Protesters mob Sir Keir Starmer’s car in anger at his stance on Israel-Hamas war

Police had to intervene to allow the Labour leader to leave after he delivered a speech at Chatham House on the crisis in the Middle East.
Police officers move a man trying to block Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s car as he leaves, following his speech on the situation in the Middle East at Chatham House in central London (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
PA Wire
David Hughes31 October 2023
WEST END FINAL

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Police were forced to intervene after pro-Palestinian protesters mobbed Sir Keir Starmer’s car.

The Labour leader, who had just delivered a speech defending his approach to the crisis, was ushered into the back of a waiting Land Rover Discovery as protesters shouted at him and demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Police officers pushed them aside, but the protesters ran at the car carrying the Labour leader and drummed on the window.

After the police cleared a path for the vehicle, protesters ran after it up the road.

The incident happened outside the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank in central London, where Sir Keir has been setting out why he was not demanding an immediate ceasefire.

The Labour leader believes that freezing the situation in its current state would do nothing to free the hostages taken by Hamas and would leave the group able to repeat its October 7 atrocities in future.

Instead, he has suggested that a humanitarian pause to let aid in and hostages out of Gaza is the only credible approach to the crisis.

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