London universities are braced for a wave of pro-Palestine protests on the second anniversary Hamas’s murderous October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
Thousands of students plan to protest “the beginning of genocide in Gaza” with a demonstration billed as a “walkout of class”.
The Inter-University March departs from King’s College London near the Strand at 2pm on Tuesday, before passing the London School of Economics, University College London and finishing at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
At Queen Mary University in Mile End, a rally titled “two years of genocide, two years of resistance” will be held while at King’s College London invites have been sent out for talk called: “Why It Didn’t Start On October 7th.”
Since the October 2023 atrocity by Hamas terrorists that saw more than 1,200 people murdered and 251 kidnapped, Israeli’s revenge has led to the deaths of around 64,231 Palestinians since the start of the war.
Jewish leaders have expressed deep concern about the timing of the university protest and a rally on Saturday where 488 activists were arrested, less than a week after the Manchester synagogue terrorist attacks
But on Instagram, organisers of the “student intifada” alleged there have been two years of “genocide, forced starvation, murder, ethnic cleansing, imprisonment, torture and settler colonialism”.
They added: “As students, academics, workers, people of conscience, we cannot allow this to continue with business as usual during a live streamed genocide.
“Our unity matters. Every step we take through our campuses is a refusal to let genocide be normalised, ignored, or erased.”
On Sunday, the funeral of the first victim of the Manchester terror attack took place.
Mourners paid tribute to Melvin Cravitz, 66, who died after he helped to prevent 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie from entering the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue as the attack unfolded on Thursday.
His family said he was a man who “would do anything to help anyone”.
Adrian Daulby, 53, also died and is believed to have been shot dead by police while trying to stop Al-Shamie, who was on bail for an alleged rape, from getting inside.
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “We are disgusted by reports of recent hate-filled protests on university campuses.
“In the wake of the terror attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation it is clear we need a fundamental change of mindset to drive out anti-Jewish incitement at all levels of our society, including from our universities.”
Louis Danker, president of the Union of Jewish Students, said: “We respect the right to protest and the importance of free speech within the law.
“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.”
Keith Black, chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “Protesting on campuses on October 7 is a disgraceful and deeply upsetting strategy to cause maximum pain to Jewish students.
“The content of these demonstrations is likely to be anti-Semitic and incite violence.”
