Five people have been arrested after pro-Palestinian protesters sprayed red paint on the walls of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in central London. The groups Youth Demand and Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the action, stating they would no longer accept the UK helping to arm Israel.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps condemned the protest, describing the demonstrators as "cowardly criminals" and asserting that the Armed Forces "can't and won't be intimidated". The Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police made the arrests on suspicion of criminal damage, with Scotland Yard stating it would "never tolerate people causing criminal damage to buildings under the guise of protest".
In a video posted on X, demonstrators sprayed paint over the MoD walls before displaying a banner reading "Youth demand an end to genocide". The groups are demanding that both the Conservative and Labour parties pledge to impose a ban on buying arms from, or selling arms to, Israel. They also call for an end to all future licensing for fossil fuel exploration, development, and production in the UK, including revoking licences issued since 2021.
Youth Demand said: "Young people will not accept the future those in charge have in store for us. We will not die quietly whilst our leaders commit us to a future of suffering and mass death." The protest follows a similar action on Monday, when Labour's headquarters in London were sprayed with red paint.
