Starmer issues 5-word warning to anyone taking part in 'un-British' October 7 protests

Keir Starmer has issued a defiant five-word statement to the students planning widespread pro-Palestine protests on October 7. On the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, thousands of university students are expected to attend demonstrations. The prime minister has accused those protesting on Tuesday of having a lack of respect, and said he is urging the police to use the "full force of the law" for those calling for violence against Jews.

Two years on from the horrific attacks which left more than 1,200 people dead or kidnapped, universities across the country are bracing for large-scale marches. This comes after protests in Manchester and London on the same day as the terror attack on a synagogue last week. Jewish leaders, police forces, and politicians have pleaded for the pro-Palestine marches to be postponed in the wake of the Manchester attack. However, university students are still planning to go ahead with their protests.

"This is not who we are as a country," Sir Keir wrote in The Times. "As some have exercised their freedom to protest against the Israeli government's actions in Gaza, others have used this as a despicable excuse to attack British Jews for something over which they have absolutely no responsibility," he said.

The prime minister said anyone calling for the "murder of Jewish people they have never met" shows a "total loss of empathy" in the UK.

He added: "This is not who we are as a country. It's un-British to have so little respect for others."

A demonstration is organisation at Queen Mary University in London entitled: "Two Years of Genocide, Two Years of Resistance."

In Birmingham, a vigil is being held to "honour our martyrs", as posters for the event read: "two years of genocide, 100-years of resistance".

In Glasgow, students at Strathclyde University are being urged to "grab your flag and keffiyeh" and attend a "Protest 4 Palestine".

Elsewhere in London, King's College is hosting a talk entitled: "Why It Didn't Start On October 7th", and Goldsmiths, University of London, are advertising a protest for a "night of remembrance and resistance".

Louis Danker, the president of the Union of Jewish Students, said: "We respect the right to protest and the importance of free speech within the law. There are 365 days in the year and on one of them - October 7 - Jewish students seek the space to mourn their loved ones murdered in southern Israel."

He added: "Marking 'two years of resistance' on October 7 echoes the explicit justification and glorification of the Hamas terrorist attacks on campus witnessed over the last two years."