Watch: Pro-Palestine protesters block Parliament Square as UK falls silent on Armistice Day

Danielle Sheridan

11 November 2024 at 10:57 am·2-min read

A row of young people stand holding flags and placards, one of which reads 'Never Again For Anyone' — The group behind the Parliament Square protest was Youth Demand, which supports Gaza - Tom Bowles

Credit: Youth Demand

Protesters who threatened to stop proceedings on Armistice Day caused “minimal disruption” to commemorations in London, police said.

Footage on social media showed Youth Demand, a pro-Gaza group, blocking roads in Parliament Square, Westminster, during the Armistice service at the Cenotaph.

Protesters were also seen blocking roads in Manchester, urging the Government to stop selling arms to Israel.

The news came after reports that activists in solidarity with Palestine had planned to disrupt events on Nov 11 with “highly co-ordinated” protests.

London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that at around 11am on Monday, as the nation observed a two-minute silence to honour those fallen in war, a small group walked onto Bridge Street in Westminster and sat in the middle of the road.

Police confirmed the protesters dispersed approximately two minutes later. They added: “This event caused minimal disruption to traffic in the area and had no impact on the Armistice Day commemorations in Whitehall. There were no arrests.”

Police said they had prepared local policing plans across the capital for Armistice Day.

Later on Monday, Youth Demand activists laid a wreath at the cenotaph. The group said on their website that they wanted to commemorate those who died in battle “resisting genocide and to call on the Government to respect the sacrifice of those who died by ending the support for the ongoing mass murder of Palestinians”.

The activists were also holding a banner which read “Lammy, Stop Arming Genocide”.

The activists – who held up traffic at 11am – went on to disrupt a number of other locations in the capital and other cities.

In Manchester, activists took to the streets at two locations at about 9am. It is understood no arrests were made throughout the day.

A spokesperson for Youth Demand said: “On this day we remember those who gave their lives fighting a genocide. Yet the Government disgraces their memory by continuing to sell UK made weapons to a state guilty of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing.”

“The world said ‘never again’ would we allow such atrocities to happen, and yet it is happening again right now to the people of Gaza, whilst the Western political establishment and media continue to misdirect the public about what is transpiring. Regardless of our differences, we must come together to demand our political leaders take the basic steps to protect the lives of innocent people, or we will have truly lost our humanity.”

On Saturday, police arrested a pro-Palestine activist on suspicion of planning to cause public nuisance.

