Brighton memorial to the victims of October 7 destroyed by vandals

Over £1,500 has been raised in less than a day after Brighton’s memorial to the victims of October 7 was destroyed yesterday.

The community behind the memorial’s creation, who are currently appealing for witnesses to the destruction, said they suspected the vandalism took place between 1pm and 3:30pm on Wednesday, in broad daylight.

The pages of a book which featured the photographs of many of the victims of October 7 had been ripped out “so forcefully it bent the rings of the folder,” Heidi Bachram, one of the individuals behind the memorial’s creation, said. “They threw the images of murdered children around like they were nothing. Evil unhinged.”

The Brighton memorial to victims of October 7, located in Palmeira Square, after being destroyed, May 14, 2025[Missing Credit]

A stranger and her young son were seen tidying up the memorial after coming across the damage, with the little boy gathering up the pages of the book which lay scattered in the vicinity.

Sussex Police confirmed that they were aware of the vandalism and that the investigation into the matter is currently open.

[Missing Credit]The Brighton memorial to victims of October 7, located in Palmeira Square, after being destroyed, May 14, 2025

More than £1,500 has been raised in less than a day following the attack, a sum which has been added to the ongoing Gofundme page set up by the Brighton and Hove Jewish community and allies to maintain the site and go towards creating a future permanent memorial.

Heidi told the JC it was “extremely distressing” to see the memorial destroyed and not for the first time. “There have been over 40 attacks on it including vandalism, theft, and graffiti. The abuse has been relentless. 

“The memorial is not a political place. We simply mourn the murdered. We tell their stories. It’s shocking that grief for innocents is met with such violence. The hate won’t stop us, and every night, a different victim’s story will be told [at the memorial]. We will never let them be forgotten,” Heidi said.

Brighton’s Jewish community and allies have continued to hold a daily vigil beside the memorial to remember the victims of October 7 since one month after the massacres across southern Israel took place, each evening honouring one of the some 1,200 victims or 251 hostages.

Yesterday’s vigil, after Sussex Police had been called and the memorial was reconstructed by attendees, was dedicated to Chana Kritzman, 88, who was fatally wounded by Hamas terrorists on October 7 as she was being evacuated from Kibbutz Be’eri, succumbing to her wounds two weeks later in hospital.

Chana’s grandson, Omer Keren, said of his grandmother that she “would say that the only medicine is to smile, to keep creating, loving and to rebuild.”