A London cinema showing a documentary film about the October 7 Hamas terror attacks has been vandalised by pro-Palestine protesters - sparking counter-protests and a police probe.
The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, North London, was daubed with graffiti which read "say no to art washing", and follows a string of boycott calls over its participation in the part-Israeli-funded Seret International Film Festival.
Protesters had claimed showing the documentary formed part of an effort to justify Israel's military response to the attacks in Gaza.
And activists had allegedly planned to protest at the venue this evening in order to disrupt further screenings of the film - but the cinema became surrounded by pro-Israel demonstrators today who came to support the venue "against antisemites".
The cinema was daubed with graffiti which read "say no to art washing"
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Alex Deane, a Conservative candidate for the cinema's Finchley and Golders Green constituency, posted footage of the counter-protests to social media, with the caption: "That’s the most successful counter-protest I've ever seen. That's how it's done!"
Josh Howie, who appears on GB News' Headliners, slammed the original graffiti at his local cinema as being there "for committing the crime of showing a documentary about Jews being murdered at a music festival".
More locals asked: "How can a film about innocent young people butchered, raped and abducted be 'Art Washing'?"
A fundraiser set up to support the cinema - the oldest in London - in the aftermath of the vandalism has already surpassed its £1,500 target.
A statement from festival organisers Seret said: "In recent months, the festival has faced challenges and pressures on cinema houses, with threats of boycotts and demands for cancellations.
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Pro-Israel protesters turned up in droves to support the venue
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"However, Seret remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting Israeli culture through cinema and refuses to succumb to censorship or cancellation."
The Metropolitan Police said: "While inquiries are ongoing, at this time the incident is being investigated as a potential hate crime.
"Police had already been made aware of protests expected at the venue regarding a film screening on Thursday night.
"Officers will be there to make sure those attending can protest safely whilst at the same time minimising serious disruption to the community."
A Phoenix Cinema spokesperson said: "We believe that an independent cinema should uphold freedom of expression and want to show difficult content.
Seret co-founder Odelia Haroush defended the festival earlier this year when chains Curzon and Picturehouse backed out of showing screenings
Curzon/Picturehouse/LinkedIn"For the sake of clarity, we would be equally supportive of a difficult Palestinian film because, as a charity, we do not take sides.
"While some of our audience may not agree with this screening, we consider others will be very supportive and would have been dismayed if we had refused to host Seret this year."
The festival has come under fire before - earlier this year, it emerged that two British cinema chains had refused to host screenings for the event, allegedly due to the ongoing "political atmosphere".
Though Seret is "independent, non-political and non-religious", it does receive Israeli state funding - though its co-founder Odelia Haroush has said this accounts for under five per cent of the festival’s budget.
She said the festival - a registered charity - received "much more funding" from the New Israel Fund, which Haroush described as "very left-wing" and a supporter of a "two-state solution".