The policing minister has issued a warning after a new Just Stop Oil youth movement has joined forces with a controversial pro-Palestinian activist group for a “resistance campaign”, which will be coming to London to “take action” this weekend.
Chris Philp said: “We will not stand for Just Stop Oil, Palestine Action, or any other group considering combining forces and crossing the line.”
The minister’s warnings come after this broadcaster revealed that a new environmental group called Youth Demand is set to collaborate with Palestine Action, a controversial outfit that has vandalised businesses associated with Israel.
The “unholy alliance” between the groups has also been met with concern from the government’s adviser on political violence.
Lord Walney has warned that they both use “criminal action to coerce and bully the public and decision-makers.”
Youth Demand is offering free accommodation for activists who want to take part in a march and “action” in central London.
Youth Demand is set to collaborate with Palestine Action
Youth Demand
Joining forces with “Pal Action”, short for Palestine Action, the group has combined anti-Israel and environmentalist causes.
Philp told GB News: “Criminality has no place on our streets, and that includes so-called protesters causing criminal damage and serious disruption to threaten and intimidate the law-abiding majority.
“We will not stand for Just Stop Oil, Palestine Action, or any other group considering combining forces and crossing the line. We have given police powers to tackle criminal actors whatever their guise, and will go further to ensure officers have the tools they need to prevent serious disruption and disorder.
“The police continue to closely monitor and prepare for any protests that could see criminality and we are confident officers will do all they can to stop any groups who break the law.”
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Chiara Sarti – Organiser, Youth Demand
GB News
Youth Demand told GB News: “Chris is right that criminality has no place on our streets, but it also should have no place in the corridors of power.
“Sadly that is not the case at the moment, people of all political persuasions are seeing that politics is failing us and that our leaders are more interested in enriching themselves rather than protecting ordinary people.
Urging people to join them, the group added: “Young people are not content to have criminals running the country.”
On its sign-up site, Youth Demand is calling for an “end to genocide”, an “arms embargo on Israel” and an “end to new oil and gas drilling”.
Lord Walney, the Government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, said: “It is important for the police and security agencies to understand the unholy alliance developing between militant Gaza protestors and disruptive environmental activists, with far-left ideology a common thread binding the causes together.
“Both Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil choose criminal action to coerce and bully the public and decision-makers. There is a strong case for placing stronger restrictions on the actions of both groups.”
Charlie Peters speaks to Chiara Sarti, an organiser at Youth Demand
GB News
Palestine Action was referred to the authorities last week by Philp, who issued concerns over a manual that directs members to smash windows, block water and sewage pipes, and advice on “breaking into your target and damaging the contents inside”.
Philp told the Telegraph newspaper that the manual was “clearly an incitement to commit criminal offences.”
Jonathan Turner, director of UK Lawyers for Israel, said: “This unholy alliance between environmentalists and antisemites is not just damaging for Israel and Jews; it is dangerous for the whole world.
“As well as discrediting legitimate concerns regarding very real threats to the whole earth’s ecosystem, it jeopardises efforts to solve the serious problems we face. If we are to save the planet, we will need Israeli ingenuity and technology.”
The Youth Demand group is expected to start gathering in London on Sunday evening ahead of its first “march and action” on Monday.
Its collaboration with Palestine Action is billed for Wednesday.
Palestine Action throws paint on BNY Mellon offices in Manchester
GB News
On its site inviting people to join Youth Demand, the sign-up form asks if would-be members are interested in “taking action” this month and if they are “willing to risk arrest”.
A recent Zoom event organised by Youth Demand featured Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is an alarming alliance. We have been willing to tolerate extremism from groups such as these far too much.
“Palestine Action is an extreme group, and it is also essentially an organised crime group.”
They added: “The very fact that this new alliance is being branded as a ‘resistance campaign’ is extremely concerning, given that ‘resistance’ has been used as a term to justify the attacks carried out by Hamas.”
Chiara Sarti, a spokesperson for Youth Demand, told GB News: “The Tories and Labour are driving these policies that are going to kill millions of people.
“They basically give no value whatsoever on human life. And we can clearly see this in Gaza. I think this clearly goes to show just how little value they place on human life, how cheap Palestinian blood is to those people.”
Warning issued as Palestine Action joins Just Stop Oil youth movement for ‘resistance campaign’
GB News/Youth Demand
Sarti praised the activities of Palestine Action, which included vandalism of cars and factories and blocking sewers.
She did add: “We absolutely need to do everything we non-violently can to sever the links between the UK and the Israeli war machine.”
She added: “I think we need to emotionally connect with what is happening here. 12,000 kids have been brutally murdered. I think if that’s not going to get you on the streets, you basically have no values whatsoever.
“The next 1,000 generations are going to spit on your grave.”
Palestine Action and Energy Embargo for Palestine did not respond to requests for comment.
The Labour Party and the Conservative Party were contacted for comment.
