The United Kingdom will always stand firmly against those who wish evil upon Jewish communities, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, urging students to refrain from protests on today's second anniversary of the "Hamas" attack on Israel that started the war in the Gaza Strip, DPA and PA Media reported.
In front of the "Times" magazine, Starmer described the protests planned for today on university campuses as "un-British" because they show a lack of respect for others. According to him, pro-Palestinian demonstrations are being used by some as a "disgusting excuse" to attack British Jews.
"Today, on top of On the anniversary of October 7, students are planning protests again. We are not that kind of country. It is not British to show so little respect for others. I say this before some of them start spreading hatred against the Jewish people again," Starmer told the Times.
"Every Israeli child should live safely with their Palestinian neighbours," the prime minister stressed.
The anniversary of the start of the war between Israel and Hamas comes just a week after the attack on a synagogue in Manchester, where 35-year-old Jihad al-Shami killed two members of the city's Jewish community on Judaism's holiest day, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
"Today marks two years since the horrific attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. Time does not diminish "The evil we witnessed that day. This is the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Jews were brutally and coldly murdered in their own homes. Some of them were taken hostage, including British citizens, some of whom remain in Gaza to this day," Starmer said.
"Since that terrible day, many people have lived a nightmare. When I spoke to the families of the British hostages, I promised them that we would not stop until their loved ones were brought home. But here in the UK, our Jewish community has also witnessed rampant anti-Semitism on the streets of our country. Last week, we saw the horrific attack in Manchester on the holiest day of the Jewish people, Yom Kippur, which is a disgrace to everything we stand for as a nation. This country will always stand firm against those who wish evil upon the Jewish community," the leader of the ruling Labour Party stressed.
Thousands of citizens attended a commemorative event in "Trafalgar Square" to mark the anniversary. Protests in support of the Palestinians were also organized at the same place, during which 500 people were arrested.