The University of Manchester has appealed for tolerance after busts of Israel鈥檚 first president were stolen from one of its buildings.
Greater Manchester Police received reports of a suspected burglary on Oxford Road shortly before midnight on Friday.
This came as Palestine Action shared a video of two people smashing a display cabinet window and 鈥渁bducting鈥 two sculptures from the university鈥檚 chemistry building.
They were of Chaim Weizmann, a Zionist leader and Israel鈥檚 first president, who worked as a reader in chemistry at the university.
University of Manchester鈥檚 president and vice-chancellor, Duncan Ivison, said: 鈥淭his was an act of vandalism and makes no contribution whatsoever to a better understanding of the current conflict in the Middle East.
鈥淥ver more than a year, we have seen peaceful protests on campus and the exchange of strongly held views.
鈥淲e welcome this as part of our fundamental role as a university 鈥 a place dedicated to the discussion of often difficult ideas and beliefs.鈥
Mr Ivison said failed attempts were made to disrupt a debate on the Middle East conflict at Whitworth Hall last week that was hosted by the university.
鈥淣one of these discussions are easy. They can cause discomfort and pain to many in our community鈥, he said.
鈥淗owever, 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.鈥
The suspected burglary came the night before the Balfour Declaration anniversary, which stated British support for establishing a home for Jews in Palestine.
Zionist politician Mr Weizmann was involved in negotiations leading up to the statement on November 2 1917.
Palestine Action posted the video and said: 鈥淲eizmann secured the Balfour Declaration, a British pledge written 107 years ago, which began the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by signing the land away.鈥
It preceded a series of Balfour Day protests that were claimed by Palestine Action.
Police launched a hate crime investigation after paint was thrown on a north London business premises on Hampstead High Street.
The group said it had targeted premises of Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (Bicom) and posted a photograph that appeared to show red paint covering a property on the same road.
In another post, Palestine Action shared photos of paint-splattered windows that it said were on Jewish National Fund (JNF) premises.
JNF UK says it is 鈥淏ritain鈥檚 oldest Israel charity鈥 and a long-standing supporter of 鈥淶ionist pioneers鈥.
The Palestine Action group describes itself as a 鈥渄irect action network dismantling British complicity with Israeli apartheid鈥.
Protesters marched through central London on Saturday too, from Whitehall towards Nine Elms Lane.
The Metropolitan Police arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of carrying a placard expressing support for a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act.
The death toll from more than a year of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has passed 43,000, Palestinian officials reported this week, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants.
Lebanon鈥檚 health ministry has said more than 2,800 people have been killed and 13,000 wounded since October 8, 2023.
