 "A man runs next to the US Embassy pond filled with red dye by Greenpeace activists, in protest against arms sales to Israel, in London, Britain, on Thursday. Reuters")
British police on Thursday arrested Will McCallum, the UK head of Greenpeace, along with four other activists after they poured 300 liters of blood-red dye into a pond at the US embassy in protest against the US sale of arms to Israel.
According to The Guardian report, Greenpeace said McCallum had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Four other activists were also arrested near the embassy on suspicion of criminal damage and conspiracy to cause criminal damage.
Twelve activists from the campaign group poured non-toxic, biodegradable dye into a pond in Nine Elms, southwest London, using containers marked with “Stop Arming Israel.”
The containers were transported to the embassy on bicycles equipped with trailers disguised as delivery bikes, added the report.
According to Reuters, the Met Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“These arrests are further proof that the right to protest is under attack in the UK. This protest used biodegradable pond dye that is designed to disperse and wash away naturally,” The Guardian quoted Areeba Hamid, the co-executive director at Greenpeace UK, as saying.
“We took this action because US weapons continue to fuel an indiscriminate war that’s seen bombs dropped on schools and hospitals, entire neighbourhoods blasted to rubble, and tens of thousands of Palestinian lives obliterated. As the biggest supplier of weapons to the Israeli military, the US government bears a heavy responsibility for the horrors unfolding in Gaza,” she added.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in over 50,000 deaths, was launched in response to Hamas’s attack on October 7, during which more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 taken hostage.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsGreenpeace UK is urging the UK and US governments to implement a complete arms embargo on Israel.
With inputs from agencies