Youth Demand shut down roads in FIVE cities as its swarm enters a sixth day

Youth Demand supporters shut down London, Leeds, Manchester, Cambridge, and Exeter in a co-ordinated mass action on Saturday 16 November – closing 13 roads. It was the sixth day of the group’s ‘swarm’ action – that’s seen disruption across England over the climate crisis and the UK government’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Youth Demand: day six of the swarm

At 11:00 am Saturday, in a coordinated set of actions spanning London, Manchester, Exeter, Leeds and Cambridge, groups of supporters stepped into city roads holding banners reading ‘YOUTH DEMAND’, ‘YOUTH DEMAND AN END TO GENOCIDE’, ‘STOP ARMING ISRAEL’, ‘YOUTH DEMAND LIBERATION NOW!’, along with Palestinian flags:

Action taker Bailey, a disabled supporter from Cambridge said:

We look back in history at atrocities committed by governments and countries and we say “never again”. We praise those who took action for change and liberation. Currently we are living through a historic moment where there are genocides happening and it is up to us to fight back so if it never happens again. I want to be on the right side of history.

In London, roadblocks lasted for several hours across the West End, starting at Queen Victoria Street.

Norfolk Road was the first to be blocked in Cambridge, causing traffic tailbacks:

Manchester saw Deangate disrupted, while in Leeds Woodhouse Lane was the first to be affected by the action. In Exeter, action takers first blocked Iron Bridge and continued to block roads in the city:

Direct action works

Jazz Dean, 23, a care worker from Manchester is another who took action. They said:

Direct action works, this is why we’re doing it. We don’t want to be disrupting people’s day but when there is a genocide happening and innocent civilians in Palestine and Lebanon are losing their lives day after day we cannot stand by. Our government is complicit in this genocide. They continue to buy and sell weapons with Israel. We know what those weapons are used for and that is why we need to resist.

Henri, 20, an architecture student from Falmouth taking action in Exeter said:

We must act, not only for our own future but for that of future generations, our children, our friends and ultimately our world as we know it. Why shouldn’t we stand up for what is morally right regardless of consequences and opinions? We know our actions are ridiculed through the media, but we are left with no choice; the system doesn’t represent us. We must resist.

Saturday’s action came after a full week of resistance from Youth Demand.

A week of resistance

As the Canary has been documenting, the group first took action on Remembrance Day, Monday 11 November. Members laid a Palestinian flag-coloured wreath at the Cenotaph, while also blocking roads and disrupting traffic elsewhere in London and in Manchester.

At 11am, a group of Youth Demand supporters silently blocked the road outside of the Houses of Parliament during the Armistice Day remembrance service. The group could be seen holding signs which read ‘Never Again for Anyone’ and ‘Over 186,000 Dead’.

At around 12:10pm the group also occupied the road on Cannon Street until around 12:25pm. The group then moved on and at around 1:10pm they disrupted the road at Moorgate, on the London Wall Road until around 1:30pm.

Also at around 9am, supporters swarmed the streets at two locations in Manchester. Then, on Tuesday 12 November the group did similar in Leeds – blocking multiple roads and being threatened with arrest. The group then returned to Manchester on Wednesday 13 November, blocking multiple locations.

On Thursday 14 November, the group targeted roads in both Leeds and Cambridge – returning to the former for the second time this week. Then on Friday 15 November, London was blocked in multiple locations again – with the group also targeting Exeter.

Youth Demand said that “Young people will not accept our politicians supporting the murder of innocent people. This week, young people are taking action in cities all around the country”

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Featured image and additional images via Youth Demand