Thousands gather to reject hate at interfaith peace vigil

Faith leaders, bereaved families and politicians of all parties have come together to speak out against antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate in one of the UK's first mass vigils since the Israel-Hamas conflict began.

- LYDIA PATRICK

People stood in the cold and rain outside Downing Street and heard the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby say that "there is no good ever in the death of an innocent Israeli, there is no good ever in the death of an innocent Palestinian".

Fighting brings "agony to the families, fear for the future and it drives peace far away", he added.

Yesterday's vigil was arranged to help protect community relations in the UK. The archbishop stepped onto the stage and said he was "awed and humbled" after hearing "extraordinary and remarkable" testimony from relatives of those who were killed on 7 October, who said they wanted peace and not hatred.

He told the crowd: "As we are here, tomorrow there will be children thinking about going to school in the UK who dread going because they will be spat at, shouted at and hated because they are Muslim or Jewish. They will have to go without their uniforms because they identify them too clearly - and that [is happening] in our streets."

To applause, he added: "We are called to clean up our doorstep in this country, to clean away all antisemitism and all Islamophobia, and to make sure that when we speak of peace, we have lit a light of peace here that can give a beacon elsewhere."