Three Brits have been charged with public order offenses following a pro-Palestine protest outside the home of UK Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) in London.
The Metropolitan Police announced on Wednesday that three individuals, residents of Newcastle and Leeds in their 20s, were charged the section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 and for breaching court bail.
The arrests were made on Tuesday, under section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, which stops the harassment of a person at their home address if an officer suspects it is causing alarm or distress to the occupant.
The protesters, from a group called "Youth Demand," arrived at the Labour leader's house in north London on Tuesday to call on him to support an arms embargo on Israel and hung a banner that read: "Starmer stop the killing", surrounded by red hand prints.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the protest, stating: “I don’t care what your politics are, no MP should be harassed at their own home.
“We cannot and will not tolerate this,” he added.
The British government has come under mounting pressure to suspend weapons exports to Israel.
On Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron confirmed that the UK government will not suspend arms exports to Israel after the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike on Gaza last week.
Cameron said that he had reviewed the most recent legal advice about the situation on the ground but this left the UK’s position on export licenses “unchanged”.
At the same time, Cameron said ministers had “grave concerns” about humanitarian access in Gaza as he urged Israel to turn its commitments on aid “into reality” at a joint press conference with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken.