Two anti-Israel activists were arrested in London after vandalizing the area around the Cenotaph, the Metropolitan Police announced on Monday.
According to a fundraising page for activist group Youth Demand, two women placed a Palestinian flag on the war memorial for British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the First and Second World Wars and other conflicts.
The activist spray painted the ground in front of the Cenotaph, writing, “180,000 killed,” incorrectly referencing casualty projections in a recent letter to the editor published in the medical journal The Lancet.
BREAKING: YOUTH DEMAND LAY PALESTINE FLAG & PAINT NEXT TO CENOTAPHNever again means never again. Everything that the cenotaph stands for is contrary to the Labour government allowing companies to profit from genocide.Help us take action ->https://t.co/Fyk6gk3Y3j pic.twitter.com/zrGYH1pccw
— Youth Demand (@youth_demand) July 15, 2024
The two then sat on the memorial’s steps, holding signs reading “Stop arming Israel” and “never again for anyone.”The Met said that the women were quickly arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
“Everyone has the right to peaceful protest but where that crosses the line into criminality we will take action,” the Met said on social media.
Youth Demand, which claims to have evolved from the youth wing of eco-activists Just Stop Oil and seeks a two-way arms embargo on Israel and cessation of oil and gas development, said on X that “everything that the cenotaph stands for is contrary to the Labour government allowing companies to profit from genocide.”
Seeking a two-way arms embargo on Israel
“Never again means never again,” said the activist group, adapting the phrase often used in relation to the Holocaust.
In the fundraising page, which was created before the July 4 general election, Youth Demand accused both the Labour and Conservative parties of supporting weapons sales to Israel.
Youth Demand rejected petitions and marches, calling instead for vandalism.
“What is happening in Rafah is genocide. Israel’s [sic] actions are defensible [sic]. The IDF are bombing refugee camps. They are indiscriminately [sic] killing civilians, including women and children.
The top United Nations court is demanding an “immediate halt” to the military attacks in Rafah, but the UK government continues to back Israel,” said Youth Demand. “Direct action delivers change. We must escalate.”