Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested for 'blocking UK foreign office' in Gaza war protest

Nine people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly blocking the entrance of a UK government building in central London on Wednesday to protest the new Labour government's lack of action towards Israel's brutal war on Gaza.

Some 300 people lined the road in Whitehall and outside the Foreign Office in Westminster holding a large banner reading 'Genocide Made in Britain' as part of a pro-Palestinian demonstration calling for an end to arms exports to Israel.

The demonstration was organised by Workers for a Free Palestine, a network of workers and trade unionists, and demanded the UK government immediately publish legal advice over British arms sales to Israel.

The government has been under pressure for months to disclose whether it received internal legal advice about the continued authorisation of weapons or parts sales to Israel, allegedly parts for the F-35, a fighter jet that has been used in Gaza, that could potentially breach international law if the equipment is being used to commit war crimes.

Earlier this year, the now Foreign Secretary David Lammy, while in opposition, called on the Conservative government to publish the advice and "suspend the sale of those arms".

Lawyers and human rights experts have repeatedly expressed concerns that the UK could be breaching its obligations under international law by continuing to greenlight deals for the sale of weapons parts used by the Israeli army, as the country faces charges of genocide against the Palestinian people at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

🚨🚨HAPPENING NOW! Hundreds of workers and trade unionists are shutting down access to the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) in central London, demanding that the new Labour Government immediately halt all arms exports to Israel. pic.twitter.com/jphNVhHiwl

— Workers for a Free Palestine (@Workers4Pal) July 24, 2024

The protesters assembled at 8:30am on Wednesday and allegedly blocked cars and people from entering the government building.

A Met police spokesperson said that officers ordered the protesters to move from the entrance but when the group "failed to comply with the conditions, officers intervened and made nine arrests" under the Public Order Act.

A spokesperson from Workers for A Free Palestine claimed that officers physically dragged individuals across the street to remove them.

Lammy has been accused of avoiding publishing legal advice and answering questions about whether the UK would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to the UK after an ICC arrest warrant was issued.

Netanyahu is currently in Washington in his first overseas visit since the outbreak of war in October and is hoping to reaffirm ties with his closest ally and win political points at home.

The protests outside government buildings called on and Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Lammy to "practice what [he] preached in opposition" and "meet his own demands" by immediately publishing the legal advice and suspending arms sales.

In a letter written to then-foreign secretary David Cameron in March, Lammy urged the government to publish Foreign Office legal advice on whether Israel is breaching international law in Gaza.

"Given the gravity of the situation in Gaza, the degree of public and parliamentary interest and the risks to the credibility of the UK’s export controls regime, there is a compelling case to publish the government’s legal advice," the Labour MP wrote.

Labour came to power earlier this month following a landslide win in the UK general election which ended the Conservative's 14-year rule.

Critics have accused Labour of being sluggish on Israel following promises while in opposition, particularly as Israel launched a new offensive on Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis which killed over 70 people in one day, and forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee again.

In addition, humanitarian agencies have warned that the spread of disease and collapsed health system in the war-torn enclave could kill thousands more people.