{"id":93130,"date":"2026-07-07T03:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=93130"},"modified":"2026-07-07T03:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T08:22:10","slug":"london-police-investigating-antisemitic-verbal-abuse-of-jewish-attendees-at-london-pride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/london-police-investigating-antisemitic-verbal-abuse-of-jewish-attendees-at-london-pride\/","title":{"rendered":"London police investigating \u2018antisemitic verbal abuse\u2019 of Jewish attendees at London Pride"},"content":{"rendered":"

By KELLY HARTOG<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 London\u2019s Metropolitan Police launched an investigation Monday into antisemitic abuse at a Pride parade after videos and pictures circulated on social media showed Jewish participants enduring taunts at Saturday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

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Participants belonging to Jews At Pride marching during the Pride In London parade, July 4, 2026. (Andrea Domeniconi\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The police department said in a statement that officers were \u201caware of videos circulating online that show antisemitic verbal abuse directed towards attendees\u201d at the parade in central London and that footage was being reviewed to assess whether criminal offenses had been committed. The department added that it \u201ccontinues to work hard to tackle hate crimes of all types.\u201d<\/p>\n

Videos shared online show people carrying rainbow flags incorporating the Star of David being confronted by individuals shouting \u201cFree Palestine.\u201d The harassment escalated with attendees shouting, \u201cGo back to your Zionist homeland,\u201d \u201cYou kill Arab children, you kill gay children,\u201d \u201cF*** you, Jew,\u201d and \u201cHow many babies did you kill?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reached out to Pride in London for comment. The group had not replied by press time.<\/p>\n

The incident comes amid heightened concern over antisemitism in Britain since Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, with a record number of antisemitic incidents reported over the past two years. It also comes as Pride celebrations around the world have been roiled by tensions over Israel and antisemitism.<\/p>\n

Pride in London drew tens of thousands of participants and visitors to the Soho neighborhood in the British capital. Some Jewish LGBTQ+ organizations have in recent years chosen not to participate in Pride, citing hostility towards Zionist Jews. But this year, around 150 people marched as part of a Jewish bloc at the event.<\/p>\n

Organizers said the return this year followed discussions with Pride in London over Jewish inclusion and commitments that organizers would undertake antisemitism awareness training in partnership with the Community Security Trust, the main security consultant to the Jewish community. Jewish LGBTQ group Keshet UK stated earlier this year that the measures were intended to help ensure Jewish LGBTQ+ participants could march \u201csafely and openly\u201d following concerns raised after Oct. 7.<\/p>\n

It was not clear whether the Jewish marchers who endured the abuse were part of the official Jewish bloc \u2013 accounts from marchers who stayed with the Jewish bloc were generally positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few people came and chanted \u2018free, free, Palestine,\u2019\u201d Israeli author and LGBTQ+ activist Hen Mazzig told JTA. \u201cThey were passing  through. And there was another person who was at a cafe and then they came by and they were just staring at us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Participants belonging to Jews At Pride marching during the Pride In London parade, July 4, 2026. (Andrea Domeniconi\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mazzig shared footage from the event on X, writing, \u201dMy pride is not affected by the opinions of others. I am gay, I am Jewish, and I\u2019m here to stay. Am Yisrael chai.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazzig splits his time between London and Tel Aviv, because his husband is British. He told JTA in a phone interview that Saturday\u2019s incidents \u201cwere scary, especially when a Pride parade is supposed to be inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazzig said that since Oct, 7, circumstances have been exceptionally challenging for the British Jewish community \u201cbut specifically for LGBTQ youth that are being forced to choose between their Jewish identity and their queer identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazzig claimed that Jewish marchers are not accepted unless they specify that they are anti-Zionist. \u201cEvery statement of solidarity with LGBTQ Jews seems to come with a \u2018but,\u2019\u201d he said. \u2018We  support you, but not if you\u2019re physically Jewish, not if you\u2019re supporting Israel. You have to renounce half of your identity first.\u2019 That\u2019s not equality.\u201d<\/p>\n

In advance of Saturday\u2019s event, some 650 Met police officers were deployed to enforce \u201czero tolerance\u201d on hate crimes and to ensure that attendees could \u201csafely and securely\u201d enjoy the parade.<\/p>\n

When JTA asked the Metropolitan police why at least two policemen appeared to stand by as Jews were subject to abuse, the Met requested that JTA provide the video in question. After being supplied with the video, the Met later told JTA that it had nothing further to add at this stage but would provide an update if it did.<\/p>\n

Mazzig said the Met police should consider the abuse at the parade \u201cshameful and it should alarm everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cI hope that we stop debating whether or not antisemitism is real and accept it. And that communities that are supposed to be inclusive and pluralistic start taking action.\u201d<\/p>\n

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