Thousands expected today at ‘million mensch’ London rally against rising antisemitism

By Zev Stub

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10 May 2026, 12:27 pm

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Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.

Protesters gather near Downing Street during a “national emergency” rally organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism following a knife attack in Golders Green, in London, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Thousands of people are expected to attend a Jewish communal rally against antisemitism in London today following a surge of attacks on Jewish targets in the country.

Dozens of Jewish organizations have joined together to protest outside Downing Street, the location of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s residence, at 1 p.m. local time (3 p.m. Israel time). Starmer has been invited and is considering attending, according to local media, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to speak along with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who is Orthodox, and senior progressive rabbis.

Other senior politicians have been invited, including Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, and Nigel Farage, who heads the far-right Reform UK. A petition protesting the invitation to Farage has garnered 2,000 signatures.

Zack Polanski, the Jewish, anti-Israel leader of Britain’s far-left Green Party, has not been invited. Polanski has made anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian issues a centerpiece of his party’s platform, and he recently criticized police officers who arrested the suspect in a stabbing attack targeting Jews — for which he apologized.

The rally follows a series of recent attacks including the stabbing of two Jews in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green, the torching of four Hatzolah ambulances, arson attacks on synagogues, and a deadly shooting on Yom Kippur at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester in October.

Organizers hope a “silent majority” will join what Jewish Chronicle columnist Stephen Pollard called a “million mensch march.”

Stand with British Jews today at 1PM outside Downing Street.

Entrance only via Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall of Whitehall Place. No bags permitted. Searches in place. pic.twitter.com/nbvqekaB1Q

— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) May 10, 2026

Security will be heavy, and bags will not be admitted into the protest area, organizers say.

The rally follows local elections last week that saw significant victories for Reform UK as well as the Greens, leading to mounting calls for Starmer to resign.

“For two and a half years we have warned about the staggering rise in antisemitism in this country,” says Keith Black, Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council. “Yet, antisemitism in Britain is not just rising, it is escalating into deadly acts of violence and terror.”