PROTESTERS from Youth Demand have blocked the London Pride parade in a protest over Gaza.
At around 12.30pm on Saturday, four activists blocked the float of US-based technology company Cisco over its alleged ties with Israel.
The campaigners sprayed red paint over the float before sitting down in front of it and gluing themselves to the road.
Youth Demand said five people were arrested.
The group called on the UK Government to impose a total trade embargo on Israel and prosecute corporations who have relations with Israel for violations of international law.
It said Cisco's technology "form the backbone of the Israeli military’s surveillance and communications infrastructure", and said as a result it was potentially implicated in Israel's assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians.
One of those taking part in the action was Reya Wood, 22, who said: “I am taking action against Cisco at London Pride to highlight the company’s complicity in genocide and how they are hiding their crimes behind a veil of pink washing.
"As a queer woman, this action is particularly meaningful to me. I refuse to stand aside and allow my queer identity to be exploited for commercial gain at the hands of war criminals.”
Another activist, Monday-Malachi Rosenfeld, 22, said: “I’m taking action because queer liberation and Palestinian liberation go hand in hand, and we cannot have one without the other. There can be no celebration or joy when companies like Cisco are supplying technology that is helping Israel to slaughter, displace and starve queer Palestinians, their families and tens of thousands of others in Gaza.
"London Pride has no business accepting sponsorship from companies profiting from genocide, who pretend to care about queer people. The UK Government needs to impose a total trade embargo on Israel and prosecute Cisco for enabling genocide.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: "Met officers have arrested five people after Youth Demand protesters disrupted the Pride event in central London.
"At around 12.30pm four members of the group threw red paint over a truck involved in the parade and glued themselves to the vehicle outside The Ritz.
"They were removed by specialist officers and arrested. A fifth member of the group was arrested in the crowd.
"The parade has resumed and a significant policing operation remains in place."
