with grief and fear for so many?
