Swiss cottage protestors remove hostage ribbons claiming they ‘represent Jewish supremacy’

Anti-Israel protestors in a heavily Jewish area of North London tore down hostage ribbons yesterday as they returned to weekly demonstrations following the end of a month-long police ban.

Activists organised by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) and the Jewish Network for Palestine (JNP), but featuring mostly non-Jewish participants, returned to hold their weekly protest in Swiss Cottage on May 2, just minutes away from Belsize Square Synagogue, Chabad Lubavitch of West Hampstead and close to South Hampstead United Synagogue.

One attendee, Latifa Abouchakra, was seen among a group taking down yellow hostage ribbons that had been tied to railings.

Abouchakra, a reporter for Iranian state-controlled Press TV, has previously called the October 7, 2023 massacres “a moment of triumph” and said that “Gaza will write it’s name in blood”.

In an interview during the demonstration, while still brandishing a handful of ribbons, she said: “We took it upon ourselves to remove these representations of Jewish supremacy.

"[They signify that] only Jewish hostages, Israeli hostages have value, whereas there are thousands of Palestinians who remain hostages.

"[Palestinians] who have been taken by the Zionist entity, who have been maimed and raped and killed and deprived of all human rights”.

The demonstrations, which have taken place every Friday since October 7, target the residence of Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely but were temporarily forced by police order to relocate to Kings Cross in February following complaints from local residents.

Jews living nearby have said the “frightening” event causes significant disruption with some saying they are forced to change their route to synagogue on Shabbat or stop going to shul entirely.

In her interview, Abouchakra claimed that the demonstrations were organised by “very small, very local groups of men and women”, claiming that they are “always peaceful” and mostly attended by “very elderly...vulnerable groups of people”.

Stop The Hate demonstrators countering pro-Palestine protest at Swiss Cottage (Image: Elliott Franks)Elliott Franks

However, a JC investigation uncovered evidence of over 60 alleged criminal offences linked to the previous protests, including inviting support for Hamas – a proscribed terrorist organisation – as well as racially aggravated public order offences and physical assault.

After it emerged that the protest would be returning on Friday – following the expiration of the police order – Stop the Hate, a pro-Israel advocacy group, organised a counterdemonstration which received the backing of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

The two bodies put the call out on social media and some 300 people answered on the day, carrying with them Israeli, Iranian, and British flags and pro-Israel, anti-extremism banners and placards, and outnumbering the anti-Israel group.

Some signs read: “Kick extremists out of Swiss Cottage. Protect our community,” and “Stop being useful idiots”. Other banners called for the immediate return of the 59 hostages remaining in Gaza.

Organisers said: “This is not free speech. It’s intimidation. It’s hate. We cannot ignore it. Hate Has No Home Here.”

Pro-Palestine activists hold signs accusing the Board of Deputies of 'enabling fascists' (Image: Elliott Franks)Elliott Franks

But Abouchakra condemned the counter-protestors, accusing them of attempting to provoke pro-Palestine activists. She also labelled the Board an “Islamophobic, Israel-based asset in the UK...who works for the government”. And she claimed: “The police failed in their duty, as they often do when it comes to Zionists”.

Anti-Board of Deputies posters were similar spotted among the crowd, calling the body – which is the main representative body of the Jewish community in the UK – “extremist” and “apologists for genocide by Israel of Palestinians, burning babies alive, gang rape prisoners, starve to death children, beheading and limbs chopping of children.”

One anti-Israel protester wore a Kneecap shirt, apparently in support of the Irish rap trio who are currently being investigated by the UK’s Counter Terror Police over a clip of one band member saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

A spokesperson for Stop the Hate said: “The turnout shows the strength, dignity, and determination of our community. It is deeply disappointing that Camden Police chose to stand down... effectively abandoning their duty to protect Jewish residents.

"Once again, we are left to fend for ourselves. But we will not be silenced or driven away. We will defend our synagogues, our streets, and our right to live in peace.

“Urgent questions must now be raised about how this decision came about. Who authorised the return of a protest that has already been linked to violence, hate crime, and extremism? Who reversed the previous police decision to protect Jewish residents by relocating the demonstration? And why were the clear risks ignored — despite months of evidence showing the protest’s escalating impact on the community?”