Vigil in London for murdered Israeli Embassy staffers draws hundreds
A crowd gathered this evening outside the Israeli Embassy in London in a vigil organised by Campaign Against Antisemitism to honour two diplomats who were brutally murdered last night in Washington D.C.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who both worked for the Israeli Embassy in the United States, were shot outside Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. last night as they were leaving an event.
The shooting, by a suspect who allegedly shouted “Free Palestine!” at the scene and who later reportedly confessed to police, has sent shockwaves around the world.
Addressing the crowd in London, Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “They were a couple, and had plans to travel to Jerusalem next week, where Yaron intended to propose to Sarah. That is what could have been. That is what should have been. Instead, their lives were stolen, and now, that proposal will never come. The family they would have built will never be realised. They were gunned down at the very gates of a Jewish museum — a place meant to preserve memory and culture — by a man shouting ‘Free Palestine.’ This was not peace. It was violence. This was not protest. It was murder.”
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis then spoke to the crowd: “We will never lose our hope, and we have every reason to be filled with hope, and that is because we know that the peace we are committed to, the justice that we want to see in the world, will ultimately triumph over those who seek to kill and to murder.”
A statement from Tzipi Hotovely, Ambassador of Israel to the Court of St. James’s, was read, from which the following is extracted: “At a time when tensions remain high, and Jewish communities are feeling vulnerable, this incident is a sobering reminder of the threats we face. All diplomats, and representatives of embassies across the world, should be able to work without fear for their lives or safety, as they work to achieve greater cooperation amongst nations. Last night’s events are a harsh reminder of the virulent antisemitism we are still seeing, in the US, here in the UK, and across the world.”
The crowd then observed a two-minute silence for the victims, following which the crowd was led in song and prayer by Cantor Aaron Isaac. Attendees then sung the British national anthem and the Israeli national anthem.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The growing extremism of the ‘Free Palestine’ movement has been a ticking time bomb which has been waiting to explode. This is what they mean when they yell ‘Globalise the Intifada’ on the streets of capital cities, on our campuses and at trade union meetings. They are being honest and open when they call for ‘intifada’. It means murder and terrorism, and yet the authorities have gaslit us, telling us that these are peaceful protesters. They are anything but peaceful, and now they have shed blood. Two people are dead, never to return to their families. Yaron and Sarah’s young lives have been cut short, murdered at the entrance to the Jewish Museum
“These are the real colours of the ‘Free Palestine’ movement. Anybody surprised by this horrific double murder has had their head in the sand. We are locked in a battle for the soul of the West. It’s long past time that our leaders and police chiefs woke up and took firm action, otherwise these will not be the last lives taken by these fanatical extremists dressed up as peaceniks.”
Image credit: Campaign Against Antisemitism
