London's major New Year's Eve fireworks celebration has ignited a fierce controversy after the Star of David appeared to be missing from the Israeli flag displayed on the London Eye. The incident, witnessed by an estimated 100,000 spectators along the Thames and millions more watching the BBC's live broadcast, has drawn accusations of insensitivity amid a reported rise in antisemitic incidents.
Projection Error or Deliberate Omission?
During the display welcoming in 2026, animated flags of numerous nations were projected onto the giant wheel. However, Israel's national symbol was conspicuously absent, with the flag showing only two blue stripes on a white background. The issue was not isolated to Israel's flag; similar problems affected other blue and white banners, including those of Guatemala, Argentina, and Honduras.
The Mayor's office issued a vehement denial of any intentional removal of the Jewish symbol. A spokesman for City Hall explained to the Daily Mail that the animated flags were small and in motion, which sometimes made them unclear as they gradually formed into a Union Flag. The display was intended to represent the diverse countries of origin of London's residents.
Immediate Backlash and Accusations
The visual sparked immediate fury among viewers and prominent figures. Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy confirmed the omission after checking the footage himself, demanding that Mayor Sadiq Khan has "a lot of explaining to do." The anger was compounded for some when the altered Israeli flag appeared next to the Palestinian flag at one point during the sequence.
Journalist Melanie Phillips, who is Jewish, accused London of "erasing the Jews from the State of Israel" to mark the new year. Other viewers took to social media to express their dismay, with one accusing the Mayor of "sticking a middle finger up to the Jews of the UK."
Context of Rising Tensions
The incident occurs against a deeply concerning backdrop for the Jewish community in the capital. Data from the Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism, recorded 1,521 antisemitic incidents across the UK in the first half of 2025. While this marked a decrease from the record high of 2,019 in the same period in 2024, it remains the second-highest total ever reported for a six-month span.
Reports to the CST peaked in 2023 at 4,296 incidents, following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent military conflict. This context has made the symbolic erasure of the Star of David, a potent emblem of Jewish identity, particularly inflammatory.
The fireworks show itself, which featured over 12,000 pyrotechnics and celebrated highlights like England's Women's Rugby World Cup win, also faced criticism for its commercial tie-in with the film Wicked: For Good, which some labelled a disappointing advertisement.
As London steps into 2026, the fallout from this technological or artistic mishap continues, raising serious questions about perception, symbolism, and community relations in a tense global climate.
