The son of a Holocaust survivor said the Government has ‘slandered’ students protesting against the war in Gaza on the anniversary of the October 7 attack.

Mark Etkind, who is in his early 60s and joined a protest marching between several London universities on Tuesday, said:

Students today have been protesting against the Gaza genocide, two years since October 7th – the appalling massacre, and in the media and, in fact, the Government itself Starmer has slandered these students, saying they’re somehow being insensitive to the suffering of October 7th, or indeed to … the terrible crime in Manchester that happened last week, while ignoring the obvious fact that their priority is to oppose the genocide now, to oppose the ongoing conflict which Britain unfortunately is complicit in because we are still sending weapons to Israel.

Mr Etkind, from Watford, added:

The priority for me, as the son of a Holocaust survivor, is not just to mourn people who’ve already died, no matter how important that is – it’s stop the killing now.

If Starmer had any concern about civilian lives at all, he would stop his own complicity in genocide.

The Welsh First Minister has stopped short of condemning protests on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, urged Baroness Morgan to condemn today’s protests.

Mr Millar said:

Last week, on Yom Kippur, we saw an atrocious, murderous, barbaric antisemitic attack in Manchester, at the Heaton Park synagogue. And, of course, today marks the second anniversary of the atrocities of the October 7 massacre in Israel, carried out by Hamas terrorists.

The Jewish community, understandably, here in Wales, and across the UK, is fearful of yet further attacks, and they feel intimidated and hurt by the disrespectful behaviour of some terrorist-supporting protesters who continue to fuel hatred on our streets.

Will you join me today in condemning those who are taking part in such protests?

But Baroness Morgan said it was the responsibility of politicians to ‘calm the temperature’ following tensions.

I think we’ve got to use extreme sensitivity on this day of all days. It is our responsibility as leaders within our communities to make sure that we are appealing for people to calm down and not to raise the temperatures at a really sensitive time.

Students demonstrating at pro-Palestinian protests across the country have hit out at Sir Keir Starmer, saying the Prime Minister’s opinion counts for ‘very little’.

Sheffield University student Anton Parocki (pictured) laughed when asked about Sir Keir’s comments that the timing of the protests was ‘un-British’ and showed a lack of respect.

He said:

I think it’s quite funny. What does that mean? Are all these people here anti-British? Are all the millions of people that come out for Palestinian protests anti-British? Is it anti-Britsh to go against a genocide? That seems like what he’s saying, which is quite funny.

But, to be honest, I don’t care what a war criminal says. Keir Starmer is a war criminal, so his opinion means very little to me.

While an 18-year-old King’s College London student added:

Keir Starmer, to be honest, he hasn’t really done much anyway, and I believe that for him to say it’s ‘not British enough’, it’s just unjust of him, it doesn’t make any sense.

Here are the latest photographs we can show you from London where students from multiple universities are taking part in a pro-Palestinian march.

The demonstration has gone ahead despite politicians and universities calling for them to delay the rally until after the second anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7 two years ago.

An Edinburgh University staff member taking part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration has described those calling for the protest not to take place as ‘hypocrites’.

Sara Al Disi, 32, told the PA news agency:

We are protesting the violence that’s actually been enacted on the Palestinian people. The (Manchester) synagogue attack, it’s a very horrific thing, and it’s actually very scandalous that the media and the politicians are using it to suppress pro-Palestine activism, because it’s not the same thing.

They’re trying to equate antisemitism and anti-Zionism. And I think a lot of people just don’t believe that any more. It does not wash.

She added:

I think we should protest today, especially because they’re trying to make it so that (we can’t protest) on that day – and to say that actually they’re hypocrites.

A woman visiting the UK from Israel said pro-Palestine demonstrations organised on Tuesday were ‘wildly offensive and irresponsible’.

Speaking outside King’s College London where students gathered to protest against the war in Gaza, Emily Schrader criticised demonstrations taking place on the anniversary of the October 7 attack.

Holding an Israeli flag, the 34-year-old said of the October 7 attack:

It was an awful, awful event, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and we didn’t see an Israeli military response in any way, shape or form, until October 27th, and so to protest today specifically isn’t a sign of support for Palestinians.

It’s a sign of support for Hamas and the actions that happened that day, and it’s wildly offensive and irresponsible, both for Israelis, of course, but even more than that, also for Palestinians who have been suffering under Hamas, who are also victims of the terror group – the UK-designated terrorist organisation.

Jewish protesters have been pictured outside King’s College London where students are holding one of several pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country.

The group unfurled Israeli flags while one read ‘Jewish and proud’. A man was also seen wearing a t-shirt bearing the slogan ‘free Gaza from Hamas’.

Students and staff at Edinburgh University criticised university management alongside Sir Keir Starmer at a pro-Palestine protest in the Scottish capital.

Many protesters were carrying flags and placards bearing pro-Palestinian slogans as they gathered outside the university’s main library on George Square.

They were addressed by speakers, including from a number of student organisations, and were led in English and Arabic chants to the sound of drums.

Participants shouted the word ‘shame’ and cheered at intervals as the speakers called for an end to the ongoing conflict, and for the university to divest of investments in companies they said are producing weapons being used in the conflict.

They also criticised calls from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the university management not to take part in the protest.

A student protesting against the war in Gaza said Sir Keir Starmer’s criticism of demonstrations planned for the anniversary of the October 7 attacks is ‘unjust’.

Speaking outside King’s College London on Tuesday, the student, who wished to remain anonymous, said of the Prime Minister’s comments:

Keir Starmer, to be honest, he hasn’t really done much anyway, and I believe that for him to say it’s ‘not British enough’, it’s just unjust of him, it doesn’t make any sense.

Us as humans, we have to come together to protest about this. It’s a critical, critical matter that we have to speak upon.

Palestinians are still humans at the end of the day, and these countless, countless massacres that are going on, it’s completely wrong.

Asked why he had chosen to attend the protest, the 18-year-old said:

Today, it would have either been me choosing a lecture or choosing this Palestinian protest and I believe this protest is much, much more important than the lecture, because it is not talked about enough how much these Palestinians are suffering.

Students at the University of Glasgow unfurled a banner reading ‘glory to our martyrs’ as they demonstrate on campus.

The protest was staged initially outside the university’s library before spreading to other areas.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey says it is ‘completely wrong’ for people to take part in protests in support of Palestine on the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack.

Speaking to the PA news agency during a visit to Fife, Sir Ed said:

I think people shouldn’t protest today. Liberal Democrats are giving a strong message that protesting on this anniversary with all the grief and sadness of it, particularly in the UK given what happened last week in Manchester with the appalling terrorist attack on worshippers at the synagogue.

I think it would be completely wrong for people to protest.