On the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, the United Kingdom found itself at a crossroads—balancing the right to protest with the urgent need to protect its Jewish communities in the wake of rising antisemitism and a recent deadly synagogue attack. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, alongside a chorus of political leaders and community representatives, issued a forceful plea for students and activists to reconsider their participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations planned for Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
According to BBC, Starmer characterized the planned protests as "un-British" and warned that such gatherings, especially on this sensitive date, risked becoming a "despicable excuse to attack British Jews for something over which they have absolutely no responsibility." His words came amid heightened security across the country, following the attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester less than a week prior. That assault, which took place on Yom Kippur, claimed the lives of two men, Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, and left the community reeling.
Universities across the UK, including institutions in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Sheffield, became focal points for the debate. Students had planned marches and rallies to mark the anniversary, while Universities UK—the sector's representative body—reminded both students and staff of their responsibilities. As Vivienne Stern, head of Universities UK, put it: "While universities must be places where contentious views can be expressed, and while universities have a legal duty to uphold free speech, we urge students and staff participating in protests to remember that 7 October is the anniversary of an atrocious attack on innocent people, and that expressing support for a terrorist organisation is a criminal offence."
The Prime Minister, writing in The Times, did not mince words: "Let me just spell that out for a moment: people on our streets calling for the murder of Jewish people they have never even met, for something they are not responsible for. A total loss of empathy and humanity not in some faraway land but right here in the heart of our country." He warned that time had not diminished the evil witnessed that day and that the UK must "always stand tall and united" against those seeking to harm Jewish communities.
Starmer's government, under pressure both domestically and internationally, recognized Palestinian statehood in September 2025, signaling a desire to see an end to the war in Gaza. Still, the Prime Minister made clear that the right to protest carries with it a duty to consider the context and consequences. His spokesperson echoed this sentiment, stating, "Just because there is freedom to protest does not mean you should necessarily go ahead with these gatherings, given the context."
The shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, took an even more forceful stance. Speaking at the Conservative conference in Manchester, he described the planned protests as a "f***ing disgrace" and called on would-be demonstrators to "show some common decency." Jenrick added, "Think of British Jews, people who might be fearful and lonely and afraid right now, and call off those protests." He even suggested that if organizers did not heed these calls, changes in the law should be considered to address the cumulative impact of such demonstrations on local communities.
The government, meanwhile, announced plans to amend the Public Order Act 1986. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood pledged to grant police greater powers to restrict protests, including the ability to consider the cumulative impact of frequent demonstrations and, if necessary, to ban them outright. Mahmood argued that repeated large-scale protests had caused "considerable fear" for the Jewish community and that the law must be robust enough to address this reality.
Greater Manchester Police, under "sustained pressure" according to Mayor Andy Burnham, ramped up their efforts to reassure the public. Burnham called for additional funding to help the force deal with the heightened threat, noting that Manchester houses the largest Jewish community outside London but does not receive comparable resources.
Jewish community leaders expressed deep concern about the timing and content of the planned campus protests. Keith Black, chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, described them as "a disgraceful and deeply upsetting strategy to cause maximum pain to Jewish students." He warned that the demonstrations were likely to be antisemitic and incite violence. Louis Danker, president of the Union of Jewish Students, told The Telegraph, "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."
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, speaking on Sky News, emphasized the importance of empathy and respect: "As a country, we've always had a sense of respect, responsibility for one another and seeking to understand the deep grief that many people in our country will be experiencing as we remember those who lost their lives in the atrocities of October 7." She added that while the right to protest is fundamental, it must be balanced with compassion, especially in times of collective mourning.
Communities Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh underscored the unprecedented nature of recent events, noting, "We have had, for the first time in our history, a Jewish person killed because they are Jewish. That is absolutely unacceptable, and we need to stand alongside the Jewish community in solidarity."
Despite these appeals, nearly 500 people were arrested in central London during Palestine Action protests on October 4, 2025, according to Metropolitan Police reports. The demonstrations proceeded despite pleas from ministers and law enforcement officials to postpone, particularly in light of the Manchester synagogue attack.
The backdrop to these tensions remains the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Israeli military launched a campaign in response to the 2023 Hamas-led attack, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages. Since then, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry reports that 67,139 people have been killed by Israeli military operations.
As the UK grapples with these complex issues—balancing free expression, public safety, and the rights of minority communities—the debate over the appropriate way to mark October 7 continues to spark passionate, and sometimes painful, discussion. What remains clear is that the events of that day, and the reverberations felt two years later, have left an indelible mark on British society.
