Pro Pales-tine campaigners have criticised British Health Secretary Wes Streeting over comments linking the protest chant “globalise the intifada” to terrorism. Streeting made the remarks in a BBC interview on Monday, a day after a deadly antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Australia during a Hanukkah gathering. He argued that the phrase is widely understood as support for violence against Jewish people and said those using it should recognise its connection to attacks targeting Jewish communities.

Streeting said the Bondi Beach shooting struck at the heart of Jewish identity and community life and insisted that those who are not Jewish have a responsibility to stand against antisemitism. While he declined to say whether protesters using the phrase should be prosecuted, he maintained that the slogan is not merely an expression of solidarity with Pales-tinians. British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis echoed this view, saying the chant incites hatred and should no longer be tolerated, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously described similar language as a call to attack Jewish communities worldwide.

Pro Pales-tine groups strongly rejected Streeting’s interpretation, arguing that it misrepresents both the phrase and the movement. Activists noted that the word intifada comes from an Arabic term meaning to shake off or rise up and has historically referred to both peaceful and armed uprisings. Ben Jamal of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Ismail Patel of Friends of Al Aqsa said using a violent antisemitic attack to repress pro Pales-tine protest undermines the fight against racism and free expression, adding that solidarity with Pales-tinian rights should not be conflated with violence against Jewish people.