Members of a grassroots British-Israeli group opposed to the Netanyahu government gathered in London on Sunday at an event to commemorate the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.
Approximately 250 campaigners from the We Democracy group assembled outside Downing Street at the event, which celebrated the “courage and moral leadership” of the Israeli prime minister who was killed in 1995.
Speakers at the rally, which took place the day before the 30th anniversary of Rabin’s death, addressed the crowd calling for government reform in Israel.
Sir Mick Davis, former head of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) said: "We stand here united with Israel, but we do not stand here today united with the Israeli government." He went on to talk about how the Jewish state is being "attacked from within".
Another speaker was Adam Kalechman, from the socialist Zionist youth movement Habonim Dror UK. He said that a notion has spread from the Knesset amongst the Jewish diaspora that "you are either with us, the ruling government, or you are disloyal to the state, therefore any active criticism marks you as an enemy”.
Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-leader of Progressive Judaism, said: "We have moved through the horror of October 7, Hamas' cruelty, the murder and abduction of innocent people.
"It continues to sicken us all - but this is also how a nation begins to lose its ethical and democratic soul, not all at once but through its slow breaking of its grip with itself."
The event was subjected to anti-Israel abuse from a few passers-by.
In all, there were four aggressive verbal attacks.
One man barged through the Israeli flags, shouting: "None of you are pro innocent life!"
Soon afterwards, another man walking past shouted: "Free Palestine!"
Half an hour later, two men on e-bikes rode past shouting: "Free speech! F*** Israel!" The pair lingered on the road, cycling back and forth before leaving.
Ten minutes later one of them came back, yelling: "You're all committing a genocide!"
Met Police officers intervened but the man refused to leave, saying he wanted to "stay and listen".
After a five-minute exchange with the officers, he obliged and left.
No police action was taken against any of the passers-by who disrupted the event.
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