Survivors of Hamas’ horrific October 7 attack on Israel have told Londoners that life will ‘never be the same’ after the atrocity.
Bar Vilker, who was an attendee at the Nova music festival, told the No to Terror rally in London’s Tavistock Square that he had lost friends and family in the attacks.
Addressing the crowd, Mr Vilker said: ‘On October 7, the life I so desperately love was almost cut short because of terrorism. ‘I lost friends, family and any innocence left inside of me – I will never be the same.’
Hila Fakliro, who also attended the Nova festival, said she had lost six of her friends in the Hamas attacks.
Ms Fakliro told the rally: ‘We need to stand against terror. We need to stand against hate. We need to stand against Hamas.’
Bar Vikle (left) and Hila Falkiro (right) ahead of speaking at the No to Terror rally in London’s Tavistock Square
People attending the No to Terror rally at Tavistock Square, central London, on Sunday
Protesters in London hold up posters of those kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks
Meanwhile a British Palestinian activist speaking at the rally revealed he had been disowned by family members and had received death threats.
John Aziz said rhetoric during the war in Gaza was becoming ‘irreconcilable’, adding that this could lead to ‘more terrorism and more destruction and death’.
He said: ‘I’ve received death threats and taunts of people calling me a traitor and people who I know disowning me.
‘It’s a serious issue because there’s a lot of intimidation and there’s a sense that if you speak out for peace on this issue, then you’re somehow undermining the Palestinian cause.
‘I don’t want to do that – I want there to be a successful, viable, contiguous Palestinian state where Palestinians can live in peace with their Israel neighbours.’
Mr Aziz, who was born and raised in the UK, added: ‘I’m willing to speak to Israelis and spread the message of peace together, so that eventually maybe our governments will listen to each other.’
He said peace was the ‘most logical outcome’ to the conflict: ‘People want their kids to grow up to be normal people and not fighting wars and killing each other.
‘If governments get in the way of us having peace then ordinary people have to speak out like me.’
Many of those at the rally carried Israel flags and chants of ‘bring them home’ were repeated as demonstrators demanded the hostages were released.
Protesters beamed the phrases ‘ceasefire now’, ‘stop bombing Gaza’, ‘end the war now’, and ‘stop war’ onto Big Ben. Pictured: ‘Stop Bombs’ projected onto Big Ben yesterday
Pro-Palestine protesters shut down Tower Bridge on Friday as they demanded a ceasefire in Gaza
Mr Vilker said the two had been travelling around university campuses in the UK over the last week on behalf of the Union of Jewish Students and the Jewish Agency to ‘show Jewish students around the country that the future can be brighter’.
He added: ‘Just like I was able to become stronger after such a terrible event, if we as a community choose to seize this opportunity with two hands to make change correctly, we can show that there is no power stronger than the one of a strong united community.’
The rally was organised by the 7/10 Human Chain Project, which is one of the main organisers of such events that have taken place in the UK since October 7.
The harrowing speeches come as tensions continue to rise in the UK, with the fury over the Israel-Gaza conflict creating chaos in the House of Commons.
The upcoming by-election in Rochdale has been dubbed a referendum on Gaza by commentators and candidate George Galloway despite locals raising concerns closer to home about the cost of living and state of the twon.
On Friday night, Conservative and Labour fundraiser events targeted by pro-Palestine campaigners stormed venues in Stoke and Oxford to confront Tory councillors and Labour MP Anneliese Dodds.
Meanwhile in London thousands took to the street with Tower Bridge being shut down and protesters setting off flares chanting ‘Free Palestine’.
Slogans were projected on Big Ben on Wednesday night while Parliament came to a standstill as the Speaker allowed a vote on a Labour motion for an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’ in Gaza.
Today Prime Minister Rishi Sunak slammed the scenes in Westminster saying they sent ‘a very dangerous signal’ that ‘intimidation works’, which he said is ‘toxic for our society and our politics’.
Mr Sunak added that legitimate protests had been ‘hijacked by extremists,’ and that elected representatives had been ‘verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted.’
