DEMONSTRATIONS, vigils and protests were staged across Britain to call for peace on the October 7 Hamas attack anniversary, which preceded the launch of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Calls for a ceasefire were made at events in communities, by international humanitarian groups and political leaders.

Students staged a national day of action demanding universities in Britain sever their ties with Israel.

The British government maintained its defence of the Israeli regime but reiterated calls for a ceasefire.

In a statement marking the anniversary, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that “we must unequivocally stand with the Jewish community and unite as a country,” and “never look the other way in the face of hate.”

He added that “we must also not look the other way as civilians bear the ongoing dire consequences of this conflict in the Middle East.”

Sir Keir urged Israel to show the “courage of restraint” and warned that the entire region was on the brink of a wider war.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth MS and Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts MP condemned Israel’s “disproportionate” response to the Hamas attack. 

In a joint statement marking the anniversary, they said the conflict risks escalation into a full-scale war.

“To avert catastrophe, we urgently need an immediate ceasefire across the region, the release of all hostages, and for international law to prevail without fear or favour,” they said.

Hamas’s attack on October 7 left 1,139 Israelis dead, though there have been reports that some were killed in the Israeli military’s response to the attack.

Around 100 Israelis are still being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

According to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, Israel holds around 9,500 Palestinians prisoner without trial.

Amnesty International said more than 41,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Israel has also forcibly displaced 1.9 million Palestinians.

Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard said that in addition to marking the Hamas attack, “October 7 also marks a year since the start of the horrifying Israeli forces’ onslaught in Gaza that… triggered an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, placing Palestinians in Gaza at risk of genocide, as stated by the International Court of Justice.

“As the war rages on with no end in sight, the need for a ceasefire, respect for international law and for the rights of all victims to truth, justice and reparation, is more pressing than ever,” she said.

Trade union-backed charity War on Want condemned Israel’s 76 years of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and called on the British government to end all arms sales to Israel.

The charity’s senior Palestine campaigner Neil Sammonds said: “For over 70 years, Israel has carried out a campaign of ethnic cleansing — the systematic removal of an ethnic group through violence — against the Palestinian people.

“Despite decades of evidence, Israel’s actions have continued unchecked. Yet the UK government has failed to act and hold Israel accountable.”

Protests in Britain included a national student day of action in Manchester.

Students from Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, London, Leicester, Warwick, Nottingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Lancaster, Durham, Sussex, and Loughborough joined University of Manchester students who are targeting a three-day World Academic Summit hosted by Manchester University.

The day began with a picket of a welcome breakfast for academics.

Students complained of police violence against the pickets.

Organisers of the day of action are demanding that universities break their ties with Israel.

In Birmingham, Muslim leaders were joined by Jewish rabbis, Christians and representatives of other faiths and none for a candle-lit vigil in the city centre in solidarity with the people of Gaza.