Israel’s ambassador to the UK was evacuated under heavy security from the London School of Economics on Tuesday evening after pro-Palestinian protesters tried to attack her.
Video from the scene shows security guards escorted Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, who was clutching a bouquet of flowers, into a vehicle, while one of the protesters rushed at her. Others were chanting, “Aren’t you ashamed?”
Other videos showed activists shouting “shame on you” and “free, free Palestine.” She was also called a “racist” and a war criminal by the LSE Student Union’s Palestine Society.
Hotovely had been invited by LSE, ranked one of the most prestigious universities in the world, to take part in a debate forum.
An Instagram account called “LSE Class War” wrote ahead of the event: “Whoever smashes the Ambassador car window…gets pints. Let’s fuckin frighten her.”
The Palestine Society claimed that the university was “platforming racism” by allowing Hotovely, a “racist,” to take part in the debate.
Hotovely had “advocated for settler colonialism, engaged in Islamophobic rhetoric and has perpetuated anti-Palestinian racism,” the Palestine Society claimed.
In one video, protestors are heard chanting, “No borders, no nations, no settler occupations.” As the Jerusalem Post noted, the activists did not bother explaining how one can support Palestinian statehood while opposing borders and nations.
Another said: “Someone like this person doesn’t really deserve the right to speak. She’s made comments dehumanizing an entire people.”
UK Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi tweeted: “This is deeply disturbing, I am so sorry Ambassador Hotovely.”
This is deeply disturbing, I am so sorry Ambassador Hotovely. 🙏🏽 https://t.co/4CxK2H8h80
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) November 9, 2021
The incident occurred on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, when Nazis instigated a pogrom against Jews on November 9, 1938.
Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot will take part in the LSE’s debating society next week.
Anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment are increasing in the UK. According to a report by the Community Security Trust (CST), 2021 showed a record 460 anti-Semitic incidents in a single month – the highest monthly total since the charity began record keeping in the 1980s.
Two days ago, the West Ham soccer team banned two supporters from attending soccer matches after a group of the club’s fans were filmed singing an anti-Semitic song as a Jewish man walked on a plane.
The mob were heard chanting, “We’ll be running round Tottenham with our willies hanging out,” referring to a rival soccer team that is known for having many Jewish supporters. “Willies” is British slang for penises. The chant continued, “Singing I’ve got foreskin haven’t you,” referring to the Jewish ritual of circumcision.
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