Exclusive video: Israeli anti-genocide activist’s speech before arrest at Hotovely protest

Yael Kahn’s fiery speech outside Israeli ambassador’s residence before she was arrested and detained by Met

Veteran Israeli anti-genocide activist Yael Kahn, who has been repeatedly targeted by the UK state for her uncompromising opposition to Israeli war crimes, apartheid and occupation, was arrested on Friday evening while protesting outside the London residence of far-right Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely and held in police custody.

As it did with the arrest of her fellow Israeli anti-Zionist Prof Haim Bresheeth at a similar protest outside Hotovely’s residence last November, Skwawkbox is publishing the uncompromising speech she gave before her arrest:

The Starmer government, which has refused to condemn Israel’s actions and has said it considers the use of the word ‘genocide’ unhelpful, is engaged in an escalating campaign of abusing anti-terror legislation to raid and arrest journalists and activists – many of them, like Ms Kahn and Prof Bresheet, Jewish – who expose Israel’s war crimes.

The International Court of Justice is investigating Israel for genocide, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and UN experts have confirmed that Israel is committing exactly that, along with a string of other war crimes during its slaughter of more than 200,000 Palestinians, overwhelmingly civilians and mostly women and children and its targeting of journalists, medics, aid and emergency workers in Gaza, along with its use of starvation as a weapon against Gaza’s two million surviving people.

Supporters of Israel have pushed the unfit ‘IHRA working definition of antisemitism’ designed to prevent freedom of speech on Israel and its crimes – a ‘definition’ that does not define and has been rejected by its own author. Among the examples it says may constitute antisemitism is comparing Israel to nazi Germany. However, Israeli propagandists ignore the ‘may’ and treat it as ‘is’, no matter how murderous or racist Israel’s actions are.

Ms Kahn, who began a hunger strike after her arrest, was eventually released from Holborn police station at 6pm yesterday, after almost twenty-four hours in custody, and emerged defiant:

She has been placed under investigation but has not been charged.

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