Commemoration and Confrontation: Britain’s Reckoning Two Years After October 7th

Across the world, today should be a day for reflection and commemoration, a day to call wholeheartedly for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, taken by Hamas two years ago.

However, in Britain, it is difficult to use this anniversary to pause and reflect.

Instead, we must confront the explosion of antisemitism, which has hounded our Jewish community since that dark day two years ago. Today, on the second anniversary of October 7th, we find ourselves in a battle for the nation's soul.

The two years since October 7th have revealed deep divisions in British society, and we now find ourselves at a critical juncture. Concerns continue to spiral regarding our criminal justice system, which is roundly criticised for being ‘two-tier’.

Less than a week ago, two Jewish men were killed in a terrorist attack at a synagogue by a man on bail for rape charges.

The day after the October 7th attacks, as Israel counted its dead, there were demonstrations in the UK in solidarity with Palestine. The day after the attack on a Manchester synagogue, where the attacker allegedly shouted ‘this is what they get for killing our children’, there were demonstrations in the UK in solidarity with Palestine.

One can criticise Israel’s government and Israel’s conduct in war, but what we’re seeing on the streets of Britain is not Israel’s problem to deal with - it’s ours. And this issue isn’t going anywhere.

Just yesterday, a masked man in London harassed people by playing Arabic songs glorifying Hamas, whilst wearing a green headband which appeared to mimic Hamas uniform. Dozens of young men looked on, cheering these antics.

When Jewish passers-by called the police to report support for terrorism, some police officers were initially uninterested, reluctant even to take a statement from the eyewitnesses. Shockingly, just days after a terror attack claimed the lives of two Jewish people, it took police almost 30 minutes to arrive on the scene in central London, where Jewish people had reported open support for terrorism.

The Prime Minister promised after the attack in Manchester that he would do everything in his power to guarantee the Jewish community the security they deserve, “starting with a more visible police presence”.

That promise clearly didn’t extend to the Jewish people forced to listen to open support of terror last night, whilst waiting for police to show up. Though the suspect was eventually arrested, he was released shortly thereafter.

Today, on the very anniversary of the October 7th attacks, pro-Palestinian groups are organising events across the UK.

At Liverpool University, pro-Palestinian groups organised a bake sale, morbidly using the tagline ‘time for dessert’.

A film screening organised by Goldsmiths for Palestine was advertised as a ‘night of remembrance and resistance’.

Need we remind these groups that October 7th was the single most deadly day for Jewish people since the Holocaust?

I wish this virus of hatred were contained to UK campuses, but it has unfortunately spread far beyond.

We have people cutting down yellow ribbons commemorating hostages torn from their families. We have notoriously offensive Bob Vylan, who lead perceived calls for violence, performing in Manchester in a matter of weeks. We have memorials for October 7th being destroyed on a regular basis.

In the wake of the Manchester Synagogue terror attack, the Prime Minister promised that Britain would ‘wrap its arms around’ the Jewish community. A week later, the community has yet to feel this embrace.

Here in Britain, we must mark the second anniversary of October 7th with action.

The concerns of our Jewish community have been routinely ignored, and hate has been allowed to fester on our streets. The frustration of the Jewish community, felt by the Deputy Prime Minister as he was heckled during his speech at a vigil for the Manchester victims, must now be met with more than words.

This anniversary also marks two years of empty promises and platitudes on confronting antisemitism. Two years is enough - Britain must act.

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Ben Freeman is the Executive Director of the Pinsker Centre, a think tank focused on international relations and Middle Eastern affairs.

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