The group, calling themselves “Workers for a Free Palestine”, met in front of the Captain Thomas Cook statue on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace at 07:30 local time (09:30 Turkish time) and marched to the ministry. Passing through the Royal Horse Guards, which is open to the public, the group arrived in front of the ministry and blocked the entrance to the building.
The group, which continues its protest under heavy police security measures, has demanded that the new British government, which came to power on July 5, halt arms sales to Israel and release the advisory legal review reports that were cited by the previous government as reasons for continuing arms sales.
The group that prevented the ministry employees from entering the building, shouted ” David Lammy we are ashamed of you” with the slogan ” Hands off the Middle East“, ” A lifetime of free Palestine“, ” From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” And ” Arms embargo right now” they chanted slogans.
- Around 300 prosecutors held banners reading “Made in Britain: Holocaust”, “Ceasefire now. Stop arms sales. End occupation”, “This factory supplies weapons for genocide” and “Stop arming Israel”.
- The actions also expressed their support for officials in the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who oppose arms sales.
| Custodial | The New Government’s Attitude |
|---|---|
| After the group blocked the entrance to the ministry and did not disperse, the police detained some of the prosecutors. The group announced that the number of investigators detained was 6. | In the UK, the new government, unlike the previous government, called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but only backed down on one of the decisions taken by the previous government. The new government promised to restore the financial support that the previous government had cut in January to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). |
New Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who was called upon to release the investigation reports submitted to the former government, stated that he did not have the authority to release them and that they had started their own investigation process.
