In a follow-up to a recent incident, two more women have been recorded pulling down yellow ribbons meant for Jewish hostages, mere days after a Palestinian-Jewish artist had removed similar symbols in London.
The latest video captures these women boldly removing the ribbons from a metal barrier near traffic lights at Henlys Corner on Regents Park Road, North London. This event coincided with the second anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, which occurred on October 7.
After tearing the ribbons, the women also removed them from a nearby signpost, exchanged a smirk, and continued on their way, placing the ribbons into a Mango shopping bag amidst passing traffic.
This episode happens a day after Palestinian-Jewish mother Nadia Yahlom was caught on camera using scissors to cut down similar yellow ribbons. These ribbons were placed by the Jewish community to honor the 251 individuals taken hostage by Hamas militants.
In the video, taken by horrified bystanders, Ms Yahlom declares the bands are ‘condoning genocide’.
Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in Hamas’ deadly invasion of Israel in 2023.
The Metropolitan Police have revealed that a woman has been interviewed under caution related to the first occurrence in Muswell Hill, which is being considered racially-motivated criminal damage.
The yellow ribbon is the symbol of the ‘Bring Them Home’ campaign for the hostages taken and held captive in Gaza.
The video captures the two women removing yellow ribbons from a metal barrier at Henlys Corner in Regents Park Road, North London.
The pair can then be seen smirking at each other as they walk off with the ribbons stuffed inside a Mango shopping bag
The women take ribbons put up for Jewish hostages held captive in Gaza from a metal pole
The symbol comes from young women who used to tie yellow handkerchiefs or ribbons while their lovers spent a period of time away, such as in the military or prison.
A Met Police spokesperson said on Wednesday: ‘A woman has been interviewed under caution following an incident in Muswell Hill.
‘At approximately 16:25hrs on Monday, 6 October, officers were made aware of a video circulating online which appears to show a woman removing ribbons from fence poles in Muswell Hill.
‘A 36-year-old woman attended a police station on Tuesday, 7 October, for a voluntary interview in connection with the incident, which is being treated as racially-aggravated criminal damage and a racially-aggravated Section 5 public order offence.
‘Officers are continuing to carry out reassurance patrols in the Muswell Hill area.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Met Police for comment on the new incident.
On Tuesday, the Mail revealed how Ms Yahlom is a pro-Palestine artist whose work focuses on ‘hauntedness and supernatural life’ in the war-torn state.
She studied at Cambridge University and Goldsmiths before embarking on an Arts PhD at the University of Westminster. Her husband is a Palestinian actor and film-maker. He was born in West Bank, Palestine, and moved to London in 2011.
She is also the co-founder of Sarha Collective, an artists’ organisation for experimental works from Palestine and the broader Southwest Asia and North Africa region.
On Monday, Palestinian-Jewish mother Nadia Yahlom (pictured), who is married to a Palestinian actor, was filmed using scissors to snip yellow ribbons that the Jewish community had tied to railings
In a video taken by horrified bystanders, Ms Yahlom declared the bands – which were put up on the eve of the second anniversary of the attacks – were ‘condoning genocide’
Ms Yahlom walked off with the yellow ribbons she had brazenly snipped from the railings
Furious locals confronted the activist on Monday on Fortis Green Road in Muswell Hill outside The Pocket Park, just yards from where the district’s synagogue is located.
On Tuesday, a group of Muswell Hill residents, led by Miranda Levy and Ben Paul, gathered at the memorial to replace the ribbons cut down by Ms Yahlom.
Mrs Levy, who captured the original footage of the vandalism, said: ‘As a Jewish person I felt that pull to do something. It feels personal.
‘These ribbons are to remember all the people who were kidnapped and those who are still there.
‘There is a climate that it’s acceptable, you can get away with it and even more than that, that people applaud it. People think [they] are on the side of the good, the side of the righteous by standing against Israel and the Jewish people.
‘Frankly what she was doing was anti-Jewish, anti-Israel and anti-humanity.’
Mrs Levy told the Daily Mail that she was on her way to get coffee when she noticed Ms Yahlom ‘methodically’ cutting down the ribbons.
‘Immediately I was furious,’ she said. ‘It was like an instinct and I just said: ‘What are you doing?’
But Ms Yahlom ignored her and carried on snipping them down, as shocked bystanders tried to intervene.
‘No, you are not going to do this,’ she replied, adding: ‘Because I’m not committing a crime.’
When bystanders told her she was breaking the law, she told them to ‘call the police and then let them know that you have an issue with this’.
A man was then heard calling her a ‘disgusting little human being’.
But in reply the activist, holding on to the bunch of ribbons she had removed, said: ‘I think condoning genocide is disgusting… yeah, because that’s what this is.’
