The Palestinian embassy in London has requested police protection and assistance from the UK government after its premises were vandalised by pro-Israel demonstrators.
The activists were carrying Israeli and British flags. Some concealed their faces with black scarves and took photographs of themselves outside embassy. They defaced the entrance using stickers with the slogans “I love IDF”, referring to the Israeli military, and “We are not Jews with trembling knees.”
The Metropolitan Police said that "no offences have been identified, and no arrests have been made" in a statement to The National.
Yet staff at the mission told The National they had contacted the Metropolitan Police to seek a full investigation into the “assault”, which happened on Saturday, and to the Foreign Office to seek “comprehensive protection for the embassy and personnel”.
“To those responsible, we say clearly your actions will not deter us. We will continue to advance Palestine-UK relations and defend the rights and lives of the Palestinian people,” a representative said.
This is not the first attack on the Palestinian Embassy's premises. In the past two years during Israel's military campaign in Gaza, its windows have been broken and the building has been sprayed with paint while staff were inside.
The representative said police protection at the embassy had been asked for "multiple times". They added: "We kindly request the UK government fulfil its obligations under the Vienna Convention. The only protection we’ve been offered is occasional police patrols, not a full security detail. Ultimately, we are calling on the UK government to conduct a full investigation and take proper protective measures."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Palestine called on the UK to “take the necessary measures to hold those responsible for these assaults to account and ensure they are not repeated”. It said the government had “legal and moral duties to protect diplomatic missions”.
Embassy staff said they did not know whether the perpetrators were affiliated with a specific cause or movement. But a growing number of people have been carrying Israeli and British flags at marches in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson in the past two years.
The UK recognised Palestine in September, automatically upgrading the mission in West London to an embassy, though the official exchange has yet to take place.
Ambassador Husam Zomlot is one of Europe's most high-profile advocates for Palestine and embassy staff believe the attacks are intended to intimidate him and his team from their advocacy work.
The representative said: “We know what the endgame is here: they are trying to deter us from continuing to fulfil our duties in representing our people and just cause in the UK."
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
