‘War Criminal’: Keir Starmer Targeted By Pro-Ceasefire Protest In Glasgow

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer faced a hostile reception from pro-ceasefire activists during his visit to Glasgow Thursday night, resulting in the arrest of two individuals.

Starmer, who arrived at Glasgow Central Station on Thursday evening, was confronted on the train, with a passenger questioning him about the Palestinian casualties and the lack of a ceasefire.

“Where is your humanity?” the passenger asked as the Labour leader’s bodyguards pushed him back.

Starmer was then greeted in the terminal by hundreds of demonstrators brandishing Palestinian flags and protesting his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, particularly his vote against a ceasefire in Gaza and his controversial statement that “Israel has the right” to restrict power and water to Palestinian civilians.

As the Labour leader made his way through the crowd, protesters could be heard accusing Starmer of “facilitating Israel’s genocide in Gaza,” saying he is responsible for the “massacre of over 7,000 babies.” Others chanted that he was a “war criminal” and said he deserved imprisonment.

These protest followed him and continued outside the Crowne Plaza hotel, where Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was also accused of “supporting genocide.”

Starmer was in Glasgow to address a Scottish Labour winter gala fundraising event.

Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed the arrest of two individuals for assaulting police officers during the protests, noting that inquiries are ongoing.

This backlash against Starmer’s stance isn’t isolated within the pro-ceasefire community, however. A number of Labour frontbenchers, including the prominent MP Jess Phillips, resigned last month in solidarity with an Scottish National Party motion advocating for a Gaza ceasefire. Several Labour councillors have left the party, citing disagreement with Starmer’s position on the conflict.