‘Never again!’ Pro-Palestine protesters block Parliament Square as UK falls silent on Armistice Day

Pro-Palestine protesters blocked Parliament Square during the two-minute Armistice Day silence.

Activsits from Youth Demand blocked roads in Westminster at 11am as the nation paused to remember Britain’s fallen war heroes.

Footage released by the group showed demonstrators sitting in the road while holding banners with messages including “Stop arming Israel” and “Never again for anyone”.

Youth Demand also claimed that its supporters had “silently shut the road” at 11am.

The protest took place in the heart of Westminster, with participants positioning themselves on Bridge Street.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed protesters dispersed after approximately two minutes, with no impact on the official Armistice Day commemorations taking place in Whitehall.

Taking to X, the group wrote: “Suporters of Youth Demand silently shut the road into Parliament Square at exactly 11am this morning, during the Armistice service at the Cenotaph.

“Never Again for Anyone. The UK gov must stop arming Israel.”

They also released footage showing protesters blocking other roads in Central London, with one captioned: “On this day we remember those who gave their lives to fight a genocide. Yet Labour disgraces their memory by sending UK weapons to Israel.”

A third said: “As long as we have war criminals in government allowing the population of Gaza to be murdered, young people will continue to shut it down and resist.”

The 11am silence marks the historic moment when the World War One came to an end in 1918.

The demonstration came after reports that activists in solidarity with Palestine had planned to disrupt events on November 11 with “highly co-ordinated” protests.

In July, Youth Demand activists laid flowers and a Palestinian flag at the Cenotaph, Britain’s chief national war memorial dedicated to the dead who fought in the war.

They also painted “180,000 killed” in a reference to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

At last year’s annual event, pro-Palestine and hard-right protesters were condemned by the then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for their disrespect towards veterans and the Armed Forces.

He said that it “is not just disrespectful but offends our heartfelt gratitude” to the nation’s war dead, we will remain “true to our principles”, including the right to peacefully demonstrate.