Youth Demand supporters have been pre-emptively arrested for attempting to protest the state opening of parliament. Youth Demand are calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel and for the new UK government to halt all new oil and gas licences granted since 2021. [1]
At around 9:30 am, a group of Youth Demand supporters gathered in Victoria Embankment Gardens, intending to march towards the state opening of parliament. Shortly after, the group was kettled by police and dozens have been arrested for ‘conspiracy to commit public nuisance’. A short time prior, at around 9:15, a group of ten Youth Demand supporters were arrested in a branch of Leon, also on charges of ‘conspiracy to commit public nuisance.’ As of 12:10 pm over 40 have been arrested.
A Youth Demand Spokesperson said:
“When political leaders don’t have the guts or the moral backbone to lift a finger for the people of Palestine after months of public outcry, it becomes clear how broken our political system is. Meanwhile the police protect those in power making the decisions that are destroying people’s lives.”
“It is increasingly obvious to ordinary people that the only way we are going to see meaningful change is through civil disobedience. The government must protect life here and abroad by seeing an immediate halt to weapons trading with Israel and an immediate cancellation of all fossil fuel licences granted by the Tories since 2021.”
One of those arrested this morning is Violet Powell, 23, a student from Leeds who said:
“Our leaders hide behind pomp and ceremony whilst a genocide is going on, and our new government are refusing to take action beyond making meaningless platitudes. Young people will not allow yet another government to continue ‘business as usual’, when that business is killing countless people.”
“Labour have an opportunity to stand for what is right, they must stop allowing the UK to profit from the deaths of children in Gaza, by immediately halting all weapons trading with Israel and they must reverse the fossil fuel projects green-lit by the Tories which are endangering hundreds of millions of lives, both here and around the world.”
Also arrested is Monday-Malachi Rosenfeld, 21, a student of politics and international relations, from London, who said:
“We need to take action for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians whose lives have been torn apart by the Israeli war machine, a war machine our country keeps funding. There must be an end to the violence and it’s time for us to take a stand against this genocide supporting Labour government.”
Young people will not stand by as long as governments are supporting genocide. We deserve better. Young people all over the country are coming together to resist. Youth Demand is taking action in Central London from the 13th-20th July. Join us at https://youthdemand.org.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Youth Demand is a 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.
