Thousands at London anti-Israel march; Manchester activists steal bust of Chaim Weizmann
Police arrest man in UK capital for sign they say ‘supported terror’; in Manchester, activists nab effigy of Israel’s first president on anniversary of Balfour Declaration
Tens of thousands of anti-Israel protesters marched through the streets of London towards the US embassy Saturday to call on Washington to stop arming Jerusalem amid its war on Iran-backed terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Protesters waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags and signs reading, “Free Palestine” and “End Israeli apartheid.”
This is not Gaza, this is the United Kingdom.
Hundreds chant in Arabic, "From water to water, Palestine will be Arab."
This is a direct call for the genocide of 7 million Jews. This is the state of the UK in 2024. pic.twitter.com/aIk3FDPsVr
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) November 2, 2024
London police said a man was arrested at the protest after he was observed carrying a placard suspected of expressing support for a terror organization.
According to posts on social media, the sign read, “Resistance is not terrorism.”
Far-left lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn addressed the protest, which was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
A small pro-Israel counter-protest gathered near the march, with protesters waving British and Israeli flags and holding signs calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza.
@metpoliceuk a woman was arrested today in London because of this sign! What’s wrong about it? #genocide in Gaza IS THE crime ! #ceasefireNow pic.twitter.com/B0kqurb2TH
— NacerArt Guerin (@GuerinNacera) November 2, 2024
Earlier on Saturday, a British anti-Israel group claimed to have stolen a bust of Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, from the University of Manchester in northern England.
The group, Palestine Action, said their activists went to “abduct” the sculpture of the late Israeli leader because he “secured” the Balfour Declaration, “which began the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by signing the land away.”
BREAKING: Palestine Action abduct sculptures of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, from the University of Manchester.
Weizmann secured the Balfour Declaration, a British pledge written 107 years ago, which began the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by signing the land away. pic.twitter.com/a8urQciod5
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) November 2, 2024
Greater Manchester Police said the burglary was reported shortly before midnight Friday night, according to British media reports. Police said they were investigating the incident.
The group said their activists stole the bust to mark the 107th anniversary of the declaration, in which the British Government issued a commitment to “establish in Palestine a national home for the Jewish people,” which was at the time governed by the Ottoman Empire.
The declaration is considered the first of many steps that led to the creation of Israel.
Weizmann, who worked as a biochemistry professor at the University of Manchester, was a leading statesman of the Zionist movement in the early 1900s. He spearheaded the international diplomatic efforts that led to international recognition of the budding Jewish state, and is considered one of Israel’s founding fathers.