Nine arrested after pro-Palestine protesters block entrance to Foreign Office

Around 200 demonstrators, led by Workers for a Free Palestine, gathered outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Whitehall at around 8.30am on Wednesday to accuse the Government of being “complicit” in Israel’s war in Gaza.

The activists called on Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who was travelling to New Delhi in India on Wednesday, to publish legal advice given to the FCDO on potential Israeli war crimes in Gaza 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.

A crowd, almost entirely made up of staff from the Foreign Office, looked on as activists accused the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of having “blood on their hands”.

None of the waiting Foreign Office 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 who appeared to be in his late 30s 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 would be needed to drag away protesters, who would make themselves limp.

On two occasions, police had to hold back demonstrators attempting to cling on to fellow protesters who had been removed from the crowd. At one point, a female officer shouted “step back” to a male protester.

Commenting on the number of arrests and the police’s tactics, Georgie, an organiser within the group in her late 20s, said: “We’ve never had that before. The police have been more heavy-handed today.”

By 8.44am, police had cleared a path to one of the entrances to King Charles Street, enabling Foreign Office workers to enter their offices.

As the workers walked through the cleared path, several protesters shouted “shame on you”.

By 9am, the demonstrators gathered outside the Foreign Office to chant slogans and listen to speeches beside long banners that had been unfurled along the pavement used by staff to walk into the building.

One female protester, wearing a nurse’s uniform and traditional Palestinian headscarf, lit a red flare during the speech.

The main speaker was Jeanine Hourani, a 30-year-old Palestinian PhD student at the University of Exeter.

Ms Hourani, who came to the UK from Australia to study Middle Eastern politics, told PA that the rally was in “solidarity” with Foreign Office staff who were “organising from within” against the war – not in opposition to them.

She said: “We are not antagonistic with the workers. We’re here today in solidarity rather than protesting them.

“We know that there are workers who are organising from within, calling for an arms embargo. We know that they are unhappy with the way their advice is being interpreted. They know that the UK government is complicit in war crimes.”

A spokesperson for the group said: “The demonstration is not aimed at targeting staff. It’s aimed at David Lammy.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Shortly before 8.30am on Wednesday 24 July a group of protesters arrived at the Whitehall end of King Charles’ Street and stood in the road blocking pedestrian and vehicle access.

“Officers responded and Public Order Act conditions were imposed on them, requiring them to leave the central arch at the entrance to the street clear.

“When the group failed to comply with the conditions, officers intervened and made nine arrests, quickly restoring access.

“Protesters remain in the area but officers are monitoring the situation and ensuring roads are not blocked again.”