Tens of thousands of marchers braved stormy weather in London on Sunday to march against antisemitism, a rising threat to British Jewry.
The 2024 March Against Antisemitism in central London was organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism with the support of numerous Jewish communal groups and non-Jewish organizations.
Marchers stepped off from the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand before passing along Whitehall and ending with a rally at Parliament Square, where participants heard speakers and enjoyed musical performances.
Speakers at the rally included Major Andrew Fox, a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; Lorin Khizran, a 27-year-old nurse from the Druze village of Yarka in northern Israel; Reverend Hayley Ace, cofounder of Christian Action Against Antisemitism; and Mark Birbeck, founder of Our Fight.
Israeli rock icon Aviv Geffen performed for the marchers, as did Cantor Stephen Leas.
“Over the past year, antisemitic hate crime has quadrupled, and Jews are now the most targeted faith minority in the country, despite our minuscule numbers,” said a spokesperson for CAM.
“The regular Palestine protests have unleashed a tidal wave of antisemitism that has left no part of our society unaffected. Jewish people feel like we’re drowning.
“The turnout in spite of the stormy weather demonstrates how strongly British Jews feel and, quite frankly, how desperate we are,” the organization emphasized.
“Time is running out. The authorities and two governments have dragged their feet for over a year now. They must finally act against hate before it’s too late.”
Data released in October shows more than 5,500 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the UK between October 7, 2023 and September 30, 2024. The Community Security Trust (CST) watchdog organization noted that the figure is three times that of the previous 12-month period, during which 1,830 incidents were recorded.
