Youth Demand disrupt Lloyd's of London

Yesterday, on Tuesday 16 September, youth-led campaign group Youth Demand staged an action against Lloyd’s of London. They were protesting the insurance firm’s ties with Israel and complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

The protest was timed to coincide with Lloyd’s ‘Dive In’ festival. The company’s website stated that:

The Dive In Festival 2025 will focus on the theme of prioritising belonging in inclusive workplaces to attract, retain and maximise individual talent, driving innovation and growth in the insurance industry.

Youth Demand posted footage of their demonstration on social media:

🚨 BREAKING: LLOYD'S 'DIVE IN' FESTIVAL DISRUPTED

Supporters of Youth Demand and @BoycottBloody have disrupted the opening session of the insurance firm's event.

Lloyd's of London are complicit in genocide, underwriting fossil fuel expansion and weapons used in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/0tU4kXtuum

— Youth Demand (@youth_demand) September 16, 2025

The protesters stood on a stage, holding a banner between them that read “Complicit in genocide”. They then began to chant:

Lloyd’s Lloyd’s you can’t hide, you are insuring genocide. Lloyd’s Lloyd’s shame shame, genocide in your name.

The reason we are interrupting you today is because Lloyd’s insures genocide. It’s complicit not only in the genocide in Gaza, but also in the continuing climate crisis.

The group later posted on social media:

@LloydsofLondon‘s festival claims to be about inclusivity, wanting to recruit young people. Well young people refuse to be complicit in an industry facilitating the deaths of millions and profiting off human lives.

‘Welcome to Lloyd’s in Israel’

LLoyd’s is somewhat unique among insurers. It isn’t a corporation per se, but instead acts a type of market in its own right under UK law – the 1871 Lloyd’s Act. Within this market, individual ‘Names’ (both internal and external to Lloyd’s) underwrite policies, and can also come together to form syndicates and offer policies to clients. Lloyd’s, for its part, acts as an overseer of this market.

This loose structure has given Lloyd’s a reputation for insuring pretty much anything. A few examples range from taste buds to legs to a moustache. It has also meant that Lloyd’s has been involved in numerous high-profile scandals. These include the Sasse scandal, asbestosis claim losses, and weaknesses revealed by the Piper Alpha disaster.

Continuing this legacy of Lloyd’s of London’s enjoys a special relationship with Israel – which was confirmed to be committing genocide by the United Nations on the same day as Youth Demand’s protest. Lloyd’s website boasts proudly of its special status in Israel:

Lloyd’s has a special legal status in Israel according to which it is permitted to write insurance and reinsurance business in Israel…

In direct insurance, Lloyd’s is perceived in Israel as a leader in sophisticated products and niche lines and these are the classes where Lloyd’s has an added value for the local market.

Lloyd’s and Israel have a long and distinguished history of cooperation.

And again, on another page:

Our customers are the businesses and entrepreneurs who drive and serve the Israeli economy and they come to Lloyd’s to access the scale, diversity and financial strength of our specialist insurance and reinsurance market.

Lloyd’s provides tailored insurance and reinsurance solutions for a variety of Israeli risks including Liability, Property, Environmental, Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Financial Lines, Commercial lines and many other special niche products dedicated for the innovative market in Israel which include wide variety of global corporations….

As our world is reshaped by economic, environmental, geopolitical and technological shifts, the breadth, depth and responsiveness of the Lloyd’s market gives Israeli businesses the confidence to move forward in the face of uncertainty.

Youth Demand’s protest shone a spotlight on Lloyd’s complicity with Israel at a moment when the insurer was trying to highlight its inclusivity and innovation. As the protestors succinctly demonstrated, Lloyd’s growth comes at a direct cost in Palestinian lives, which nobody should be given the luxury of forgetting.

Featured image via Youth Demand