Pro-Palestinian protesters managed to get their message displayed on London’s Houses of Parliament Wednesday night.
The slogan “From the river to the sea” was projected onto the Elizabeth Tower that houses Big Ben during a pro-Palestinian protest, according to the Daily Mail.
The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign claimed thousands of protesters turned out for the “Stop the Genocide” rally that also took place Wednesday.
A genocide chant about Jewish people was projected on to Big Ben last night whilst we heard of reports of Labour MPs feeling intimidated and threatened by pro Palestine mobs.
The @metpoliceuk allowed this to go ahead.
This sums up the pathetic state of the UK. pic.twitter.com/EQgGNvsZw4
— Chris Rose (@ArchRose90) February 22, 2024
The words “ceasefire now” and “stop bombing Gaza” were also projected onto the tower, according to the Express.
The protest angered GB News presenter Martin Daubney, who posted a video to X that appeared to show the projector being used in the protest.
“So a projector clearly visible opposite Big Ben. Just spoke to coppers, they say this isn’t legal… but they are just standing and watching!” he posted.
So a projector clearly visible opposite Big Ben. Just spoke to coppers, they say this isn’t legal… but they are just standing and watching! pic.twitter.com/36P4SPbPhQ
— Martin Daubney 🇬🇧 (@MartinDaubney) February 21, 2024
Did this message on Big Ben make you angry?
The Express said that a statement from London’s Metropolitan Police said: “This is a chant that has been frequently heard at pro-Palestinian demonstrations for many years and we are very aware of the strength of feeling in relation to it.
“While there are scenarios where chanting or using these words could be unlawful depending on the specific location or context, its use in a wider public protest setting, such as last night, is not a criminal offense,” the statement said.
Aviva Klompas, formerly of Israel’s delegation to the United Nations, vented her outrage on X by posting: “This is appalling. Projected on London’s Big Ben was the genocidal slogan ‘From the River to the Sea’ To be clear, this is the same as writing ‘Death to the Jews.”
This is appalling.
Projected on London’s Big Ben was the genocidal slogan “From the River to the Sea”
To be clear, this is the same as writing “Death to the Jews”pic.twitter.com/1qlX3p5MeO
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) February 22, 2024
Member of Parliament Matthew Offord criticized the police response, according to the Telegraph.
“Many of my constituents have faced a level of anti-Semitism that we’ve never seen before,” he said.
“My constituents remind me not only of the calls for jihad on the streets of London and the Metropolitan Police refusing to do anything about it. They also remind me about men driving through north London threatening to rape Jewish women and the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] then declining to prosecute them,” he said.
Andrew Percy, a Jewish MP, said Thursday that lax enforcement is enabling anti-Semitic behavior.
“For months I’ve been standing up here talking about the people on our streets demanding ‘death to Jews,’ demanding Jihad, demanding intifadas as the police stand by and allow that to happen,” he said.
“Last night, a genocidal call of ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ was projected onto this building. That message says no Jew is welcome in the state of Israel or in that land. This is going to continue happening because we’re not dealing with it,” he said.
