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Police use force to break-up SOAS protest outside Barclays Bank in London

Police break up a pro-Palestine protest made up of SOAS students outside Barclays Bank, demonstrators want the financial institution to divest from Israel. Palestine Solidarity Campaign estimates Barclays has £2 billion in shares and provides £6.1 billion in loans to arms companies that send weapons Israel uses to attack Palestinians.

May 29, 2024 at 3:33 pm

Students and workers with the SOAS Liberated Zone for Gaza shut down a Barclays Bank branch on Tottenham Court Road calling on it to send its support for Israeli settler colonialism.

The peaceful protestors demanded Barclays stop bankrolling Israel’s war on Gaza, chanting: “Barclays is painted red” and “Your profits are covered in Palestinian blood.”

A large number of Metropolitan Police officers arrived on the scene shortly after the protesters blocked the bank’s doorway and used force to break the picket line. Many could be seen trying to push through the demonstrators in an attempt to separate them. The force used caused many to fall over.

The increased police presence eventually caused protestors to disperse. A number of students were injured as a result of the police tactics. No arrests were reported.

This follows yesterday’s emergency rally opposite Downing Street, which saw 40 arrests.

The demonstration was called for by Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK (PSC) after Israel’s attack on a refugee camp in Rafah on Sunday in which more than 45 Palestinians were killed while sleeping in their tents. The Israeli strike came just two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel must stop its offensive in Rafah.

WATCH: Civilians still trying to flee Rafah

Updated on 30 May 2024 at 12.45 GMT to include details of injuries.