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An art exhibition in Kent, England, is showcasing imagery rooted in classic antisemitic libels and denying documented atrocities from the October 7th Hamas massacre.
The exhibition — “Drawings Against Genocide” by British artist Matthew Collings — is on display at Joseph Wales Studios in Margate.
The collection includes roughly 100 works targeting Jews, Israel, and the United States. Several drawings portray Jews as horned, demonic figures standing atop piles of skulls, alongside phrases such as “we love death.” One depicts French-Israeli businessman Patrick Drahi consuming babies, echoing centuries-old blood libel myths used to incite hatred and violence against Jews.
Other pieces deny Hamas’s use of sexual violence on October 7th. Text in the exhibition claims there is “no evidence” of rape or abuse and dismisses reports of murdered infants. Additional messages accuse Israel of fabricating these claims to justify its actions in Gaza, dismissing widely documented evidence of the massacre.
One drawing also depicts British Jewish journalist David Collier and Community Security Trust Policy Director Dave Rich, accusing them of labeling all criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
Update on David Collings exhibit at Margate’s Joseph Wales gallery.
Kent police sergeant just called.
He told me: no action to be taken.
The pictures (a few below) are in his view ‘criticism of the Israeli state’.
He said ‘because some Israelis happen to be Jews it doesn’t mean… pic.twitter.com/3Svd2qGAtH— Zoe Strimpel (@realzoestrimpel) March 22, 2026
Visitors and advocacy groups described the display as overtly antisemitic. Stop The Hate UK said it was “sickened” by the content and reported chants of “Globalize the Intifada.” British Jewish journalist Zoe Strimpel, who attended, called the exhibition an “insane fever dream.” She pointed to repeated Nazi imagery and graphic depictions of Jews.
She also said Collings reacted aggressively when challenged and equated Israel with Nazi Germany. This is a deliberate inversion of the Holocaust that turns the victims of genocide into its perpetrators. It strips the Holocaust of its historical truth and repurposes it as a weapon against the Jewish state.
Under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, this entire body of work falls squarely within contemporary antisemitism. The definition, together with its eleven examples, sets a clear standard for how antisemitism appears today. The imagery and claims in this exhibition reflect all of these elements.
Antisemitism, Reframed and Excused
Despite the content, Strimpel said police indicated no action would be taken. Officers reportedly viewed the material as criticism of Israel. However, this response reveals that authorities dismiss explicit antisemitic imagery as political expression.
At the same time, public officials strongly condemned the exhibition. Israeli Chargée d’Affaires Daniela Grudsky stated, “This isn’t art. It isn’t free speech. It’s antisemitism.” Labour MP Mike Tapp called it “completely unacceptable.” CST’s Rich warned that imagery once confined to hate mail now appears publicly as art. Criticism also targeted Thanet Council, which had promoted the exhibition before removing it.
Collings denied the accusations and claimed his work targets Israel rather than Jews. His record has drawn renewed scrutiny. In 2019, he was briefly selected as a Labour parliamentary candidate. The party suspended him after he dismissed concerns about antisemitism and made inflammatory remarks about late former Chief Rabbi of the UK Lord Jonathan Sacks.
Antisemitism constantly morphs. Today, it most often appears through the demonization of Israel. When institutions accept that framing, they do more than blur the line between criticism and hate. They legitimize it.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
