Jewish students in London have condemned plans for a pro-Palestine university march to take place on October 7 as “provocative” and insensitive.
Students from King’s College London (KCL), the London School of Economics (LSE), Soas and University College London (UCL) are preparing to march between the four campuses on the third anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
The demonstration is due to begin at King’s before travelling to LSE, UCL and Soas, with student Palestine groups from the universities involved in last year’s march also expected to take part.
Flyers for the march circulating online describe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a “genocide”, while organisers claim the war is “only the most recent form of genocide inflicted on the Palestinian people”.
They accuse the British government, universities and businesses of going to “shameful lengths” to deny what they describe as genocide and to be “complicit” with Israel.
The planned demonstration has prompted renewed concern from Jewish student representatives because of its timing.
Raphi Leon, president of the Union of Jewish Students, said: “There are 365 days of the year. The decision to protest on this day is provocative, deliberate and must be condemned to the fullest extent.”
He said students had a right to protest, but argued that holding a demonstration on the anniversary of October 7 showed “a lack of basic sensitivity and understanding”.
At a pro-Palestinian march in 2025, “a student protester told the media that she didn’t think Jewish students’ feelings are valid,” Leon added. “UJS will work tirelessly to protect Jewish students in the face of hatred and hostility.”
A march held last year on the second anniversary of the attacks followed a similar route between the London universities. Around 200 protesters were reported to have initially set off from the Strand, with the demonstration later continuing towards the other campuses.
The timing of that demonstration also prompted criticism from then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who urged students to cancel the protests.
Writing in The Times on October 7, 2025, he described holding protests on the anniversary as “un-British”, saying there was “so little respect for others” and warning against chants of hatred towards Jewish people.
Brad Blitz of the Intra-Communal Professorial Group, which represents academic staff, said the proposed demonstration risked normalising support for Hamas.
“Celebrating the terrorists that perpetrated the worst attacks on the Jewish people since the Holocaust is despicable,” he said.
“University leaders must take a stand against the normalisation of hatred and celebration of terrorism and terrorists by students and academics.”
Lord Walney, the former government adviser on extremism, also criticised the planned action, accusing some activists of using events in Gaza to “minimise the slaughter of Jews by Hamas on October 7” and saying they wanted to “taunt those who remain deeply traumatised by it”.
The Met Police said it was aware of the planned demonstration and was speaking to organisers about the proposed route and its potential impact.
A spokesperson said the force was “committed to upholding people's lawful right to protest”, but acknowledged that the event would cause concern to “many Londoners, particularly the capital's Jewish communities”.
The Met stressed that police do not give permission for protests and have no general power to refuse permission for a demonstration.
Officers can impose conditions under the Public Order Act where the legal threshold is met, including where necessary to prevent serious disruption or serious disorder.
The legal position has also changed since last year's march, with the Crime and Policing Act 2026 giving police additional powers relating to the cumulative impact of repeated protests.
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