World must become "more safe" for Jewish people, urges group behind vandalised Hove memorial
A candlelit procession's taking place from Palmeira Square tonight - where a memorial for October 7th victims has been vandalised over forty times
Mourners behind an October 7th attack memorial that's been subjected to repeated attacks in Hove say the world must become "more safe" for Jewish people.
It comes as a candle lit procession takes place from Palmeira Square tonight, honoring the lives lost two years ago during an attack on Israel by Hamas.
It's in the same location that a book of photos and flowers commemorating the victims have been trashed over forty times.
"I think things have actually got worse.
"You'd think after two years that maybe the 2nd anniversary would be a bit calmer, but actually it's worse than it's ever been," explains Heidi Bachram, a local Jewish woman maintaining the memorial.
"My husband was telling the story of the horrific way that his relatives were murdered.
"And while we he was telling that story, there were some people gathered around laughing."
The memorial has already seen mourners subjected to further verbal attacks after it was recently relocated to a nearby synagogue, due to works on Palmeira Square.
She continued that the "the worry is that it then translates into violence".
Grieving in public "really important"
Yellow ribbons are being tied during tonight's procession to commemorate hostages who are still being held.
Heidi added that being able to grieve in public is "really important":
"We shouldn't have to go behind closed doors in order to grieve for our dead and ask and demand for our hostages to come home,
"What we're trying to do by going into the public domain and grieving publicly is to make sure that people still see us as human beings still see Jews as human beings worthy of compassion, worthy of empathy.
"I would really encourage non Jewish people from the community to come and join us.
"You're very welcome. And I think that would show some level of solidarity with the Jewish community being quite isolated, quite threatened at the moment.
"That would be a really physical way to show our compassion and empathy and make us feel a bit safer."