Protesters disrupt London Marathon, calling for full trade embargo on Israel

ISTANBUL

Protesters disrupted the men’s elite race at the London Marathon on Sunday, calling on the British government to impose a full trade embargo on Israel and highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Two members of Youth Demand, a youth-led civil resistance group in the UK, jumped over barriers near Tower Bridge and threw red powder paint in front of the runners.

The protesters wore 'Stop Arming Israel' t-shirts and were detained by the police.

A Youth Demand statement on X said Gaza is "running out of food" and "Arming genocide crosses the line."

The UK Metropolitan Police said on X that marathon staff intervened to remove the protesters from the course and the race was able to continue unobstructed. Police held the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance. They remain in custody.

Before the protest, Willow Holland, 18, from Bristol, said she was taking action because other methods, such as marches and rallies, had failed to stop the genocide in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 52,000 people since October 2023. “Profit should never be prioritised over basic decency,” she said in a statement released by the group.

The group also criticized the British government, saying the army has flown more than 500 surveillance flights over Gaza since December 2023, raising fears of complicity in Israeli war crimes.