Video| Israel’s UK ambassador rushed out of event amid large pro-Palestine protest

London (QNN)- The Israeli occupation ambassador to the United Kingdom was rushed out of the London School of Economics on Tuesday night after a large pro-Palestine protest formed outside condemning her appearance at a debate forum.

Video footage taken from the scene and shared on social media showed security guards rushing Tzipi Hotovely into a vehicle, while a group of pro-Palestine activists called out to her, “Aren’t you ashamed?”

Israeli ambassador to U.K. Tzipi Hotovely was rushed out of the London School of Economics last night after a pro-Palestine protest formed outside condemned her appearance at a debate forum there.
Security guards can be seen rushing Hotovely into a vehicle.#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/cTMzpuroLu

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 10, 2021

The demonstration was led by a coalition of pro-Palestinian student groups from several universities in the British capital.

The LSE Student Union, which hosted the event titled “A New Era in the Middle East: Perspectives on Israel and Palestine” in collaboration with the university’s Debate Society, released a statement acknowledging the controversy of bringing Hotovely to campus and the “distress” expressed by certain student groups.

They conveyed their commitment to equal debate saying “there must be an appropriate challenge of the views held by speakers,” while also acknowledging their inability to “guarantee complete safety.”

The event which the Israel’s UK ambassador attended drew widespread opposition from pro-Palestinian and other groups on campus for “platforming racism.”

The protesters said that Hotovely had “advocated for settler colonialism, engaged in Islamophobic rhetoric and has perpetuated anti-Palestinian racism.”

An open letter written by the LSESU Palestine Society called to cancel the event rejecting the ambassador’s visit and expressing their concern at normalizing a debate with an “avowed anti-Palestinian racist, Islamophobe, self-proclaimed ‘religious right –winger.'”

“We made sure to let Tzipi, LSE SU and LSE SU Debating Society know that war criminals, islamophobes and anti-Palestinian deniers are not welcome on this campus!” LSESU Palestine Society said after the incident happened.

“We must keep this momentum going to make sure events like these never happen again.
Palestinian human rights are not up for debate and we will never stop resisting and agitating for a free Palestine and the liberation of Palestinians from the settler-colonial israeli apartheid regime.”

“We also denounce the presence of police on campus and acts of assault to students.
We must keep protesting for cops off campus and for LSE to divest from all companies complicit in Apartheid!”

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE FOR COMING OUT AND FOR SHOWING ALL YOUR RAGE AND SOLIDARITY FOR PALESTINIANS! 🇵🇸❤️

We made sure to let Tzipi, LSE SU and LSE SU Debating Society know that war criminals, islamophobes and anti-Palestinian deniers are not welcome on this campus! pic.twitter.com/cvWCJJfheR

— LSE for Palestine (@LSEforPalestine) November 9, 2021

Tzipi Hotovely, who is a former Israeli settlement affairs minister, said last year she hoped that the UK would relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, after the U.S. embassy was relocated in May 2018, describing this move as a “good role model.”

“The whole myth of making the Middle East a dangerous place by moving the embassy to Jerusalem is just not correct. Look at the reality: The Middle East was never more flourishing in terms of peace agreements,” she said.

Hotovely also questioned the U.K. Foreign Office’s use of the term, “Occupied Palestinian Territories.” Such statements, she said, “don’t reflect reality.”

“Settlements are legal according to international law. This is the Israeli policy about it; this is the Foreign Ministry’s interpretation of international law,” said Hotovely, dismissing the idea of settlements being in breach of international law.

Earlier this year, during a ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, which signalled British support for the creation of the occupation state of Israel, Hotovely claimed the occupation state gives equal rights to both Palestinians and Israelis.

As a former settlements minister, Hotovely shares responsibility for upholding Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank – which she has called ‘a myth’ – and she is a leading advocate for annexation.