Michael Gove told a pro-Israel rally in Trafalgar Square that ‘Britain stands with Israel’, as the minster condemned the ‘horrific slaughter of Jewish people’ by Hamas.
Hundreds of people queued to gather for a ‘solidarity rally’ in Trafalgar Square, central London, today in a vigil organised by the Jewish Leadership Council.
Mr Gove told the crowd gathered at the event: ‘Israel must stand strong and Britain stands with Israel’.
The event called for the safe return of hostages, as people held placards with faces and names of people believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas.
The Communities Secretary said : ‘There are no words to describe the suffering of families who have seen their relatives butchered in front of them and relatives who who live in hope that those who were living peacefully in their homes just two weeks ago and are now in a Hamas dungeon should be freed.
Michael Gove told a pro-Israel rally in Trafalgar Square that ‘Britain stands with Israel’, as the minster condemned the ‘horrific slaughter of Jewish people’ by Hamas
Hundreds of people queued to gather for a ‘solidarity rally’ in Trafalgar Square, central London, today in a vigil organised by the Jewish Leadership Council
Video shared to X shows a group of Metropolitan Police officers pinning down a man on the floor and hand-cuffing him
Another video shows two officers leading a hooded individual towards a police van wearing hand-cuffs
‘No words can sum up the evil of those responsible for these acts. But words matter and promises matter and world made a promise 75 years ago, never again.
‘And what did we see a fortnight ago? The biggest most horrific slaughter of Jewish people since the Holocaust, carried out by terrorists, an act of evil unparalleled evil and barbarism.
‘We must stand together against it. We must stand for life. We must bring the hostages home.
‘There is a difference between now and 1945 and that difference is the Jewish people have a home, they have a nation.
‘That nation was born in hope to uphold humanities greatest virtues.’
He added: ‘The IDF are there to protect civilians. Hamas exist to slaughter civilians.’
Crowds carrying Israeli flags chanted ‘bring them home’ at the event held to highlight the suffering of the women, men and children who are believed to have been taken captive by the terrorist organisation behind the attacks on Israel.
Police made two arrests at the emotional protest.
Video shared to X shows a group of Metropolitan Police officers pinning down a man on the floor and hand-cuffing him.
Roughly three officers can be seen in the clip surrounding the suspect, who was wearing grey jeans and a black top.
Another video shows two officers leading a hooded individual towards a police van wearing hand-cuffs.
The Met confirmed that there were two arrests made at the scene today.
One individual has been taken into custody after shouting abuse towards those taking part in the vigil.
Police said: ‘As the vigil held on Trafalgar Square drew to a close, a further arrest has been made by #PublicOrder officers.
‘The suspect has been arrested for a Public Order Offence after shouting abuse towards those taking part in the vigil. The suspect is now in custody.’
In another, police arrested a man for ‘shouting antisemitic abuse’ as he drove by in a car.
The Met confirmed: ‘Officers have made an arrest for a racially aggravated Public Order offence after a man drove past shouting antisemitic abuse.’
The event called for the safe return of hostages, as people held placards with faces and names of people believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas
A devastated woman holds up a placard with a photo of a 4-year-old boy, believed to be taken hostage by Hamas
In an emotional tribute to the victims of Hamas, many of whom have been taken hostage by the militant organisation, hundreds gathered in solidarity
Members of the Jewish community gathered in Trafalgar Square today to demand the release of hostages held captive by Hamas
Two women draped in the Israeli flag attended the the vigil held in Trafalgar Square, in an event highlighting the plight of hostages and victims of terrorist organisation Hamas
The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, thanked the King, the Prince of Wales, and cross-party political leaders for their support in wake of Hamas’ attack on Israe
Addressing the rally, Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, thanked the King, the Prince of Wales, and cross-party political leaders for their support in wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
He said: ‘It’s at a time such as this that we discover who our true friends are’.
He added: ‘Your majesty King Charles, thank you for your support. The Prince of Wales, thank you for your support.
‘Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, thank you for your support. The leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, thank you for your support. Sir Ed Davey, thank you for your support…
‘It’s at a time such as this that words do matter and to all our friends from whom so far we haven’t heard a single word, your silence is deafening. Words do matter’.
‘Sometimes we hear reference to both sides or the two sides but we ourselves know there are indeed two sides, one is good and the other is evil. Israel uses her forces in order to protect her citizens while Hamas uses its citizens to protect its forces. Words do matter.
‘Those who fail to condemn, condone. Those who refuse to call Hamas terrorists allow the legitimising of their brutal deeds.’
The large rally gathered today a day after 100,000 Pro-Palestine protestors took to the streets of London, Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff in defence of civilians in Gaza, which has been targeted by Israeli air strikes.
