Two charged after Keir Starmer heckled by Gaza protesters who claim Labour leader backs 'genocide'

8 December 2023, 18:49

Two people have been charged after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was heckled by Gaza protesters on Thursday night.

Police Scotland said that a man and a woman had been arrested and charged with disorder offences after Sir Keir was surrounded and heckled.

The crowd in Glasgow claimed the Labour leader was "facilitating Israel’s genocide in Gaza" and that he was "responsible for killing babies".

Labour has called for 'humanitarian pauses' in the fighting to get Hamas' hostages out and ship aid into the people living in Gaza.

But it has not backed calls for a full ceasefire - a stance that has alienated some within the party, including many of its Muslim members.

Sir Keir was met with shouts of "war criminal" and "baby murderer" as he got off the train in the Scottish city on Thursday night. Some in the crowd were waving Palestine flags.

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One protester was heard to shout: "Keir Starmer, you are facilitating Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Stop the massacre of over 7,000 babies. Freedom for Palestine, stop the genocide. You’re responsible for killing babies in Gaza".

Another activist shouted: "Starmer, why did you vote for continued genocide?"

The Labour leader then got into a car as the shouting continued.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was also targeted by people who claimed he was "supporting genocide".

It came after a passenger on the train to Glasgow confronted Sir Keir and asked him: "Where is your humanity?"

The man said: "Over 7,000 children have died. Over 7,000 children have been slaughtered by Israel. This is unacceptable.

"What happened to human rights? What happened to democracy?"

Some 16,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its bombardment campaign and invasion, according to figures supplied by Hamas-controlled health authorities.

The Israel response came after Hamas launched an attack on the south of the country, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostage.

A seven-day truce saw over 100 hostages released, but this came to an end on December 2, with hundreds more people killed in Gaza since then.

Police Scotland said: "A 33-year-old man and 26-year-old woman have been arrested and charged in connection with disorder offences following a protest in Congress Road, Glasgow, on Thursday December 7, 2023. A report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal."