Youth Demand supporters have disrupted a talk by Peter Thiel at Cambridge University. Youth Demand is calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel and for the UK government to halt all new oil and gas licences granted since 2021. [1]
Three supporters disrupted the speech by the controversial venture capitalist, Paypal founder and Trump donor. Peter Thiel is also the founder and chair of Military AI tech company Palantir.
In October 2023 Palintir claimed their technology keeps Israel “armed and ahead”. In January 2024 they signed a new deal with the Israeli military. This partnership aims to “significantly aid the Israeli Ministry of Defense in addressing the current situation in Israel.”
Since October 7th there have been over 34,000 Palestinians killed, more than 14,000 of these are children.
A Youth Demand spokesperson said:
“History will not be kind to those who aided and abetted the crimes of the Israeli state. Palantir is proud to assist Israel in bombing hospitals, where the bodies of hundreds of Palestinian patients have been found in mass graves with hands-bound and medical tubes still attached to them.”
“Instead of platforming those proffitting from genocide, universities should be cutting ties with the Israeli death machine and calling on the UK government to demand an immediate two-way arms embargo.”
One of those taking action this evening said:
“It’s embarrassing and appalling that anyone could even want to attend a talk by a man profiting millions off the backs of dead people. Palestinian lives are not disposable and I cannot stand for profit over human lives.”
“As Palestinians are being backed into Rafah which is now also being bombed despite being a supposed safe zone, it is absolutely crucial that we take any opportunity to act and get the message across that we do not stand for this and will not be complicit in a genocide. The lives of Palestinians are sacred and precious. Billionaires profiting from killing children should not get out of this unscathed.”
Young people will not accept billionaires profiting whilst the world burns. Young people all over the country are coming together to resist. Join your local university encampment or step into action at https://youthdemand.org.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Youth Demand is a new youth resistance campaign fighting for an end to genocide. Youth Demand a two-way arms embargo on Israel and an end to new oil and gas drilling. Youth Demand is part of Umbrella and a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects.
