Protesters blockade Department for Business and Trade to oppose arms sales to Israel
Hundreds of people on Wednesday blocked the entrances to the UK government's Department of Business and Trade in London to oppose the UK’s ongoing weapons sales to Israel.
The Department of Business and Trade, which oversees arms exports, has come under pressure to halt sales to Israel over its ongoing war in Gaza where tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed and Israel faces accusations of war crimes and genocide.
Last month, some civil servants within the department requested to “cease work immediately” on arms export licences to Israel over fears they could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza.
Wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestine flags, activists used loudspeakers and drums to call for an end to all arms sales and to support civil servants refusing to work on export licences.
Protesters faced a wall of police as they attempted to blockade the back entrance to the building and completely shut down the department’s activities.
The London Metropolitan Police confirmed to Middle East Eye that three were arrested for assaulting a police officer. MEE also contacted the Department for Business and Trade for comment.
'People are here because they have had enough and want to see the end to the killing in Gaza - which is being sponsored and endorsed by the British government'
- Harriet, doctor
Harriet, a doctor who joined the protest as part of a group called Healthcare Workers for Palestine, said hundreds had come out to try to pressure the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel because it had so far refused to do so.
“Many healthcare workers, including myself, are here today because the government has refused to entertain the idea of a possible arms embargo, so we, the people, felt like we had no choice but to impose a ‘people’s embargo’ on Israel,” said Harriet.
“People are here because they have had enough and want to see the end to the killing in Gaza - which is being sponsored and endorsed by the British government.”
Lukas Sloothus, an academic at Sussex University, said many workers had come to show their support for the civil servants who had objected to continuing arms sales.
“We are at a unique point in our history where we can choose to stand and support genocide, or protect the people of Gaza, and the civil servants did just that,” said Sloothus.
“These civil servants chose humanity, and that is why we are here today, to support them and show that their solidarity has not gone unnoticed. Serious concerns are being raised about war crimes, and our government is not taking it seriously.”
The protest is part of a wider blockade to mark May Day, or International Workers Day, also targeting companies producing weapons and components in weapons for export to Israel.
Activists were reported to have blockaded arms factories owned by BAE Systems in England, Wales and Scotland.
Last week, a UK court allowed a legal challenge over the British government’s role in allowing weapons to be sent to Israel.
Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq and the UK-based Global Legal Action Network filed the challenge in December, calling for the UK to stop granting licences for arms exports to Israel.
The court was initially dismissed in February, but a High Court judge granted a judicial review, though the case will not be heard until October.
Last month, more than 600 British lawyers and judges, including three retired judges from the UK Supreme Court, also joined calls for an end to British arms sales to Israel.
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