Pro-Palestine protestors chant 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' as they occupy British Ministry
28 March 2024, 14:44
Pro-Palestine protestors have occupied a Government building in Whitehall, accusing it of supplying weapons to Israel.
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Protesters from the 'London for a Free Palestine' group chanted 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' as they blocked the entrance to the Department for Business and Trade earlier today.
They managed to enter the building after faking a crash between a cyclist and a pedestrian, which allowed them to sneak past security.
Zak Suffee, 37, one of the protestors involved today, said the building had been targeted as it was "where the arms contracts are agreed for Israel".
"We have been seeing the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians", she said.
"It's really time for the UK Government to actually do something. And this is one very concrete thing that will enable the killing to stop.
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: "It is completely unacceptable to harass civil servants as they go about their jobs and the attempt to enter the department by force cannot be justified in any way.
"We are grateful to the police for their response and swift action.
"We take our defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operate one of the most robust export licensing controls in the world."
Pro-Palestine protests have been taking place across the streets of London since the war in Gaza broke out following Hamas' terror attack in Israel on October 7.
Hundreds of thousands have been taking to the streets most weekends since the conflict.
