A series of coordinated attacks by the pro-Palestinian activist group, Action Palestine, targeted British institutions linked to Israel on November 2, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. The group claimed responsibility for the theft of two busts of Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, from the University of Manchester, as well as acts of vandalism on facilities connected to Israel.
Action Palestine, describing its actions as a protest against the 1917 Balfour Declaration, condemned the document, signed by then-British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, as a “symbolic repudiation.” The declaration endorsed the creation of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. A video posted to social media shows masked activists breaking the protective cases around the sculptures before removing them.
The same day, members of Action Palestine sprayed red paint on the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing, decrying its alleged ties with defense firms that collaborate with Israel. In London, activists also targeted the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) and the Jewish National Fund (JNF), throwing red paint on their premises.
British authorities are investigating the incidents, with Metropolitan Police classifying the attacks as suspected hate crimes. Chief Inspector Paul Ridley reaffirmed the police’s stance, emphasizing “zero tolerance for hate crime.” BICOM condemned the acts as “cowardly, violent acts of domestic terrorism” and voiced concerns for British citizens’ safety amid rising tensions.
Action Palestine defended the vandalism on social media, posting, “Israel lobby groups and the mainstream media get shocked by red paint, yet they are dripping in the blood of Palestinians.” This string of attacks comes amid heightened international tensions, with pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations erupting globally following the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which began in October 2023.
