Swastikas and hate chants at embassy protest
DEMONSTRATORS CHANTED antisemitic slogans during a protest outside the American embassy in London.
Thousands of activists gathered at the embassy amid cries of “death to Israel, death to America” following the announcement that the United States would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
One chant related to a seventh-century battle in which Jews were massacred: “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud”. In English, the words mean: “Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning”.
The chant is an Arabic battle cry which refers to the battle of Khaybar in the year 628, in which Jews were massacred and expelled from a town of the same name in what is now Saudi Arabia.
Placards bearing what appeared to be swastikas were displayed near the podium where a series of speakers launched attacks on Israel and Donald Trump.
The protest was organised by groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Palestinian Forum in Britain and Friends of Al Aqsa. They said they condemned the antisemitic chanting, claiming that demonstrators who had remained after the rally “had disbanded” were responsible — although the video appeared to contradict this.
“We deplore such behaviours, which are not shared or endorsed by our organisations or by the vast majority of those who attended the demonstration,” they said. In a joint statement the Jewish Leadership Council, Board of Deputies and Community Security Trust said the Khaybar, Khaybar chant “could only be interpreted as a call to incite violence against Jewish people”.
Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, said the display of swastikas was “utterly disgusting”.