Hello!
Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann reveals she has spoken to missing girl's parents
Julia Wandelt believes that she could be the missing British girl Madeleine McCann
Reuters
After Assad's ouster, Syrian rebel leader tightens his grip on the state
DAMASCUS/BEIRUT (Reuters) -Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa's Islamist group is stamping its authority on Syria's state with the same lightning speed that it seized the country, deploying police, installing an interim government and meeting foreign envoys - raising concerns over how inclusive Damascus' new rulers intend to be. Since Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group swept Bashar al-Assad from power on Sunday at the head of a rebel alliance, its bureaucrats - who until last week were running an Islamist administration in a remote corner of Syria's northwest - have moved into government headquarters in Damascus. The appointment of Mohammed al-Bashir, the head of the regional government in HTS' enclave of Idlib, as Syria's new interim prime minister on Monday underlined the group's status as the most powerful of the armed groups that battled for more than 13 years to end Assad's iron-fisted rule.
The Telegraph
Landlord serves eviction notices to 150 tenants weeks before Christmas
Around 150 Londoners from the same block of flats have received eviction notices just weeks before Christmas.
The Telegraph
Greta Thunberg’s descent from climate darling to militant pro-Palestine mouthpiece
In 2019, Time magazine named Greta Thunberg its youngest-ever Person of the Year, as world leaders and commentators all hastened to bask in the reflected glory of this new environmental star. Thunberg’s powerful influence was even dubbed the “Greta effect” thanks to thousands of students remaking themselves in her climate-warrior image. But, five years on, that blind hero worship of an increasingly militant Thunberg looks naïve at best and dangerous at worst.
The Telegraph
Russia ‘close to’ deal with rebels to retain military bases in Syria
Russia is close to securing a deal to retain control of two military bases in Syria following talks with rebels who overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad last week, officials close to the Kremlin believe.
SWNS
Bus swerves off road and into group of pedestrians at bus stop
Shocking footage shows the moment a bus swerved off the road and onto the pavement - into a group of pedestrians waiting on the side of the road. The collision happened at 10:30am this morning on Lightmoor Way, Telford. The video shows the bus - which was heading to Telford Centre - drive into a group of three people. A crowd of people then run to the scene, to try and push the bus off the person who had been hit. The bus reverses off the pavement and emergency services were called to the scene.
HuffPost
Authoritarianism Expert Flags Chilling Thing That’s ‘Happening Now’ With Donald Trump
Ruth Ben-Ghiat talked about the "personalist rule" and its worrying effects.
CBC
Ford threatens to cut off Ontario's energy supply to U.S. if Trump follows through on tariffs
Premier Doug Ford says Ontario could cut off energy to the U.S. if president-elect Donald Trump makes good on a threat to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods.Ford told reporters at Queen's Park that federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will put together a list of items upon which Canada could impose retaliatory tariffs and so will the Ontario government."We will go to the full extent depending how far this goes. We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy, going down to Michiga
The Independent
Elon Musk calls homelessness a ‘lie’ and ‘propaganda’ — and Trump is listening
Trump and his billionaire allies are out of touch with a crisis facing more than 600,000 Americans, advocates tell Alex Woodward
The Telegraph
Taxpayers to foot £1bn pensions boost for civil servants
Public sector workers will be handed another £1bn a year in pension contributions on top of their latest pay rise.
The Telegraph
Mapped: The parts of Majorca and Tenerife targeted by protesters – and where to go instead
For the first time in many decades, holidaymakers are thinking twice about visiting their favourite Spanish destinations.
CNN
Xi’s RSVP is a snub to Trump, but the inauguration invite is still a big deal
Imagine the scene, at noon, on January 20, on the west front of the US Capitol.
France 24
Russia threatens to retaliate after Ukrainian ATACMS strike in Rostov
Moscow on Wednesday accused Kyiv of firing US-supplied ATACAMS missiles on a military airfield in its southern Rostov region and threatened to retaliate. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine's "destructive" approach made peace impossible. Russia on Wednesday vowed retribution against Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of firing Western-supplied missiles on a military airfield in its southern Rostov region.President Vladimir Putin has previously threatened to launch a hypersonic ballistic missi
AFP
Russians suffer rising costs of Ukraine conflict
In the small town of Dedovsk, just outside Moscow, pensioner Zinaida Kudriavtseva is struggling to pay the bills."Everything is expensive," Kudriavtseva told AFP on a recent visit to the town, 30 kilometres (20 miles) outside the centre of the Russian capital.
The Guardian
Majority of Brexit voters ‘would accept free movement’ to access single market
Europe-wide polling finds UK and EU leaders now out of step with public opinion and pursue ‘ambitious reset’
CNN
Assad exhibited little of the tackiness of Iraq’s Saddam. But his rule was just as brutal
Slender shoulders, a limp handshake and soft-spoken lisp. Those were the most vivid memories from my meeting with Bashar al Assad.
People
King Charles Bumps Into Texas Tourists on London Street and Leaves Them Stunned: 'That Was Unreal!'
The King shared a heartwarming and unexpected moment with a group of charmed tourists in London
Manchester Evening News
His dad wept outside the courtroom after he admitted what he'd done
'The potential ripple effect from sharing extremist material and encouraging support for terrorist organisation is one that can be felt across communities'
Reuters
Analysis-The Israeli Jews who spied for Iran in biggest infiltration in decades
Israel's arrest of almost 30 mostly Jewish citizens who allegedly spied for Iran in nine covert cells has caused alarm in the country and points to Tehran's biggest effort in decades to infiltrate its arch foe, four Israeli security sources said. Among the unfulfilled goals of the alleged cells was the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist and former military officials, while one group gathered information on military bases and air defences, security service Shin Bet has said. Last week, the agency and Israel's police said a father and son team had passed on details of Israeli force movements including in the Golan Heights where they lived.
Evening Standard
OPINION - Laugh at Iqbal Mohamed all you want, but a law is the wrong way to tackle first cousin marriage
Iqbal Mohamed, one of the Independent Alliance of five MPs, went viral after his earnest defence of first cousin marriages as Parliament debated a proposal to ban them. Among other things, Mohamed said, these unions “help build up family bonds”. Since consanguineous marriage is a tradition among particular communities originating from the Middle East and South Asia, it would therefore be harmful, even racist, the subtext goes, to disparage or restrict its free practice.

Latest stories