UK: Footage of Israeli captive posters being torn down in London sparks fury
Footage showing people in London tearing down posters of Israeli captives held in Gaza by Hamas has sparked outcry in the UK.
One recent video, which was posted by Jewish News editor Richard Ferrer, appears to show a number of people removing the posters in Leicester Square.
The person filming can heard asking one woman why they're tearing off "posters of kidnapped people by terrorists" while another voice can be heard saying to her "you don't love human life" to which she retorts that she does.
None of the people in the video have so far been identified and while a number of British outlets described them as "activists" it is not known if they were involved with any political activity.
The "Kidnapped from Israel" posters were originally produced by Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum in the wake of the kidnappings on 7 October, and have been distributed to numerous cities around the world.
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A number of Jewish organisations called the incident hateful and questioned why the police took no action.
Yachad UK described the tearing down of posters as a "display of hatred towards Israelis which will harden hearts and drive further division", according to the i newspaper.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told the outlet that it was aware of the video, but that "at this time, no offences have been identified".
However, in a post on X in response to the video, the police said "extra officers are on patrol in this area to provide reassurance".
On Wednesday the Metropolitan Police also said it was investigating the vandalism of a poster on Finchley Road after someone drew Hitler-style moustaches on the faces of two captive Israeli children featured.
Hundreds of Palestinian fighters attacked Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing around 1,400 Israelis, the majority of them civilians, including children.
At least 222 people were believed to have been taken captive during the assault, including soldiers and civilians. Four women have been released in recent days.
Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza has killed at least 6,546 Palestinians, with more than 70 percent of those killed being children, women and the elderly.
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