Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the slogan ‘from the river to the sea’ is not antisemitic, despite it calling for the erasure of the Jewish state.
During Thursday’s Mayor’s Question Time, Assembly Member Susan Hall asked Khan “Do you think screaming ‘from the river to the sea’ is antisemitic?”
“I don’t think it’s antisemitic,” Khan replied. “I think it’s all about context.”
He did, however, admit that the pro-Palestine protests that took place on the evening of the Manchester synagogue attack were “inappropriate and insensitive” but not antisemitic, as that would mean commenting on “individuals’ behavior.”
Others reject the chant as blatantly antisemitic
Sir James Cleverly, the shadow communities secretary, told The Telegraph, “‘From the River to the Sea’ is a chant that calls for wiping the world’s only Jewish state from the map. It is patently absurd to claim it is not antisemitic.
“Against a backdrop of regular hate marches on the streets of London, Sadiq Khan has once again let the capital’s Jewish community down.”
The Leader of Reform UK in the London Assembly, Alex Wilson, went on GB News to condemn Khan’s “appalling record at tackling antisemitism.”
“We all know what ‘from the river to the sea’ means; it means wiping out all Jews. We all know what ‘globalize the intifada’ means; it means murdering Jews on British streets,” said Wilson.
“These are calling for death to Jews, but Sadiq is not prepared to admit this,” he added.
“This is a chant soaked in antisemitism, and it should be made completely unacceptable, not excused,” concurred Lord Walney (John Woodcock), the former government advisor on political violence.
“Anyone who thinks it is okay for people to chant that hateful phrase needs to consider what it is calling for Palestine to be free from. They mean free from Jews.”
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Calling for the complete destruction of Israel, a state established with UN approval, is a hateful and extremist message. As the world’s only Jewish state, it has obviously antisemitic overtones.”