| Balfour Day riots | |
|---|---|
| Part of November 1945 anti-Jewish riots | |
| Location | Alexandria and Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt |
| Date | 2–3 November 1945 |
| Target | Egyptian Jews |
Attack type | Violent pogrom, massacre |
| Deaths | 5 Egyptian Jews killed |
| Injured | 300 wounded |
| Perpetrators | Young Egypt Party, Muslim Brotherhood |
The Balfour Day riots, took place between 2 and 3 November 1945. The riots began as anti-Jewish demonstrations on the 28th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. Rallies were organised by the right-wing Young Egypt Party and Hassan al-Banna's Muslim Brotherhood.
Five Egyptian Jews and one Muslim policeman were killed in Alexandria, hundreds were injured in both Alexandria and Cairo, and an Ashkenazi synagogue was burned down.[1] The Greek Orthodox patriarchate, Catholic churches and a Coptic school were also damaged in the riot.[1] The police reacted quickly but were unable to prevent much of the violence.[1] However further demonstrations planned for the following day were largely suppressed.[1]
Following the riots, King Farouk of Egypt denounced the violence and met with Rabbi Chaim Nahum, whilst Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha also denounced the violence and visited a number of the riot sites,[2] although Nukrashi cast blame on Zionists for having "provoked such violent reactions."[3]