A protest group has vowed to “shut down” London by swarming the capital’s roads and holding demonstrations during a month-long period of action in April.
Youth Demand began its “national month of action” on Tuesday, and has vowed to carry out its “biggest civil disobedience campaign yet,” according to the campaigners’ website.
Last Thursday, ahead of the planned action, more than 30 officers arrested six people at a welcome talk being held at the Quaker Meeting House in Westminster, with the Met Police explaining the individuals were detained over plans to “shut down London” in April.
The action has been condemned by the Quakers as an "aggressive violation", and it is thought to be the first time in the history of the famously pacifist faith group that police have forced their way into one of their places of worship.
Youth Demand added that two “completely new” talk attendees, including an undercover journalist, were arrested during the police break-in.
A further three Youth Demand protesters were also arrested on Friday.
Since the police raid at the Quaker meeting house, Youth Demand claimed as many as 200 people expressed an interest in joining its upcoming action.
Who are Youth Demand?
Youth Demand, who describe themselves as a “new youth resistance campaign fighting for an end to genocide”, began carrying out acts of civil disobedience in 2024.
So far, the protesters claim to have mobilised over a thousand people to take part in 60 “actions”.
Its demands of the government include stopping all trade with Israel and raising money from “the super rich and fossil fuel elite” to pay damages for the effects of fossil fuel burning.
What has happened before when Youth Demand protested?
Youth Demand began protesting last summer. Early action included activists painting the Labour Party HQ red, spraying the Ministry of Defence with paint and blocking Waterloo Bridge.
Last October, protesters plastered a photo of a Gazan mother and child over the glass of Picasso’s 1901 painting ‘Motherhood (La Maternité) at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.
Another previous demonstration by Youth Demand included three people hanging a banner and laying rows of children’s shoes outside Sir Keir Starmer’s home in April last year.
Leonorah Ward, 21, Zosia Lewis, 23, and Daniel Formentin, 24, were each handed suspended prison sentences following the incident.
More of the group’s members were arrested last July after they announced plans to disrupt the State Opening of Parliament.
In November, the group took part in a coordinated protest blocking roads across London, Manchester, Exeter, Leeds and Cambridge.
Youth Demand supporters also regularly take part in larger Pro-Palestine protests and recently helped block Oxford Street as part of a demonstration involving 200 people from eight protest groups during Black Friday sales in November.
In a similar protest, five pro-Palestine groups, including Youth Demand supporters, blocked Tower Bridge in October.
Three Youth Demand supporters were also arrested in January after they defied police restrictions during a Palestinian Solidarity Campaign demonstration near the BBC.
What do we know so far about April’s protests?
Youth Demand has vowed to take its protest action to a “whole new level” in April and has already revealed some details of its planned protests.
The group has been posting on social media about a plan to “shut down London” over April, using tactics including “swarming”, a non-violent tactic used by protesters to block roads.
The group has said it will block roads “day after day after day” in April and has also claimed it will “shut down genocidal ‘business as usual’ in London for a month straight”.
Youth Demand has also said it will be holding open rallies every Tuesday throughout April.
The first of Youth Demand’s rallies took place on April 1 outside Senate House Library in central London with around 100 people attending.
The rally kicked off with a series of chants, including: “Met Police pick a side – freedom or genocide”, before several speeches were made in which speakers criticised last week’s arrests.
One woman who said she was among those arrested at the Quaker Meeting House told the crowd: “I was literally just sitting down and about 30 police officers slammed open the door and arrested us.”
“The Met traumatised a bunch of young women because they saw fit to violate our rights,” she went on.
“Whether we take a break today or tomorrow or the whole of April, we will be back because the police can never keep us down.”
At the protest, Youth Demand vowed to press ahead with its planned action.
“Young people all over the country are coming together to shut London down day after day throughout April,” the group wrote in a recent press release. “We refuse to be ruled by liars, war criminals and arsonists. We will not let them get away with this. We refuse to be ignored.
“It’s time for young people to take to the streets day after day and shut London down.”
