Sir Sadiq Khan’s City Hall has hit back at accusations it removed the Star of David from the New Year’s Eve Fireworks display.
The annual celebration featured dozens of flags which were projected onto the London Eye.
Around 100,000 people watched on from the banks of the River Thames as the extraordinary display was seen to have made a glaring omission.
Israel’s flag could only be seen in the BBC’s coverage as white with two blue stripes.
The Star of David, which represents Jewish identity, was not visible.
The Mayor’s office has strongly denied removing the Star of David, insisting that the flags were not always clear given the moving animation.
Viewers saw a blank space where the Star of David should have been, but they also saw other blue and white flags being affected, including those of Guatemala, Argentina and Honduras.
As the segment of the display with the animation draws to a close, the Star of David can finally be seen faintly on the Israeli flag, but it remains barely visible.
The New Year’s display has sparked fury
|
PA / BBC
A City Hall spokesman said: “A range of flags were displayed on the London Eye to represent the wide variety of countries of origin of people who live in and contribute to the success of London.
“These animated flags were small and moving so were not all entirely clear at every point as they gradually formed into the Union Flag.”
Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said he initially believed claims circulating online were false. He wrote on X: “I thought this was a hoax, so I checked myself.”
He added: “The Star of David was removed from the Israeli flag during last night’s fireworks display at the London Eye. Just a white flag, with two blue stripes – and the Jewish symbol gone. Mayor Sadiq Khan has a lot of explaining to do.”
The Star of David was not visible – but technical issues are to blame, the Mayor’s office said
|
BBC
Journalist and broadcaster Melanie Phillips also criticised the display. She tweeted: “London marks the new year by erasing the Jews from the State of Israel. This is what Mayor Sadiq Khan presumably means when he says ‘antisemitism has no place in London’.”
Other viewers also took to social media to voice their anger. One wrote: “Why the hell has the Star of David been removed from the flag of Israel at the NYE London celebrations on the Millennium Wheel?”
The backlash comes amid continued concern over antisemitism in the UK.
The Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the first half of 2025, the second-highest total ever reported for the first six months of any year.
While this was lower than the 2,019 incidents recorded in the same period in 2024, reports reached a record high of 4,296 in 2023, following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict.
Despite the criticism, the fireworks display was watched by millions in the UK and around the world.
Set to music from artists including Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay, the show featured voiceovers from Celia Imrie, Andrew Cotter and Alison Hammond, celebrating moments from 2025.
More than 12,000 fireworks and over 400 lights illuminated the sky around the London Eye as London welcomed in 2026.