Carole Vincent reports on Youth Demand’s fight back after police attacks on their right to protest

A week after thirty police officers raided a Youth Demand organising meeting at Westminster Quaker Meeting house, people from all faiths and none held a service and vigil outside New Scotland Yard.

At the time the police smashed their way into the Quaker meeting house armed with tasers, terrifying the young activists inside, they also had officers raiding activists’ homes, confiscating personal equipment and other items.

Six women were arrested and detained overnight, with one being charged with conspiracy to commit public disorder and others, whose homes were searched, also being detained and charged with the same alleged offence.

At the vigil on Thursday, campaigners tried to hand in letters at New Scotland Yard addressed to Sir Mark Rowley, calling on him to investigate the manner in which his officers caused unprecedented alarm to those attending the meeting. They were refused and told to send the letters by post!

However, not to be deterred, a meeting was held on Thursday at the same Quaker meeting house in Westminster, to a packed audience showing absolute solidarity against the scaremongering behaviour by the Metropolitan Police.

Youth Demand speakers spoke proudly about the reasons for their peaceful organising meeting last week.

The general message was that there is a climate crisis and genocidal War in Gaza, as well as welfare cuts that will affect the lives of many young people in Britain.

They have been able to fit the pieces of the jigsaw together; money being taken from welfare to pay for warfare is totally unacceptable. Why doesn’t the government get it?

These punitive measures by a Labour Government under Keir Starmer, who previously attacked the Tory Austerity measures, is an insult to the intelligence of young and old alike, able and disabled, as well as those disabled by health conditions or injuries sustained by poverty. Low wages and the rising cost of living is plunging many families into poverty, including many who work full time.

The point was made at the meeting that it is not a crime for young people to meet and discuss what they can do to draw attention to the catastrophe that lies before them, where the lives of disabled people or Palestinians are considered of less value and disabled people and young people are considered as second class citizens.

They are not, they are the future and they are fighting for a fair, peaceful future for all, where welfare – not warfare – is paramount.