Thousands of people on Sunday , including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, gathered in London for a march against antisemitism, following a pro-Palestinian rally the previous day. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and other senior government officials joined Johnson in expressing solidarity with the Jewish community. Organizers touted it as the largest antisemitism protest in London for decades.
March participants proudly waved Israeli and the U.K.’s Union flags, carrying placards with messages such as “Never Again Is Now” and “Zero Tolerance for Antisemites.” However, the event saw the detention of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the former leader of the far-right English Defence League, also known as Tommy Robinson. Yaxley-Lennon was among counter-protesters who clashed with police during an Armistice Day march in London, refusing to leave after warnings about potential disruptions.
Gideon Falter, the chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, noted that the rally followed weeks of pro-Palestinian protests that, according to him, had turned the capital into a “no-go zone for Jews.” The previous day witnessed tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marching to advocate for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
