Nadia Yahlom claims yellow ribbons made her feel intimidated whilst revealing she faces threats of violence following Muswell Hill incident
A woman who caused widespread fury after being filmed cutting down yellow ribbons commemorating Israeli hostages has defended her actions as peaceful protest, claiming the memorial display made her feel threatened and intimidated.
Nadia Yahlom, a 36-year-old PhD student at the University of Westminster, sparked outrage when she was caught on camera methodically snipping down the tributes in Muswell Hill, north London, on 6th October. The ribbons had been tied to railings near a synagogue to remember hostages seized during Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on 7th October 2023.
The incident occurred just hours before the second anniversary of the attack, which saw more than 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage. Around 48 hostages remain in Gaza, with approximately 20 believed to still be alive.
‘I Wasn’t Aware of the Date’s Significance’
Ms Yahlom, who describes herself as a Palestinian-Jewish woman, was confronted by shocked residents including author Miranda Levy, who filmed the encounter. When challenged about her actions, Ms Yahlom declared the ribbons were condoning genocide whilst continuing to cut them down with scissors.
In her first interview since the footage went viral, Ms Yahlom told the BBC she had felt offended, intimidated and threatened by the presence of the yellow ribbons. She insisted her actions represented a peaceful form of protest against what she termed genocide in Gaza.
Questioned about the timing of her actions on the eve of the 7th October anniversary, she claimed she was not actually aware that it was close to the significant date. She stated that after two years of what she described as genocide in Gaza, people were still being told that the only lives worth commemorating were Jewish lives.
Ms Yahlom added it was astonishing that there could be moral repugnance about ribbons being cut rather than generations of Palestinian bloodlines being cut.
Interviewed Under Caution by Police
The Metropolitan Police confirmed a 36-year-old woman attended a police station voluntarily on 7th October for an interview under caution in connection with the incident. The case is being treated as racially-aggravated criminal damage and a racially-aggravated public order offence, though no arrests have been made.
Officers reviewed the footage to determine whether offences including hate crime or criminal damage were committed. The force has stepped up reassurance patrols in the Muswell Hill area following the incident.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed officers were made aware at approximately 4.25pm on 6th October of a video circulating online which appeared to show a woman removing ribbons from fence poles in the area. Enquiries remain ongoing.
Claims of Targeted Hate Campaign
Since the footage emerged, Ms Yahlom says she has become the subject of what she describes as a targeted hate campaign and witch hunt. She claims she has received threats of assault, rape and violence directed at herself and her family members.
She told the BBC it was a deliberate attempt by those leading the campaign against her to shift focus away from Palestinian liberation. Questioning why attention should be on ribbons being cut rather than on liberation for the Palestinian people, she stated she never intended to put her family in the line of fire.
Her mother previously told The Times her daughter had been pounded by death threats since the incident, resulting in calls to the Metropolitan Police. Scotland Yard confirmed it is investigating threats against Ms Yahlom as well as the original ribbon-cutting footage.
Academic and Artistic Background
Ms Yahlom is completing an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded doctorate at Westminster’s Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media. Her research explores what she describes as hauntedness and supernatural life in Palestine, examining how humans, artefacts and landscapes reverberate with colonial violence.
She studied at Cambridge University and Goldsmiths before embarking on her PhD. She co-founded Sarha Collective, an artists’ organisation for experimental works from Palestine and the broader South-West Asia and North Africa region. Her work has been showcased at venues including Battersea Arts Centre, Rich Mix, ICA, Tate Britain and Southbank Centre.
Ms Yahlom is married to Mo’min Swaitat, a Palestinian actor, filmmaker and music producer from Jenin in the West Bank who moved to London in 2011. Mr Swaitat is known for his work with the Palestinian Sound Archive and founding Majazz, an archive of vintage Palestinian and Arab music.
After removing his social media posts following the incident, Mr Swaitat posted claims that he and his wife had been attacked by a group he alleged worked for Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. He wrote they had been attacked and stranded to be killed, adding that police were investigating. He also shared content criticising yellow ribbon supporters.
Jewish Community Response
Miranda Levy, who recorded the original footage, described feeling a mix of sadness, anger and fear following the encounter. She told the Daily Mail the ribbons were put up to remember people captured and still held hostage.
Ms Levy, a Jewish woman, stated there was a climate where people felt it was acceptable to take such actions and even believed they were on the side of good and righteousness by standing against Israel and the Jewish people. She described Ms Yahlom’s actions as anti-Jewish, anti-Israel and anti-humanity.
Following the incident, members of the local Jewish community re-tied yellow ribbons along the same railings, vowing to maintain the display until all hostages are released. The University of Westminster has not issued a formal statement about the matter.
Historical Significance of Yellow Ribbons
The yellow ribbon carries profound symbolic weight within both American and Israeli culture. Yellow ribbons first became associated with waiting for the return of hostages in November 1979, when 52 Americans were taken hostage in the US Embassy in Tehran during the Iranian hostage crisis.
The symbol was popularised when Penne Laingen, wife of the US Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran, told a reporter to tell Americans to tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree, referencing the 1973 hit song by Tony Orlando and Dawn. By the end of the 444-day crisis, yellow ribbons had become a national phenomenon in America.
The same symbol was adopted in Israel during the 1980s when three Israeli soldiers were taken captive. Following the 7th October 2023 Hamas attack, families of hostages launched the Bring Them Home campaign, handing out yellow ribbons on Israeli streets. The symbol has since been adopted by sympathisers worldwide calling for the release of hostages.
Latest Hostage Release Developments
On Monday this week, 20 of the remaining hostages held by Hamas were freed as part of a US-brokered peace deal overseen by President Donald Trump. The agreement also saw approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released.
The hostage exchange represents the first phase of Trump’s broader peace framework for Gaza, which includes a ceasefire and Israeli troop withdrawals to agreed positions. Israel’s government confirmed it had signed the final draft of the agreement in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombing campaign and ground invasion since 7th October 2023, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures.
A recent United Nations commission of inquiry report found that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, although Israel’s foreign ministry categorically rejected the findings, denouncing the report as distorted and false.
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