Youth Demand activists have laid “body bags” outside Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s door, as well as blocking roads again in central London.
Cristy North, a live-in carer, and Sue Houseman, a mum from Lancaster, displayed a sign over the Tottenham MP’s hedge reading “Lammy Stop Arming Genocide” at around 11am on Tuesday.
Hours earlier two groups of Youth Demand protesters disrupted traffic on Commercial Street, Angel Junction and by Tower Bridge at 9am, the protest group said.
The group has revealed that it is planning to block further roads later on Tuesday.
Youth Demand said a pair of activists laid child-sized body bags outside Mr Lammy’s home to represent 17,400 children who have been killed in Gaza since the October 7 attacks in 2023.
The pro-Palestine protesters have been demanding that the UK impose a total trade embargo on Israel as well as demonstrating against the ongoing climate crisis.
A Youth Demand spokesperson said: “David Lammy has admitted that Israel is in breach of international law and yet the UK has cancelled less than 10% of arms sales to Israel.
“90% complicity with murder is still complicity with murder. History will rightly view those that supported the systematic slaughter of children with absolute contempt, and David Lammy will be held to account for not having the spine to cease trading with Israel and halting British armed forces from assisting this genocide.”
The protest comes as Youth Demand, an offshoot of Just Stop Oil’s youth wing, has vowed to “lock down” London by regularly protesting throughout April.
Around 65 activists from the protest group “swarmed” roads in central London - blocking key roads and holding up traffic on Saturday.
Youth Demand is also expected to take part in a rally alongside other pro-Palestine groups outside the Ministry of Defence from 6.30pm on Tuesday.
Youth Demand hit the headlines recently after six of its female supporters were arrested at a Quaker meeting house in central London — the first such arrests at a Quaker site in living memory, according to the faith group.
Quakers in Britain condemned the move as an “aggressive violation” after Metropolitan Police officers detained the women at Westminster Meeting House on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
More than 30 officers were said to have been involved in the arrests, which police said were linked to concerns over plans to “shut down” London this month using disruptive tactics.
