UK PM interrupted by pro-Palestine protester during speech
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This week, a massive crowd of protesters gathered in Liverpool, urging Keir Starmer's government to implement a full arms embargo on sales to "Israel."
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Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, England on October 10, 2023. (AP)
On Tuesday, a protester interrupted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's speech at the Labour Party convention in Liverpool.
The protester stopped Starmer's lecture briefly and yelled about the war on Gaza before Starmer resumed his statement amid clapping.
Starmer responded by jokingly saying the protester "got a pass from the 2019 conference," citing that "While he's been protesting, we've been changing the party, that's why we've got a Labour government."
This comes as Sunday a massive crowd of protesters gathered in Liverpool, urging Keir Starmer's government to implement a full arms embargo on sales to "Israel", nearly a year into the entity's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Ben Jamal, Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), issues a public statement prior to the weekly pro-Gaza rally in London. In his message, he urges the British government to align itself with justice and stop its complicity in the ongoing Israeli genocide. pic.twitter.com/fOcaqpUOh5
— WAFA News Agency - English (@WAFANewsEnglish) September 21, 2024
Demonstrators assembled Saturday near Lime Street railway station to march toward King’s Dock, where Labour Party delegates are convening for their first annual conference since taking office 77 days ago.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), stated that the protest aimed to demand an immediate arms embargo rather than the “inadequate partial suspension” of arms export licenses to "Israel" announced earlier this month.
On September 2, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy revealed the suspension of about 30 licenses from approximately 350 to "Israel", noting that for “certain exports”, the government determined there was a “clear risk” they “might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
However, Jamal asserted, “The Labour government knows that Israel is committing crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. But instead of honoring its obligations under international law, it is still seeking to shield Israel from accountability.”
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The Trades Union Congress (TUC) passed a resolution at its annual conference calling for an immediate end to all UK arms trading with "Israel,"
Jamal emphasized that the broader labor movement “is calling for action to hold Israel to account, including a full arms embargo.”
He added, “This is a moral test for Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership. They need to stand up for the implementation of international law and be bold in confronting those who undermine it, no matter who they are.”
The Liverpool rally marks the first national pro-Palestine march held outside London. In the capital, hundreds of thousands have participated in weekly protests against "Israel’s" devastating war since October 2023.
Since the entity launched its brutal military offensive in Gaza nearly a year ago, the UK has issued over 100 export licenses for weapons and military equipment to "Israel", according to government data.
The statistics reveal that no UK arms export license application has been rejected or revoked, despite increasing international pressure on Western governments to cease arms sales to "Israel."
