The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, employed similar rhetoric to denounce both the Oct 7 massacre, where over 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed, and the Gaza bombardment by the IDF, aimed at safeguarding the Jewish State from vicious terrorism, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday.
Speaking after his swearing-in for a third term, Khan told The Telegraph: “It’s an issue of humanity and I think you’ve got to show equivalence. I condemn unequivocally the actions of Hamas on Oct 7; those 134 hostages must be released. At the same time, I condemn unequivocally the actions of the IDF and Netanyahu; 34,000 people have perished including 14,000 children.”
A Khan confidant said the mayor stressed his dismay over the loss of life throughout the conflict, whether it was the casualties among Jews on Oct 7 or Arab civilians in Israeli assaults on Gaza.
A British government source told The Telegraph: “There is no equivalence between a terrorist group and a democratic state.”
Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, pointed out that the Oct 7 attacks “involved the rape, torture, and murder of more than a thousand innocent men, women and babies and they continue to keep hostages in captivity. It’s utterly wrong and an insult to those victims to equate the brutality of Hamas to the legitimate military measures that Israel is taking in defense of its people and nation.”
She added, “Israel must be supported by the UK Government to defeat Hamas and free the hostages. That’s how we end the fighting and work towards peace for everyone.”
On November 3, 2023, the mayor issued the following statement about the “impact of Israel-Gaza conflict in London,” saying:
“The last few weeks have been incredibly difficult for many Londoners, particularly those with family and friends in Israel and Gaza. We have all watched in absolute horror the killing and suffering in Israel and Palestine and the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“There are clearly differing, passionate views within our communities, but we must not let events overseas lead to hate and division in our city.
“Over recent weeks we’ve seen an appalling rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism. As Mayor, I’m determined to stamp out hate crime in our city – not only by ensuring the police take a zero-tolerance approach to these crimes but by continuing to fund and support community-led groups to challenge hate.
“In London, we have invested almost £11m to help tackle hate and extremism, and today I’m meeting hundreds of young people and community leaders funded through my £3 million Shared Endeavour fund, which is working to empower thousands of Londoners to stand up to hate and intolerance.”
So, to summarize, London is filled with crazed Jews shouting slogans that urge death to all Muslims, and some Muslims are doing the same about Jews…
On Oct 13, 2023, less than a week following the Hamas atrocities, Mayor Khan warned against “the response of the Israeli Government being disproportionate.”
Khan was criticized by UK Jews over his call for a ceasefire in Gaza even as the IDF had just entered the Strip in pursuit of the Hamas murderers. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis stated that “a ceasefire now would be an irresponsible stepping stone to yet more Hamas terrorist brutality.”
In an interview with Mehdi Hasan, Khan suggested the Chief Rabbi’s criticisms of him had an Islamophobic motive. Khan stated: “I’d ask those Jewish people to just pause and reflect on their response to me calling for a ceasefire … what motivated them to come out in the way they did against the Mayor of London, and the Mayor of Greater Manchester – I’ll give you a clue, he’s not called ‘Ahmed Bourani,’ he’s called Andy Burnham, whereas I’m called Sadiq Khan.”
Khan apologized for his disgusting remarks after the interview had been released, saying: “At times it is clear to me, and others, that as a mayor of London of Islamic faith, I am held to a different standard and that can be frustrating – particularly during a divisive election campaign. But it wasn’t fair of me to have leveled that frustration at the Chief Rabbi.”
