Palestine Action vandals stole the wrong statue in university raid

Pro-Palestinian activists who claimed to have 'beheaded' a bust of Israel's first president also mistakenly stole a statue of a CBE-winning professor.

Campaigners from Palestine Action were filmed on Saturday violently smashing their way through a glass cabinet with hammers before grabbing a pair of statues.

They said that both portrayed Chaim Weizmann, but it has been revealed that one was actually a professor who pushed for women's education.

The group later posted an image of one of the statues without a head and declared the 'first bust of Weizmann is dead'.

The University of Manchester said they believe the decapitated figure was Weizmann, but the other is of Harold Dixon, a former professor of chemistry.

Prof Dixon specialised in the cause of mine explosions, and used this knowledge in the First World War as the Deputy Inspector of High Explosives for Manchester. 

He was also an amateur footballer who played for Oxford University in the 1873 FA Cup Final and an early supporter of women's education in physics.

Prof Dixon spent much of his life living in Fallowfield, more than 3,000 miles away from Israel. It's not yet known which sculpture Palestine Action has 'beheaded'.

The group shared a post on X on Tuesday (November 5), showing one of the sculptures without its head, alongside the comment: 'First bust of Weizmann is dead. Soon, his zionist project will be too!'

In a previous post on Wednesday, both busts were shown wearing a keffiyeh, a Palestinian scarf. The group wrote: 'Weizmann is now under Palestine Action's control.'

The group shared video footage over the weekend of the moment the two busts were taken from the university. GMP has been investigating the incident this week and no arrests have been made so far.

Politician and life peer John Woodcock, known as Lord Walney, said the chilling action by the activists 'may be interpreted as incitement'.

He said: 'The latest provocation from Palestine Action - 'beheading' the statue of President Weizmann while the memory of terrorist atrocities on 7 October is fresh and hostages are still held. It may be interpreted as incitement.

'It is certainly designed to terrorise British Jews.'

Mayor Andy Burnham said: 'Greater Manchester is proudly a city-region that supports free speech and people's right to protest - but never when it crosses the line into intimidation, vandalism and criminality. 

'I will ask GMP to ensure that there is the fullest possible investigation into this appalling act of vandalism and that those responsible are held to account.

'I will also support the University of Manchester in reassuring all students and staff, particularly those from the Jewish community, of their safety on campus. Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact GMP without delay.'

Author Aviva Klompas described the stunt as 'sick'.

She wrote: 'The sick psychos who stole the bust of Chaim Weizmann from the University of Manchester posted a picture showing they cut off his head.

'What do you think these lunatics would do if they could get their hands on a living Jew?'

Advocacy group Campaign Against Antisemitism denounced the incident as 'macabre' and said the authorities had failed to clamp down on a group now 'terrorising' the Jewish community.

A spokesperson said: 'Palestine Action is now carrying out a macabre mock beheading.

'It is a criminal enterprise operating freely in the UK and terrorising the Jewish community.

'The authorities have been too lax on Palestine Action. Given the events of this weekend, it is clear that Palestine Action will only continue to escalate its campaign of criminality, and the authorities are failing to stand in its way.

'Whether that's due to an unwillingness to take action or an inability to do so due to the constraints of existing legislation, the result is that a group of petty vandals continue to terrorise the British public and, in particular, the Jewish community and its institutions.

'This has got to change. We are talking to the Government and our legal team is reviewing existing legislation to assess its effectiveness in tackling what has become essentially a criminal organisation that wrecks businesses and charities, and terrorises the Jewish community.

'The police and the Government must take urgent steps to ensure that Palestine Action faces enforcement action.'

Prior to becoming an Israeli statesman, Weizmann was a renowned biochemist and a lecturer at Manchester University during the early 1900s.

Palestine Action took responsibility for the stunt, saying on X they had 'abducted' the busts.

In the campaign group's X page, formerly Twitter, it said: 'Palestine Action abduct sculptures of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, from the University of Manchester.

'Weizmann secured the Balfour Declaration, a British pledge written 107 years ago, which began the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by signing the land away.'

A day later, an image appeared of the busts, one wrapped in a red keffiyeh, the other in a white one, with the group saying 'Weizmann is now under Palestine Action's control'.

On Monday, the group posted again on X, showing a video of the busts which were now defaced with the words 'Smash' and 'Zionism' written on each of them in red paint.

Just hours later, the group have beheaded one of the busts.

In a longer statement posted on its website, Palestine Action said on Saturday: 'Today, Palestine Action have marked, by taking two sculptures of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, from its display case at University of Manchester.'

The statement went on to say: 'Over several meetings, Weizmann who as 'the rocks of Judea, obstacles that had to be cleared on a difficult path', lobbied Balfour into assisting the Zionist colonisation of Palestine.

Duncan Ivison, the President and Vice-Chancellor at The University of Manchester said: 'On the evening of Friday, 1 November, intruders to the Chemistry Building smashed the window of a display cabinet and stole a bust of former University of Manchester academic, Chaim Weizmann, who later became the first President of Israel. It was one of several incidents committed around the country.

'We have notified the police, who are investigating. This was an act of vandalism and makes no contribution whatsoever to a better understanding of the current conflict in the Middle East.

'Over more than a year, we have seen peaceful protests on campus and the exchange of strongly held views. We welcome this as part of our fundamental role as a university – a place dedicated to the discussion of often difficult ideas and beliefs.

'Alongside our deep commitment to academic freedom is our commitment to the values of community, tolerance and respect. Freedom and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do.

'We regularly host many events which discuss all sides of the current conflict in the Middle East, including a debate last week in Whitworth Hall. Although attempts were made to stop the event, it proceeded in full, and as difficult as the discussion was, different perspectives on the conflict were aired and debated, as they should be.

'We know these issues are of great concern to our University community, particularly those with friends, family or close ties to the region, and we express our sympathy for all those caught up in the escalating conflict, as well as our hope for peace.

'None of these discussions are easy. They can cause discomfort and pain to many in our community. However, it is crucial in a free society that they occur, within the law, and always with the aim of seeking mutual understanding, and not vilification or hate.'

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police told MailOnline earlier this week: 'Shortly before midnight last night (1 November 2024), we received a report of a burglary at a university building on Oxford Road, Manchester.

Officers have attended the scene and liaised with the university and their security team as part of their ongoing enquiries.

An investigation is underway and anyone with any information is asked to contact police via 101 or gmp.police.uk, quoting log 4035 of 01/11/24.

'You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.'