Six pro-Palestine activists arrested over plot to disrupt London Stock Exchange

Six pro-Palestine activists have been arrested in the British capital over a plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange, according to the city’s police.

The Metropolitan Police, the police force which serves the Greater London area and its 8.6 million residents, said it started investigating the alleged plot on 12 January after being tipped off by the Daily Express.

According to the information provided by the British newspaper, activists from the Palestine Action group were planning to target the London Stock Exchange on Monday morning. The goal was to “lock on” to prevent the building from opening for trading.

Palestine Action, according to its bio on X, formerly Twitter, is a pro-Palestinian network which takes direct action to dismantle “British complicity with Israeli apartheid.”

The Metropolitan Police arrested a 31-year-old man in Liverpool on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage in the early hours of Sunday, 14 January. Another five people who are believed to be part of the same plot were arrested later on Sunday for the same alleged crime.

Among these are a 29-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man who were arrested in London, two women aged 28 and 26 who were arrested in Liverpool and a 27-year-old man arrested in Brighton. All six remain in custody as detectives investigate the alleged conspiracy.

“These are significant arrests. We believe this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully,” Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas of the Metropolitan Police said.

The Metropolitan Police said that, having tipped off on the disruptive action on Friday afternoon they had “limited time to act” but managed to arrest the activists before Monday.

Thomas said that the plot to block the London Stock Exchange was “part of a planned week of action” and police forces across London and the UK are ready to tackle further disruptions in the coming days.

On Sunday, Palestine Action published a post on its social media profile bashing the London Stock Exchange and claiming responsibility for the plot.

“The London Stock Exchange raises billions of pounds for the apartheid state of Israel and actively boasts about their support for Israeli businesses,” the group wrote on X. “The exchange also trades shares in weapons manufacturers who arm Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.”

It added: “Whilst Palestinians are being massacred and remain brutally colonised by a regime which Britain backs, it is crucial that we disrupt every mechanism that enables their oppression.”

The network said they’re “unafraid” to put their liberty on the line “in order to bring down Israeli weapons manufacturers and those who facilitate them.”