- ‘Holocaust and genocide don’t fall out of the sky. They are the end result of a dehumanizing progression, and we are looking at the beginning of such a progression,’ Kapos tells Anadolu

LONDON

An octogenarian Holocaust survivor who was questioned by British police for taking part in a pro-Palestine protest says he will not be silenced, insisting it is his “absolute duty” to speak out against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

❝Holocaust and genocide don’t fall out of the sky. They are the end result of a dehumanizing progression❞

🗣️ Stephen Kapos, a Holocaust survivor, was questioned by British police for his involvement in a pro-Palestine protest as part of a crackdown on pro-Palestine activists… pic.twitter.com/hPsAEkTT2R

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) April 16, 2025

Stephen Kapos, a Holocaust survivor from Budapest, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s assault on the besieged enclave, which has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians – most of them women and children – and wounded around 117,000 others since October 2023.

On Jan. 18, Kapos joined thousands of demonstrators at a pro-Palestine rally in London, where several protesters were arrested. The 87-year-old, along with British actors Juliet Stevenson and Khalid Abdalla, was among those questioned by the Metropolitan Police.

In an interview with Anadolu, Kapos described that day as “particularly oppressive,” suggesting the heightened police presence and arrests were part of a broader strategy to deter public dissent.

“I think it was a deliberate decision at high levels … It was designed to have a chilling effect,” he said.

While his own police interview was “not impolite or difficult,” he came away with the feeling that the questioning could have been arranged with the purpose to “trip people up so that they may say the wrong thing.”

He said the arrests and interrogation were less about building legal cases and more about discouraging people from participating in future protests.

Despite the arrests and police questioning, Kapos does not believe that any of the cases would “actually reach trial.”

“I don’t think that the powers that be are looking forward to the embarrassment of a detailed trial on these lines, because they cannot win, quite simply,” he asserted.

“The marches are expressions of a completely justified popular feeling and view, especially in seeing the horrors of the genocide going on in Gaza in real time.”

‘Holocaust and genocide don’t fall out of the sky’

Emphasizing the importance of the ongoing pro-Palestine demonstrations, Kapos remains determined to continue his advocacy despite the increasing government pressure.

“I feel it’s an absolute duty to (continue protests) and I don’t think what happened impacts on it,” he said.

“I have a number of meetings I’m going to address … so I have a busy schedule.”

He also expressed alarm at what he sees as growing repression of free expression in the UK, especially in relation to Palestine solidarity.

“Very concerned … This is what I feel that, as a Holocaust survivor, I can contribute – to sound the warning,” he said.

“Holocaust and genocide don’t fall out of the sky. They are the end result of a dehumanizing progression, and we are looking at the beginning of such a progression. This is when it is most effective to make a stand, even at some danger to ourselves.”