A talk by Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been disrupted by pro-Palestine activists screaming insults about “genocide” and calls to “Stop Arming Israel.”
The minister had begun to speak at a conference on trade hosted by Chatham House on Thursday morning when a man climbed on stage holding a Palestinian flag accusing him of being “complicit in genocide” and demanding an end to the sale of F-35 parts to Israel.
After the protester was removed from the venue, Reynolds told the audience: “We have suspended arms exports to Israel.
“We have not suspended F-35s because they are integral to our national security and the defence of Ukraine, and people will know the supply chain for the F-35 means they cannot be isolated to one country.
“That decision was laid out very clearly in Parliament, so I’m quite happy, if he wants to ask a question rather than jump on stage, to have that engagement with him.”
Another female protester then began to shout slogans, again holding a flag, before she was ejected from the room by a security guard.
A group of activists had gathered outside Chatham House, waving Palestinian flags and carrying a banner saying “Stop arming Israel”.
Last September the government suspended 30 arms export licences to Israel due to concerns they could be used to violate international law.
But components for the F35 jet were not included in the ban, except when they were sent directly to Israel, due to the UK being part of a supply chain that sells the jets to more than 20 countries.
Pro-Palestine campaigners have shared conspiracy theories about continued UK involvement in Israeli military actions in Gaza, without any clear evidence of claims.
