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This is the moment a fire engine is blocked by protesters in London from pro-Palestine protesters demanding a total trade embargo on Israel by the UK government.
Activist group Youth Demand (YD) also demanded investment in communities most negatively impacted by fossil fuel burning from those who have made their wealth from the non-renewable energy industry.
Five protesters were arrested today as they took to the streets of London as part of the pro-Palestine rally causing disruption and standstill traffic on key routes including in Elephant and Castle at around 12.30pm.
Footage shows a fire engine struggling to pass through the area as around 50 protesters blocked the roundabout next to the tube station.
The fire engine was unable to pass until police arrived on the scene and attempted to move the group along.
With the protesters still in place and traffic still building, a bus was able to maneuver out of the way to allow the fire engine to travel down St George’s Road which was free from disruption.
One arrest made in the Elephant and Castle area in connection to the protest activity, police have confirmed. They were arrested for breach of Section 7 of the Public Order Act, YD said.
The protesters unfurled banners reading ‘Free Palestine‘, ‘Stop Arming Israel’ and ‘Make the Rich Pay’ as they blocked traffic on Moorgate and let off smoke flares.
Footage shows how a fire engine struggling to pass through Elephant and Castle as around 50 protesters blocked the roundabout next to the tube station
With the protesters still in place and traffic still building, a bus was able to maneuver out of the way to allow the fire engine to travel down St George’s Road
The protesters took to the streets of London as part of the rally causing disruption and standstill traffic on key routes in the capital
In a statement by YD, the group said protesters left the road at around 13.20pm.
A further group of around 26 protesters disrupted Hyde Park Corner at around 13:55pm for around 15 minutes and then moved onto Vauxhall Bridhe north crossing at 14:30pm.
Four more supporters were arrested as the group dispersed, YD added.
Many of the protesters wore keffiyeh scarves, historically worn by Bedouin tribes as heat protection, the garment evolved over time as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against British colonialism and Israeli occupation.
Separate footage also showed the moment a cement mixer truck almost drove into to demonstrators in Aldgate High Street as they also stopped the traffic on London’s streets yesterday.
Angry passersby pelted the protestors with eggs, and a truck attempted to drive through the assembled group.
On the road on Friday, Mia Hinds, an A Level student from Exeter, said: ‘I am taking action with Youth Demand because I cannot sit by and watch two genocides happen on livestream: the genocide of the Palestinians and the global genocide of the climate crisis.
‘As a young person I feel so much rage about government complicity and I feel a duty to take to the streets.’
Protestors chanted: ‘From the belly of the beast, hands off the Middle East.’
During the demonstration, a solitary pro-Israel counter protester attempted to physically remove members of the group, trying to drag them from the street by their clothes.
This is not the first instance of violence endured by YD during one of their protests.
On Thursday, a YD supporter was assaulted by a passerby as she took part in a protest outside Holborn Station.
A lone counter protestor tries to drag an activist from the street by his clothes on Friday
Youth Demand activists use their bodies to block a truck in Aldgate High Street
Pro-Palestine demonstrators block traffic as they demand a trade embargo on Israel by the government
A demonstrator speaks to police officers in central London during Friday’s protest
The group reports she was knocked out and suffered two seizures while standing in the road at a pedestrian crossing.
The incident took place when a group of 12 activists poured blood-red dye into the US Embassy pond in London, to symbolise blood on the hands of complicit governments.
‘No one is alone. Fighting for Palestinian liberation is the same as fighting for our own,’ said Ian Rothauser from Connecticut, another protester present at the demonstration.
‘We cannot continue to live in ignorance and complacency. There is no more normal, we shall not act normally.’
A YD spokesperson said: ‘We’ve tried the marches, petitions and rallies for over a year and a half now. It hasn’t worked. The government only cares about disruption. That’s why we are shutting London down day after day.
‘There is no time to lose, 2 million Palestianians are starving. They are being pushed into smaller and smaller death zones in Gaza. Business-as-usual enables this genocide, so we have a duty to shut it down. We must resist.’
