A yellow ribbon which the wife of the Chief Rabbi tied round a tree at a memorial in Hove to victims of October 7 has been vandalised.

Stickers with “Boycott Israeli Apartheid” and “Free Palestine” were put on yellow ribbons, one of which was tied by Lady Valerie Mirvis to a tree in Palmeira Square, close to the memorial.

The shrine has been a focal point for the community since it was set up in November. People come from all over the Southeast to visit it, leave flowers and attend the daily service held there.

Lady Mirvis tying a yellow ribbon close to the Hove memorial to October 7 victims (Photo: Adam Ma'anit)

Adam Ma’anit, one of the people behind the memorial, whose relatives were murdered on October 7 and whose cousin Tsachi Idan is a hostage in Gaza, said: “Israelis and Jews are targets for both the far right and the pro-Palestinian movement. They dehumanise the hostages, demonise our community and target any symbols or memorials for their hate.

“No matter how many times they try to intimidate us, it will not work. They have destroyed our memorial 20 times, and each time, we build it back again. We will never let the haters win.”

The Chief Rabbi and Lady Valerie Mirvis had been in Brighton to dedicate the synagogue at the Brighton & Hove Jewish Community centre (BNJC), when they took the time to also visit the memorial.

The Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and Adam Ma'anit at the Hove memorial for October 7 (Photo: courtesy of Adam Ma'anit)

After his visit, the Chief Rabbi expressed his admiration on social media, saying that he was "in awe of the extraordinary dedication” of the Jewish community and their supporters in Brighton and Hove, “who have stood in Palmeira Square every day to honour those who were killed on October 7th, and in solidarity with the families of the hostages still held by Hamas”.

This latest incident of vandalism was reported to Sussex Police as a hate crime as the ribbons are owned by a Jewish communal group.

Previously, the ribbons were targeted by far-right vandals when a link to an antisemitic website was scrawled on the back of them.

Since October 7, Jewish residents in Brighton and Hove have reported a spike in antisemitic incidents, with verbal abuse and graffiti targeting Jews.

Teenager Mason Reynolds Has just been jailed for eight years for planning a terrorist attack on a synagogue in the area.