This is the chilling moment a woman casually lifts her hand up to her face to amplify her voice and seemingly calls out ‘We love Hamas’, while taking part in a pro-Palestinian protest through London on Saturday.
The disturbing footage was captured on camera as thousands took to the streets of the capital calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Group, their protest came just days before the first anniversary marking one year since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed more than 1,200 people, while taking another 250 hostage, on October 7, 2023.
The young woman, wearing a keffiyeh, casually walks past counter protesters while holding up a banner with the words ‘Hands off Lebanon’, in reference to Israel’s current military action against Hezbollah fighters.
A woman casually lifts her hand up to amplify her voice and seemingly says ‘We love Hamas’
The disturbing footage was captured on camera as thousands took to the streets of the capital calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon
Advocacy group Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) described the woman’s open support for a proscribed organisation as ‘depraved’, adding that results of a new poll published this week show such behaviour is becoming ‘normalised’.
Since the October 7 attack last year, Israel has responded by waging a war against first Hamas militants in Gaza, where the fighting has killed more than 41,000 people and displaced around 1.9 million, and in more recent weeks in Lebanon, while facing escalating threats from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Israel is also contending with a mounting conflict with Iran, which backs Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
The attack, on a major Jewish holiday, shattered Israelis’ sense of security and left the world facing the prospect of a major conflict in the Middle East.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) described the woman’s open support for a proscribed organisation in the UK as ‘depraved’ and said results of a new poll published this week show that such behaviour is becoming ‘normalised’.
In a statement, CAA said: ‘To mark one year since Hamas invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 victims and took some 250 hostage, a lot of people in London chose to demonstrate against Israel.
‘In case that isn’t depraved enough, this woman appears to shout ‘we love Hamas’.
‘Our polling released this week shows how Britons are becoming radicalised and that she is not alone in her support for Hamas terrorists.
‘In no small part because of the failures of the police to act against these protests, we are now at a point where anti-Israel demonstrators apparently feel free enough to yell support for proscribed terrorist organisations with impunity.
Protesters gather for a ‘Stop The War Coalition’ demonstration against Israeli strikes on Gaza and Lebanon on October 5
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in the march through central London
‘What we would all have hoped would be unthinkable has now become normalised.’
A shocking YouGov poll of 2,615 adults commissioned by CAA and published this week reveals that almost one in ten 18 to 24-year-olds ‘have a favourable view of Hamas’, compared to 3 per cent among the general British public.
The survey also found that 13 per cent of young British adults do not believe Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis on the attacks of 7 October 2023.
On antisemitic attitudes, one third of the British public ‘believes that Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews’ – with this figure rising to 48 per cent among 18 to 24-year-olds.
One in five in Britain believe supporters of Israel ‘control the media’, while one in ten believe that, compared to other groups, ‘Jewish people have too much power in the media.’
The YouGov survey was designed in collaboration with Campaign Against Antisemitism and using the Generalised Antisemitism Scale.
CAA said: ‘Extremism is becoming normalised in our country, and as ever Jews are the canaries in the coal mine.
‘This week marks one year since the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, but here in Britain we need to turn our attention to the home front, where British society is changing before our eyes.
‘Most alarming of all, our young people are becoming radicalised at a far greater rate than the rest of the population, sympathising with terrorists and espousing extreme anti-Jewish racism.
Police have said two people were arrested for assaulting an emergency worker, as they announced a ‘significant’ presence at the weekend’s event
Thousands gathered by Holborn Station for the march through central London on Saturday
‘If the authorities continue to let radicalism run rampant on campuses and on social media, it will not be long before we are looking over our shoulders at generation hate.’
As Jewish communities in Israel and worldwide marked the 7 October anniversary, thousands of protesters clashed with police in London.
The Metropolitan Police said it made sixteen arrests in central London on Monday, with one banner poking fun at ‘silly sausage’ Sir Keir Starmer.
The police force said a ‘significant’ operation was in place across the capital – with multiple arrests happening just minutes after the march officially set off.
Activists convened in Bedford Square on Monday morning for the planned march from Russell Square to Whitehall ahead of events marking a year since Hamas gunmen went across the Israeli border and killed 1,200 people – among the victims were children, the elderly as well as 364 attendees at Nova music festival.
The droves of protesters waved their flags and banners, with one marcher taking a swipe at the Prime Minister with a sign that read: ‘Starmer is a silly sausage’ – referencing an awkward mishap during his speech about Gaza hostages.
MailOnline has approached Met Police for comment.
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