Gaza agitators vandalize iconic London Cenotaph, drape Palestinian flag on memorial

Anti-Israel agitators desecrated the Cenotaph in London by placing a Palestinian flag atop its steps and spray painting "180,000 killed" in front of it on Monday. The two protesters wore shirts that read "Youth Demand," which is an off-shoot of Just Stop Oil, per the Daily Mail. Metropolitan Police confirmed that both were "quickly" arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. The incident was filmed and uploaded to social media.

The "180,000 killed" figure, written in red chalk, "references a recent report in the Lancet which speculated that the number of people who have died in Gaza may be significantly higher than what has been circulated," the outlet stated. During the demonstration, the two women additionally displayed signs that read "STOP ARMING ISRAEL" and "NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE" as they showed their hands painted red.

Soon after, Metropolitan Police posted to X: "These two women were quickly arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and are in custody. The damage was caused to the road and not the Cenotaph. Everyone has the right to peaceful protest but where that crosses the line into criminality we will take action."

The perpetrators were identified as Olivia Burnett, 22, from Leeds, and Esther Akatwijuka, 20, from Bristol. Other footage posted to the Youth Demand X account showed Burnett shouting that Gaza "has been so destroyed it is literally a different color from space" and that the group "demands a two-way arms embargo on Israel now."

All the posts from the group's X account surrounding this particular incident include a link to a fundraising page entitled "Youth Demand: Escalate for Rafah" where they have raised £20,000 out of the £40,000 they are asking for. The page states that the group "needs funds now to: hire halls for trainings for those taking action, pay living/working expenses for our small core team, buy kit for actions including banners, flags and flares" and " contribute to legal and police station support for those facing arrest." Akatwijuka is also reportedly part of the Our Air Our City climate agitator group.

Of the incident, veterans minister Al Carns stated: "The act of vandalism is abhorrent. No matter what is happening in the world, the Cenotaph must be respected. It stands in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we enjoy today."