Fueled by organized campaigns, anti-Israel activism is becoming increasingly normalized as musicians, celebrities and ordinary citizens amplify its message at concerts, historic landmarks and public gatherings around the world.
On October 24, an estimated 60,000 people gathered at the Washington Monument for a free concert by Grammy-winning American rock band Turnstile. Lead singer Brendan Yates urged the crowd to make itself heard at the nearby White House, leading chants of “Free Palestine! Free Sudan! Free Lebanon!” The event raised more than $220,000 for Human Concern International (HCI), a Canadian charity whose organizers said the money would support projects in Gaza, Sudan and Lebanon.
HCI has a controversial history, including past associations with individuals linked to al-Qaeda. Its historical connections have been examined in investigations of Islamist charitable networks. More recently, Canada’s Revenue Agency suspended HCI’s authority to issue charitable tax receipts following findings of improper fundraising practices. Its privileges were restored in 2022. Canada’s Charity Intelligence has also identified gaps in its financial reporting, including the failure to separately disclose international donations and overseas program expenses.
While the ultimate use of the concert proceeds has not been independently established, there was no mistaking the “Free Palestine” chants echoing across the National Mall. The slogan has acquired deeply disturbing associations for Jews since October 8, 2023, when it was chanted in New York’s Times Square during a rally celebrating the Hamas massacre in Israel. Its use has also accompanied outright antisemitic violence. In August 2024, a Jewish man was stabbed outside Chabad’s headquarters in Brooklyn by an attacker who reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” before assaulting him. In May 2025, the same slogan was shouted by the gunman who murdered two Israeli Embassy employees outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum, just a few miles from the Washington Monument where tens of thousands of concertgoers were now chanting those words.
That same day in Rome, demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs forced their way into the Colosseum. Approximately 50 protesters briefly occupied part of the ancient amphitheater before security personnel and police cleared the site. The incident occurred during broader demonstrations involving student organizations, anti-NATO activists and radical-left groups.
Just two weeks earlier, another anti-Israel demonstration at the Colosseum had featured banners declaring “The end of genocide is the end of Zionism” and “October 7, Day of Resistance,” alongside Palestinian and Hezbollah flags. The display openly portrayed the anniversary of Hamas’s massacre as a day to celebrate resistance.
These events followed a coordinated international campaign around the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre. The Global Alliance for Palestine called for worldwide demonstrations over October 9–11, seeking to unite grassroots organizations, student movements, labor groups and activists in coordinated rallies and civil disobedience across continents. The organizers openly aimed to bring accusations of Israeli genocide and demands for international sanctions back to the forefront of public attention.
Thousands marched through central London on October 10, crossing Westminster Bridge and gathering near Parliament. Police arrested 20 people, including six suspected of criminal damage after climbing onto the Battle of Britain memorial, two displaying support for the banned organization Palestine Action, and one suspected of a racially aggravated public order offense after making a Nazi salute. Demonstrations also took place in Berlin, Rome, Edinburgh and numerous other cities.
From organized campaigns to mass concerts, historic landmarks and public demonstrations, anti-Israel activism is gaining momentum and wider acceptance. As its slogans become commonplace, hostility toward Israel is increasingly normalized, blurring the line between political protest, rejection of Jewish national self-determination and outright antisemitism.
