LONDON (Reuters) -British business and trade minister Jonathan Reynolds was interrupted by two pro-Palestinian protesters opposing arms sales to Israel who stormed the stage as he was about to speak at a think-tank event on trade on Thursday.
London for a Free Palestine, one of three campaign groups which organised a rally outside Chatham House where Reynolds was speaking, said the on-stage protest was intended to keep pressure on the government to halt all arms exports to Israel – especially of parts for F-35 fighter jets.
“They have not stopped the trade in F-35s,” one individual shouted. One protester accused the government of being complicit in genocide.
Reynolds remained in his seat and said Britain had suspended arms exports to Israel.
In September the government suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licences to Israel. At that time it said parts for F-35 fighters would be largely exempted because it was not possible to suspend these exports without prejudicing the jets’ entire global programme.
Reynolds told the protesters: “We haven’t suspended F-35s because they’re integral to our national security and particularly the defense of Ukraine.”
Later, he told the audience the exemption for F-35s had been announced in parliament.
“Specifically on arms exports, we have a very stringent regime which we have applied as a government, and that has led to restrictions, particularly in relation to arms exports to Israel,” Reynolds said.
(Reporting by Marc Jones and Catarina Demony, writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by William James and Andrew Heavens)
