by Lettice Bromovsky, Daily Mail
She was ‘astonished’ by the outrage over her actions
A woman who sparked outrage after she was caught snipping down yellow ribbons tied in memory of Israeli hostages has claimed the tributes made her feel ‘intimidated’.
Nadia Yahlom, who is PhD student at the University of Westminster, was filmed vandalising the display in Muswell Hill, north London, with a pair of scissors on October 6.
The ribbons had been tied to commemorate the hostages seized during Hamas‘s brutal attack in 2023 on October 7, when the terror group murdered more than 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 others.
But Ms Yahlom, who describes herself as a ‘Palestinian-Jewish woman,’ insisted she ‘wasn’t aware’ of the date’s significance when challenged by shocked onlookers.
As she cut down the display, she was filmed declaring: ‘Condoning genocide is disgusting and that’s what this is.’
Her actions provoked fury from local residents and the Jewish community, leading to her being interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police.
Officers confirmed she has not been arrested or charged but said they are also reviewing the footage to see whether any offences, including hate crime or criminal damage, were committed.
Ms Yahlom, who is completing an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded doctorate at Westminster’s Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media (CREAM), told the BBC that what she did was a ‘peaceful form of protest’ as she felt ‘offended, intimidated and threatened’ by the ribbons.
Read also: BBC criticised for “sympathetic” interview with woman who cut down hostage ribbons from Jewish News