Pro-Palestinian activists have staged a protest at the Foreign Office in London, decrying what they see as the Labour government’s insufficient response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
On Wednesday morning, around 300 demonstrators blocked access to the building, displaying a banner reading “Genocide Made in Britain.” The protest resulted in the arrest of six participants.
The demonstration was organized by Workers for a Free Palestine, aiming to pressure Foreign Secretary David Lammy to follow through on his previous commitments.
They demanded that he publish legal advice concerning UK arms exports to Israel, a move Lammy had supported while in opposition.
An activist from the group stated that if this legal advice “confirms Israel has breached international law as the shadow foreign minister, Alicia Kearns says it does – the government should immediately halt arms exports to Israel.”
Additionally, they called for the withdrawal of the UK’s legal challenge against the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protest also supported Labour and opposition MPs advocating for an arms sales ban in the Commons and showed solidarity with Public and Commercial Services Union members in the Foreign Office and Department of Business and Trade.
Lammy, who is currently on a trip to India, has faced criticism for his perceived inaction regarding the continued licensing of UK arms exports to Israel.
He has not clarified whether the UK would arrest Netanyahu if an ICC warrant were issued.
Kendall Evasive On Potential Risk Of British Arms To IDF
Cabinet Minister Liz Kendall, when interviewed on Tuesday, sidestepped questions about whether the Labour government would disclose the official legal advice on the potential risk that British arms exports to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could be used in Gaza in ways that violate international humanitarian law.
Labour, while in opposition, had urged the previous government to release this legal advice.
Lammy claimed he was not permitted to access advice given to previous administrations and has since started his own quasi-judicial process. “I want my deliberations to be as transparent as possible,” he stated.
To date, the Labour government has only reversed one policy concerning Gaza, announcing the restoration of UK funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
A source at the protest remarked, “It is clear after a fortnight that the government could have acted by now, but is instead prevaricating as hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza die. Labour talks about due process, but the people of Gaza cannot wait. Palestinians are demanding answers now.”
Workers for a Free Palestine has previously organized similar blockades, including a significant protest on May Day that shut down arms factories across the UK and blocked every entrance to the Department of Business and Trade, causing the building to close for the day.
Lammy has suggested that arms sales to Israel might continue if classified for defensive purposes against groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah, rather than for offensive use in Gaza — a distinction many find difficult to define.
Human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson has also urged the government to clarify its position on the legal challenge regarding the ICC’s jurisdiction in Palestine.
This follows a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that significantly impacts Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
Robertson noted that the UK’s argument, suggesting the Oslo Accords prevent the ICC from indicting Israelis but not Palestinians, has been undermined by the ICJ’s recent decision.
This ruling complicates the UK’s stance and increases pressure on the government to reevaluate its approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
