Talya Lador-Fresher, Israel’s deputy chief of mission
at the Israeli embassy in London, had to be shuffled out a side door and
into a “get-away” car by Manchester police on Wednesday, following a
lecture she gave at the University of Manchester that was crashed by
pro-Palestinian student protestors.
The lecture, on the situation in the Middle East, which was
originally supposed to take place months ago, was delayed because of
early security concerns at the university – but went ahead Wednesday
after university officials promised Ambassador Ron Prosor that his
deputy’s security would be guaranteed.
And indeed, Lador-Fresher managed to give her talk, although she was
interrupted several times by students who hoisted Palestinian flags and
called out anti-Israel slogans. But when she had finished speaking and
was trying to head out of the auditorium, it became clear to her
security that the way out was blocked by more demonstrators who had been
waiting there throughout the hour-long event. The demonstrators had
identified the Israeli embassy car and were surrounding it.
