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Published on January 14, 2024
Updated January 14, 2024, 4:27 p.m. ET
A pro-Palestinian speaker called for “normalization of massacres” in support of a ceasefire in Gaza during a demonstration in London on Saturday, prompting police to investigate the matter.
Pro-Palestinian supporters marched through central London as part of a global day of action against Israel's military action against Hamas in Gaza.
The video circulated on social media in which a speaker, Palestinian activist Mohammed el-Kurd, addressed a crowd gathered in Parliament Square.
“I challenge you to look a child from Gaza in the eyes and tell him you did your best,” he told the crowd. “Our day will come. But we must not be complacent. Our day will come. But we must normalize massacres as the status quo.”
El-Kurd later responded to the backlash to his statement regarding the normalization of the massacres on X, writing that he “would never say that.”
“I have said clearly that we should not be complacent and should not normalize massacres,” he wrote. “The deliberate twisting of my words is an indication of your own bankruptcy. I can speak incorrectly. Also: if applicable. Call the police! Write a Yelp review!”
Pro-Palestinian supporters marched through central London as part of a global day of action against Israel's military action against Hamas in Gaza. Guy Bell/Shutterstock
London police issued a statement to X saying authorities were aware of the video and comments.
“Officers are aware of the remarks, the comments surrounding them and the speaker’s subsequent statements,” the Metropolitan Police said. “They are assessing the matter and will attempt to speak to the individual concerned as part of that assessment.”
Although he claimed he misspoke in this one instance, videos posted online show that el-Kurd's speech also directly called for the eradication of Zionism from the world.
A pro-Palestinian speaker, Mohammed El-Kurd (not pictured), called for “normalizing massacres” during the protest, prompting police to investigate the matter. Guy Bell/Shutterstock
“Zionism is apartheid, it is genocide, it is murder, it is a racist ideology rooted in settler expansion and racial domination, and we must banish it from the world,” el-Kurd said.
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Obviously not an idiot and would never say that. I have said clearly that we should not be complacent and should not normalize massacres. The deliberate distortion of my words is an indication of your own bankruptcy. I can speak incorrectly. Also: if applicable. Call the police! Write a Yelp review!
— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd) January 13, 2024
He continued: “We must de-Zionize because Zionism is a death cult, Zionism is indefensible.”
There have been both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations in the months since Hamas terrorists sparked the war in Gaza.
London police issued a statement to X saying authorities were aware of the video and comments. AP After Israel responded to the Hamas attack, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said more than 23,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza. Guy Bell/Shutterstock
Hamas terrorists launched the deadly attack on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in Israel.
About 250 others have been taken hostage, and while some have been released or confirmed dead, more than half are believed to still be held captive in Gaza.
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A video of remarks from a speaker at yesterday's protest rally in central London has been widely shared online.
Officials are aware of the speaker's remarks, accompanying comments and subsequent statements.
They look into the matter and…
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) January 14, 2024
In the 100 days since Israel responded to the Hamas attack, more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
A pro-Israel rally was due to take place in Trafalgar Square in London on Sunday.
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