Labour Party Conference: Donations, Genocide, Arms, and Paint

Youth Demand Action at Labour Conference Amid Middle East Escalation

At 10:50 am, as the party faithful shuffled into their echo chamber of mediocrity, these brave souls marched up to the security check-in and brandished their spray cans like weapons of mass disruption. “GENOCIDE” they wrote, bold as brass, before the long arm of the law – conveniently dressed in civvies – tackled them mid-“CONFERENCE”.

A Youth Demand spokesperson, clearly not schooled in the Starmerite art of mealy-mouthed equivocation, laid bare the hypocrisy at the heart of Labour’s newfound love affair with the arms industry. “Labour is still arming Israel despite a majority of the public backing a complete arms embargo,” they declared, pointing out that Labour’s idea of decisive action is to suspend a paltry 10% of arms licenses.

This is the Party that claims its conference is “democracy in action”. What rot. It’s more like “plutocracy in inaction”, with Labour having sold our democracy to the highest bidder faster than you can say “£4 million hedge fund donation” and a new dress for the wife…

One of the paint-wielding protesters, Danny Lusardi, a 23-year-old graduate from Lancaster, cut through the political waffle with refreshing clarity. “The Labour government has admitted the arms it’s selling to Israel are being used for war crimes. But still they’re happy to keep licensing 90% of those sales,” he said, before adding with a touch of civil disobedience that would make Emmeline Pankhurst nod in approval, “It’s our duty as citizens to hold our government to account. When they won’t listen to the democratic will of the people, that means breaking windows and spraying paint.” Protest and spray paint a time-honoured British tradition.

Danny Lusardi, 23, a graduate from Lancaster stated:

“The Labour government has admitted the arms it’s selling to Israel are being used for war crimes. But still they’re happy to keeping licensing 90% of those sales. We’re here to show them the British public can’t accept that.”

“It’s our duty as citizens to hold our government to account. When they won’t listen to the democratic will of the people, that means breaking windows and spraying paint.”

“As we approach a year of watching Israel’s genocide on the news and social media, it’s time to ask ourselves: are we serious about ending it now?”

Meanwhile, as Labour dithers and prevaricates, the Middle East burns. Israel’s “proactive offensive operation” – a euphemism so grotesque it would make George Orwell spin in his grave – has left 558 people, including 50 children, have been killed and 1,835 wounded dead in Lebanon. But fear not, for the IDF assures us they’re merely targeting “combat infrastructure”. Since when did schools and hospitals become part of this infrastructure?

As tens of thousands flee their homes in Lebanon, and sirens wail in Haifa, the hypocrisy of it all is enough to make one choke. We’ve moved seamlessly from the so-called Israeli “self-defence” (genocide) actions in Gaza to the “proactive offensive” in Lebanon, with nary a peep from our brave Labour leaders other than Starmer’s dreary monotone calls for the return of ‘sausages’ showing a lack of care as if he missed breakfast rather than the return of the Israeli hostages.

The juxtaposition of Labour’s domestic policies and the unfolding tragedy in the Middle East raises uncomfortable questions about the party’s commitment to its stated values. As the conflict escalates and the death toll rises, the pressure on Labour to reassess its position on arms sales and its broader Middle East policy is likely to intensify.

The youth of Britain, it seems, see through this charade with crystal clarity. They recognise that this Labour government, with its support for a “rules-based system” where the rules apply only when convenient, is nothing more than a sham.

A Youth Demand spokesperson said:

“Labour is still arming Israel despite a majority of the public backing a complete arms embargo. Despite admitting there is a ‘clear risk’ of ‘serious violation of international humanitarian law’, they have spinelessly suspended less than 10% of arms licenses.

“They claim their national conference is ‘democracy in action’. This is a joke when in reality Labour sold our democracy to arms and fossil fuel companies. Just last week it was revealed Starmer accepted a £4,000,000 donation from a hedge fund with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of shares in fossil fuels and weapons.“

“History shows us that it will take ordinary people stepping into disruptive action to get us the real arms embargo we need. From October, we’re taking to the streets all across the country – sign up to join us youthdemand.org/take-action.”

This incident at the Labour conference serves as a stark reminder of the disconnect between the party’s rhetoric and its actions, particularly in the eyes of young voters. As the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, it remains to be seen how Labour will navigate these turbulent waters and respond to the growing calls for a more principled stance on international affairs.

In the grand theatre of British politics, Labour has traded its red flag for a white one of surrender to corporate interests and a blind eye to Israel’s war crimes. As the curtain falls on this sorry spectacle, one can’t help but wonder: when did the Party of Nye Bevan become the party of “Nay, we can’t”?

Paul Knaggs