On Wednesday 13 November, supporters of Youth Demand disrupted traffic in Manchester, demanding a two-way arms embargo on Israel and for the UK government to halt all fossil fuel licences granted since 2021.
Youth Demand day three: Manchester
At 11am, a group of Youth Demand supporters blocked Fairfield Street in Manchester, preventing cars from passing while holding banners that read: ‘NEVER AGAIN IS NOW’ and ‘YOUTH DEMAND AN END TO GENOCIDE’, along with Palestine flags:
Shelby Murphy from Manchester took action. She said:
We are witnessing a Genocide in real time. There should be no business as usual. Disruptive action reminds people of that.
Then, at 12pm the group went on to block Sackville Street, lighting green and red coloured flares while traffic was at a standstill:
They then went ahead to block Oxford Road:
A Youth Demand spokesperson said:
Every day that Governments like ours fail to act, Israel escalates the genocide they’re committing . They are attempting to close down UNRWA aid operations, not just in Gaza but the West Bank too – top officials are warning this will be devastating. This is murder.
Day three of the group’s week of action came after several other ‘swarms’.
Swarming all over England
As the Canary has been documenting, the group first took action on Remembrance Day, Monday 11 November. Members laid a Palestinian flag-coloured wreath at the Cenotaph, while also blocking roads and disrupting traffic elsewhere in London and in Manchester.
At 11am, a group of Youth Demand supporters silently blocked the road outside of the Houses of Parliament during the Armistice Day remembrance service. The group could be seen holding signs which read ‘Never Again for Anyone’ and ‘Over 186,000 Dead’.
At around 12:10pm the group also occupied the road on Cannon Street until around 12:25pm. The group then moved on and at around 1:10pm they disrupted the road at Moorgate, on the London Wall Road until around 1:30pm.
Also at around 9am, supporters swarmed the streets at two locations in Manchester.
Then, on Tuesday 12 November the group did similar in Leeds – blocking multiple roads and being threatened with arrest.
Youth Demand said that “Young people will not accept our politicians supporting the murder of innocent people. This week, young people are taking action in cities all around the country”
You can support the group here.
Featured image and additional images via Youth Demand
