Max Royst, a leader of Stop the Hate UK, spoke to Arutz Sheva about the major anti-Israel protests and his organization's pro-Israel rally in London over the weekend.
"We actually saw two protests on Saturday in London," Royst said. "There was the main PSC National March for Palestine, which has been going on now for two years... that sees constantly 10, 15 arrests, antisemitic placards, support for terrorism, support for Hamas, support for Hezbollah." He added that in Parliament Square, 500 people held signs supporting Palestine Action, which is a prescribed terrorist organization in the UK. According to him, the group has "graffitied Jewish charity offices... stolen a bust of Chaim Weizmann and... attacked an RAF base." The protest ended with "450 arrests and violence directed at the officers arresting them."
Royst welcomed the police response, saying: "It's important for the rule of law that the police hold the line, and they did." He contrasted this with what he called "a total lack of understanding of antisemitism" and a "fear to go in and make arrests" in previous marches.
He warned that the ongoing protests have made it "very uncomfortable to be Jewish in London," citing surveys showing 90% of Jews avoid central London on protest days. "The most important thing is not to show fear... we will stand up for our people and our country and on the right side of history," he said.
Speaking about Sunday's national march for hostages, Royst explained it was the second such march organized by Stop the Hate. "It came out of the videos that were released last weekend... the horrific videos of the hostages, which really showed Hamas's brutality, the starvation and the cruelty that they've subjected these hostages to for 673 days," he said. "In Western media, you see nothing... so we wanted to raise awareness for that and march on Downing Street."
This year's event, Royst added, also protested UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plan to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets certain conditions. "He did not put any conditions on Hamas... in doing so, he made getting the hostages back harder," Royston said. He noted the march united "every strand of Judaism in the UK"—from Sephardi to Ashkenazi, United Synagogue to Liberal and Reform communities—in opposition to the policy.
"If he doesn't reverse his decision, we will continue to protest and continue to highlight the appeasement of terrorists," Royst warned. He added that "even the left who support the Palestinian state" joined the rally, agreeing that "until the hostages are home, there can be no Palestinian state."