Plans by students in London to hold pro-Palestine demonstrations on the third anniversary of October 7 have been met with backlash from Jewish groups.
It comes after similar rallies were organised last year, when then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged student groups to call off their planned walkouts over the timing of the event.
Sir Keir said holding events on the anniversary of the massacre of Jews was “un-British”, while then Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also called on protesters to "take a step back" to allow the Jewish community space to mourn.
Raphi Leon, president of the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), said the decision by students to protest on the anniversary was “provocative” and should be condemned.
“There are 365 days of the year. The decision to protest on this day is provocative, deliberate and must be condemned to the fullest extent,” he said.
“At this march in 2025, a student protester told the media that she didn’t think Jewish students’ feelings are valid. UJS will work tirelessly to protect Jewish students in the face of hatred and hostility.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Most of the casualties occurred at the Nova Music Festival.
The attack sparked the war in Gaza, with Israel subsequently launching a military campaign that has resulted in a very large Palestinian death toll, including a significant number of children.
Student groups at London universities have chosen October 7 for pro-Palestine protests because they view the date as a definitive marker for the escalation of what they describe as an ongoing genocide in Gaza.
However, while Mr Leon accepts that students are entitled to protest, he said holding demonstrations on the anniversary of the killing of Jews lacked basic sensitivity and understanding.
Flyers circulating on Instagram are publicising the student march, with organisers calling on supporters to “take to the street” to demand an end to what they describe as the “Palestinian genocide”.
Activists plan to march from King’s College London to the London School of Economics, SOAS University of London and University College London. Pro-Palestine groups at each of the universities took part in last year’s march.
The October 7 demonstration is being advertised online by the University of London Federation, which describes itself as a collective of student groups “organising for Palestinian liberation”.
The University of London Federation has been contacted by The Standard for comment.
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