Stringent security check were put in place for the Pro-Israel rally today, amid soaring cases of anti-Semitic abuse hurled towards the Jewish community in Britain in the wake of the attack on Israel, which saw the horrifying slaughter of 1,400 Israelis on October 7.
Attendees of the vigil were protected by both the police and the Community Security Trust, a charity that protects British Jews from anti-Semitism and related threats, with access to Trafalgar Square being limited to the North Terrace.
There was a sombre mood amongst the crowd that had gathered at Trafalgar Square today as people demanded the release of Israeli hostages, amid rising cases of anti-Semitism in Britain
Crowds carrying Israeli flags chanted ‘bring them home’ at the event held to highlight the suffering of the women, men and children who are believed to have been taken captive by Hamas
Crowds carrying Israeli flags descended on Central London in solidarity with the victims of Hamas, and could be heard chanting: ‘Bring them home’
A group of women holding up an Israeli flag joined in the demands for the release of hostages
The emotional vigil further highlighted the individual lives in jeopardy as people held up placards with their names and faces
A woman holds up a placard demanding the release of 53-year-old Shiri Weiss, who is believed to be have been taken hostage by Hamas
Pro-Israel supporters draped themselves in the Israeli flag while holding up the appeals for the release of countless hostages
A man holds up a placard demanding the release of 51-year-old Eli Sharabi, believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas
Stringent security check were put in place for the Pro-Israel rally today, amid soaring cases of anti-Semitic abuse hurled towards the Jewish community in Britain
Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square was spotted covered in graffiti by vandals who had spray painted ‘Free Palestine’ on the iconic landmark
This comes after a significant spike in hate crime across Britain, with 218 anti-Semitic offences reported in London between October 1 and 18, compared with 15 during the same period in 2022.
The Met revealed that the racially aggravated attacks on the Jewish community in the capital had risen by more than 1,353 per cent compared to last year.
And the Union of Jewish student’s welfare hotline has had more than 150 calls since October 7, from people reporting offences including verbal abuse and intimidation.
Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square was spotted covered in graffiti by vandals who had spray painted ‘Free Palestine’ on the iconic landmark.
Earlier this week, Robin Simcox, the Home Office’s commissioner for countering extremism, blamed a ‘failed policy mix of mass migration and multiculturalism’ for the growth of anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment in the UK.
People participate in a March for Palestine and gather on Trafalgar square on October 21
BIRMINGHAM: Protestors hold up Free Palestine signs as they march through the city centre yesterday
The independent counter-extremism adviser said there was a ‘permissive environment’ for attacks on and criticism of Jews.
Writing in the Times, Mr Simcox said many Hamas supporters were ‘successfully exploiting one of our proudest British values – free expression – to pursue a shameful extremist agenda’.
He added: ‘The UK is one of the world’s most successful multiethnic democracies but that success relies on a basic level of integration,’ he added.
But his comments, which came ahead of a speech today, were criticised by Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, who told Times Radio: ‘No, I don’t agree with that. I think that the United Kingdom is a country and an environment in which we take all threats to any communities extremely seriously’.
‘We cannot continue to permit vast numbers of people to come to the UK and tell them they do not need to integrate, that they can maintain certain values and ideas that are at odds with British values.’
Israeli air strikes have shown no sign of ceasing as they pounded the Gaza Strip overnight, as well as two airports in Syria and a mosque allegedly used by terrorists in the West Bank, increasing fears that the war could erupt into a regional conflict.
Robin Simcox, the Home Office ‘s commissioner for countering extremism, said there was a ‘permissive environment’ for attacks on and criticism of Jews.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, told Times Radio that the United Kingdom ‘is a country and an environment in which we take all threats to any communities extremely seriously.’
Iran has issued a chilling warning to the United States that Israel’s war with Hamas could ‘spiral out of control’ if they do not ‘immediately’ cease strikes on Gaza – as the Israeli government warned it would target Tehran if Hezbollah escalates the conflict.
Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said: ‘I warn the US and its proxy (Israel) that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control’.
Israelis living near the country’s northern border with Lebanon have been evacuated from their homes as the Israel Defense Forces continue to exchange intense cross-border fire with Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah.
In a direct threat to deter Tehran from intervening further, Nir Barkat, Israel’s Minister of Economy warned that not only would Israel ‘eliminate Hezbollah’, if it believes the terror group is opening up a ‘northern front’, but ‘we will actually target Iran’.
Meanwhile, the US government has asked Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza in a bid to free more hostages that were captured by Hamas – and to help aid enter into the war-torn strip, according to insiders.
More than 200 people are believed to be kidnapped by the terrorists, and on Friday, two Americans were freed from Gaza amid the escalating conflict.
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