The chant, “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return,” is an iconic pro-Hamas anti-Israel chant used around the world.
"Khaybar" is a historic Arabian oasis north of Medina in present-day Saudi Arabia that is religiously significant for Islamic history.
This slogan recalls a series of seventh-century battles between Mohammed and local Jews during the first few years of Islam’s establishment.
As retold in the Quran and other textual sources, Mohammed’s forces took action against Jews and these battles resulted in the subjugation, mass expulsion, or slaughter of the area’s tribal Jewish communities.
Invoking this slogan today at such a demonstration reflects the widely spread idea which often is kept a secret from Western supporters of these protests: this is a chant to murder Jews.
In celebrating a past military defeat of Jews, this chant is a call for armed violence or forcible subjection against Jews today.
London today: