Anti-Zionist Jews demand liberation for Palestine at Trafalgar Square Chanukah demo

An array of Jewish anti-genocide groups, including Jewish Anti-Zionist Action, Jewish Peaceniks and Jewish Artists for Palestine brought together Jews from across London, and their allies including Greta Thunberg, in Trafalgar Square last night, 22 December 2025, for a public demonstration to mark the end of Hanukkah and stand for the Palestinians against Israel and its genocide.

Anti-Zionist Jews come together

The protesters used ritual, prayer and song as protest and projected the message ‘Jews for Palestine’ onto Nelson’s Column.

The groups say that they chose:

to subvert the traditional expectations of Chanukah, by lighting candles for an additional ninth night, to demand an end to Jewish institutions’ complicity in Israel’s genocide and occupation through a public display of ritual as a form of protest. Community members from across London are shining a light on the demand for Palestinian liberation, including an end to continuing genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, despite the so-called ceasefire that Israel has consistently broken.

Dan Shapiro of Jewish Anti-Zionist Action said:

I am attending the Chanukah demonstration to demand that our community face the reality of what is happening in Palestine and for our leaders to end all complicity. I am here to show that Jewish voices of denial and dismissal of the genocide in Gaza are not the loudest. We are here too, and we will be louder.

Protestors are also bringing attention to recent Metropolitan Police attempts to repress pro-Palestine protest in London; in particular, the ban on solidarity demonstrations for political prisoners currently on hunger strike (2) and arrests made in relation to chants of ‘intifada’ (3). Jewish groups strongly oppose the weaponisation of real or alleged antisemitism to suppress and silence peaceful protest and the wider Palestinian solidarity movement. Asserting that this only results in greater brutality against Palestinians, and does not make Jews safer, as it is the continued conflation of all Jews with Zionism that is leading to increasing antisemitism, rather than any threat posed by peaceful protest.

This year’s Hanukkah festival of lights was marred by the terror attack on Bondi Beach, devastating for Jewish communities around the world. The demonstrators mourned for those lives lost and for the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians murdered during the more than two years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and decades of violent occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. British Jews are also among those demanding the Starmer government act to resolve the critical situation faced by the five activists still on hunger strike, whose health is rapidly deteriorating.

Liberation for Palestine

Benjamin Shapiro, who participated in the demonstration, said:

We reject the continued silencing and repression of the Palestine solidarity movement and will continue to use every aspect of our collective Jewish identities to resist this. As sundown brings this year’s Chanukah celebrations to an end, we remind ourselves that this festival calls on us to remember the miracle of light in the dark and overcoming oppression. We will light our candles once more than tradition asks of us to remind our community that our resistance must continue.

The event was marred by a group of pro-Israel agitators, including a well-known far-right figure, who filmed and tried to harass the worshippers and demonstrators. The trolls were aggressive toward several peaceful protesters and photographers. Only one was caught briefly on camera:

Many thanks to all those who provided images and footage. Solidarity with the protesters, the political prisoners and hunger-strikers, and with the people of Palestine against occupation, oppression and genocide.

Featured image and additional images supplied