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Thousands of Pro-Israel Activists Demonstrate in Front of London Theater Vandalized for Hosting Israeli Film Festival
An Israeli soldier walks near pictures that are part of an installation at the site of the Nova festival, where people were killed and kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, in Reim, southern Israel, Jan. 14, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Over 2,000 pro-Israel supporters demonstrated outside London’s oldest running theater on Thursday night to show solidarity with the venue after it was vandalized for participating in an Israeli film festival and hosting a screening of a film about the Supernova music festival attack, The Jewish Chronicle reported.
Seret International, the largest Israeli film festival in the world, took place in the United Kingdom from May 16-23. As part of the week-long film festival, the Phoenix Cinema held a private screening on Thursday night of “Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre,” a documentary about the Hamas massacre of 360 people at the Supernova music festival in Re’im, Israel. The screening at Phoenix Cinema was sponsored by the London-based, pro-Israel charity UJIA, and the film festival’s sponsors and supporters include Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom, and the Israel Film Fund.
Early Thursday morning, the Phoenix Cinema was found vandalized by anti-Israel activists who spray painted “Say no to artwashing” in red letters on the front doors of the venue and splattered red paint on the theater’s signage. A fundraising campaign was organized to help cover the costs of cleaning and repairing any damage caused by the vandalism.
Also on Thursday, two filmmakers, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, announced their decision to resign as patrons of the Phoenix Cinema because the venue was participating in the Seret film festival.
At the pro-Israel rally that took place outside the Phoenix Cinema on Thursday night, ahead of the “Supernova” screening, supporters of the Jewish state waved Israeli flags, held posters advocating for the return of the hostages held by Hamas for seven months, and danced in the street, forcing traffic to come to a stand-still, according to The Jewish Chronicle. Some held signs that read, “Shouldn’t artists support the truth?” and “Why be so afraid of the truth when the Hamas terrorists documented it themselves?” — which is a reference to the firsthand footage from Oct. 7 that is featured in the Supernova documentary.
A small group of around 50 anti-Israel protesters also demonstrated outside the venue, on the other side of the street, before the screening started, The Jewish Chronicle noted. Some pro-Israel supporters confronted their opposers before police ordered for the groups to remain on different sides of the street. Police later escorted the anti-Israel demonstrators away from the scene as others chanted, “Terrorist supporters off our streets.”
Organizers of the Seret film festival released a statement addressing the opposition they have faced by anti-Israel activists.
“In recent months, the festival has faced challenges and pressures on cinema houses, with threats of boycotts and demands for cancellations. However, SERET remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting Israeli culture through cinema and refuses to succumb to censorship or cancellation,” the organizers said. “SERET UK is honored to continue its mission of promoting Israeli culture and cinema on the international stage, providing audiences in the UK with a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Israeli life and creativity through the art of filmmaking.”
The post Thousands of Pro-Israel Activists Demonstrate in Front of London Theater Vandalized for Hosting Israeli Film Festival first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.