Nine pro-Palestine activists have been arrested for blocking the entrance to the Foreign Office, in what protest organisers described as a “heavy-handed” approach by police.
Around 200 demonstrators, led by Workers for a Free Palestine, gathered outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in central London at around 8.30am on Wednesday to accuse the Government of being “complicit” in Israel’s war in Gaza.
The activists called on David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, who on Wednesday was travelling to New Delhi in India, to publish legal advice given to the FCDO on potential Israeli war crimes and suspend the sale of arms to the country.
The protest came as Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of eastern parts of Khan Younis on Monday causing 150,000 to flee, an official from UNRWA - the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees - told the BBC’s Today programme.
The protesters split into two groups, blocking both entrances to the Foreign Office on either end of King Charles Street in Westminster.
A crowd, almost entirely made up of staff from the department, looked on as activists accused the Foreign Secretary and Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, of having “blood on their hands”.
None of the waiting workers were willing to comment to the PA news agency, and one man asked that a picture of the gathered staff be deleted.
Another man waiting to enter the building said: “Many of us are sympathetic [with the protesters].”
At 8.38am, police officers pushed their way into the demonstrators, removing particular individuals and taking them away to be arrested. Occasionally, two officers were needed to drag away protesters after they made themselves limp.
Twice police had to hold back demonstrators attempting to cling on to fellow protesters who had been removed from the crowd.
Commenting on the number of arrests and the police’s tactics, Georgie, one of the group’s organisers, said: “We’ve never had that before. The police have been more heavy-handed today.”