Protestor Who Showered Keir Starmer in Glitter During Speech Identified
People Demand Democracy activist Yaz Ashmawi disrupted Keir Starmer’s Labour Party Conference speech Tuesday afternoon, storming the stage and showering the Labour leader with green glitter, voicing demands for political reform.
Amid shouts of “politics needs an update” and “we demand a people’s House,” 28-year-old Ashmawi was briefly heard before security personnel removed him from the stage, while he shouted: “True democracy is citizen-led.”
The act was later attributed to the new activist group, People Demand Democracy, advocating for a change in the UK’s electoral system.
Ashmawi was detained and charged with assault, breach of peace, and public nuisance, highlighting the group’s call to replace the first-past-the-post system with proportional representation (PR). Advocates say this system would ensure fairer representation in parliament, aligning seat distribution with the votes each party receives.
After the interruption, Starmer resumed his speech: “If he believes that unsettles me, he’s mistaken. The choice between protest or power prompted our party’s transformation, conference.”
He added, in a lighter tone, that it was good he was the target, noting, “my wife’s dress is truly beautiful.”
People Demand Democracy had previously contacted both Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, supporting the alternative voting system and the formation of a Citizens’ Assembly to discuss major long-term issues without party political influence.
While Ashmawi is known to be affiliated with Extinction Rebellion, Tuesday’s glitter protest was solely carried out under People Demand Democracy’s banner.
