Pro-Palestine demonstrators steal sculptures of Israeli leader
Date
11/5/2024 6:55:29 AM
(MENAFN) A pro-Palestinian activist group, Action Palestine, has launched a series of high-profile attacks across the UK, including the theft of sculptures of Israel’s first president and acts of vandalism against pro-Israeli institutions, on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. The group’s actions, which took place on Friday, were framed as a symbolic repudiation of the 1917 declaration by UK Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour. The declaration expressed Britain’s support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, a move that has been a point of contention and ongoing conflict in the region.
One of the most striking incidents occurred at the University of Manchester, where activists stole two busts of Chaim Weizmann, a prominent figure in the Zionist movement and the first president of Israel. The busts, which had been on display at the university—where Weizmann had worked as a lecturer—were removed by masked individuals who used hammers to smash the protective glass cases and then concealed the sculptures in black bags. The group posted a video of the theft on X (formerly Twitter), in which the perpetrators can be seen breaking the glass and carrying off the busts. In their posts, Action Palestine described Weizmann as "the architect of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians" and accused him of securing the Balfour Declaration.
The group’s activities were not limited to Manchester. In Cambridge, activists targeted the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, where they sprayed red paint on the building to protest its collaboration with defense companies that do business with Israel. The vandalism continued in London, where Action Palestine members defaced the offices of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) and the Jewish National Fund (JNF) with more red paint. These acts of vandalism, which the group linked to their opposition to Israel’s policies toward Palestinians, have sparked widespread condemnation.
The Metropolitan Police are now investigating the incidents as suspected hate crimes. Chief Inspector Paul Ridley responded to the attacks, saying, “We have been clear that we have a zero tolerance for hate crime.” He added that the police are working to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
The events on Friday, which coincided with the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, have fueled the ongoing debate over the legacy of the document and its implications for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Balfour Declaration, issued during World War I, played a crucial role in the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. However, it remains a highly contentious issue, particularly in the Palestinian territories, where many view it as the foundation for the displacement and suffering of Palestinians.
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