The UK's largest Palestinian cultural centre hosted two speakers who have openly celebrated the October 7th terror attacks, sparking outrage from antisemitism campaigners. Palestine House in central London platformed Latifa Abouchakra and Batool Subeiti at a 'Lessons of Resistance' panel event last week.
The controversial activists have both praised the deadly October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas in 2023, calling it a 'moment of triumph' and 'unprecedented revenge'. Subeiti, a pro-Iranian political commentator, was also given a central role in Palestine House's educational programme for children on 'resistance' and history.
During the event last Thursday, panellists appeared to defend a Palestine Action activist convicted of criminal damage, while Subeiti spoke about 'martyrdom' as a form of 'victory'. A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST) called Abouchakra and Subeiti's role in the evening 'deeply troubling', while a representative of October 7th victims said it was 'heartbreaking' they were given a platform.
Palestine House is a six-storey building in Holborn, central London, which opened in 2025 as a 'cultural embassy' and 'gathering hub' for Palestinian identity. The centre regularly speaks out on political issues, with founder Osama Qashoo erecting a 'Stop the Genocide' flag at the building earlier this year.
Abouchakra, a presenter at the banned Iran-backed channel PressTV, told viewers on the day of the attacks that the violence was 'the homecoming of at least 1,000 Palestinians from the resistance factions into the fragile Zionist entity'. In an Instagram post on the same day, she said: 'Nothing will ever be able to take back this moment, this moment of triumph, this moment of resistance, this moment of surprise, this moment of humiliation on behalf of the Zionist entity.'
Alongside Abouchakra, who was chairing last week's event at Palestine House, was Subeiti, a regular contributor to Press TV and the Tehran Times. Subeiti has appeared to speak in glowing terms about what she described as the 'unprecedented revenge' of the 'Al Aqsa Flood', which is what Hamas calls the October 7th attacks.
The post also praised the attack's 'initiative', 'timing', and 'creativity and execution'. Subeiti also appeared to share an allegedly anti-Semitic image on social media in July last year, showing a child being stabbed in the chest by a Star of David shaped trident. Subeiti has also publicly mourned the death of Iran's assassinated leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
A spokesperson for CST said: 'It is deeply troubling when individuals who have praised the October 7 terrorist attacks or have a record of alleged antisemitic activity are given platforms at public events in the UK. At a time of record levels of antisemitism organisations should think very carefully about the speakers they choose to host.'
Nivi Feldman, who leads the UK branch of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, told Metro: 'It is heartbreaking that individuals who have publicly celebrated the terrorist attacks that murdered the greatest number of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust are being given a platform and presented as role models.'
A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council said organisations that 'host extremist views' that glorify terrorism or promote radical ideologies 'must be held to account'. Palestine House has said they should not be expected to vet the opinions of participants in their event.
The centre said in a statement: 'Palestine House exists because Palestinians are living through a genocide and a man-made famine in Gaza, and our work; over 600 events in the past 16 months, reaching more than 300,000 people, is about giving voice to that reality through education, culture and community.'
