'We are not afraid' Vigil for synagogue attack and 7 October

It's good to show we're not afraid to show our faces,” said 68-year-old Jonathan Fitter, joining the crowds in Trafalgar Square yesterday afternoon to commemorate the second anniversary of the 7 October attacks and the killing of two people at a Manchester synagogue on Thursday.

- Geneva Abdul

Fitter, who is of Jewish heritage, stood with a large blended union jack and Israeli flag. Thousands of people attended the vigil in central London, the same location where almost 500 people were arrested at a demonstration against a ban on the proscribed organisation Palestine Action the previous day.

“I still feel very, very safe and I think England’s a very tolerant country,” said Fitter, who lives in London and said he had not faced antisemitism.

With a stepladder in hand, he made his way to speaker's corner in Hyde Park where he said he speaks most Sundays for Israel's right to exist and defend itself.

“Most people there they’re not antisemitic, they’re anti-Zionist,” he added. “I conduct myself correctly. If I meet someone with a bad attitude I try to find out why and explain the other side of the story, ask them to reflect on it and I generally find that works well.”