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Youth Demand

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Belbury (talk | contribs) at 10:44, 17 July 2024 (Adding short description: "British environmental activism group"). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Youth Demand are a British environmental activist and political activist group who oppose the licencing of new fossil fuel licensing and production agreements by the British government for drilling in the North Sea and British arms exports to Israel.

Background and aims

The group was established in January 2024 after a meeting at the Old Print Works in Birmingham as one of four groups under a central coordinating group called Umbrella. The four groups under 'Umbrella' are the direct action group Just Stop Oil, Assemble, Robin Hood, and Youth Demand.[1]

A spokesperson for youth demand said that their aims were "an end to all new licences and consents for exploration of fossil fuels in the North Sea" and the imposition of "a two-way arms embargo on the state of Israel ... [to] stop selling them weapons and we stop buying their weapons. We sever all the links between the UK and the Israeli war machine".[1]

Youth Demand claim to be represented at 17 British universities and have 5,000-10,000 people on a mailing list.[1]

Protest actions

In 2024 members of the group spray-painted the headquarters of the Labour Party and the Ministry of Defence.[1] The group also laid children's shoes and hung a banner that said 'Starmer stop the killing' outside the Kentish Town home of Keir Starmer, then Leader of the Labour Party.[1]

On 15 July 2024 two members of the group were arrested after spray-painting '180,000 killed' on the pavement in front of the Cenotaph on Whitehall.[2]

10 members of the group were arrested in Victoria Embankment Gardens on the day of the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July 2024.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Boffey, Daniel (17 July 2024). "'Revolutions are coming': who are Youth Demand and what do they want?". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Two women arrested over Gaza protest at Cenotaph". BBC News. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  3. ^ Davidson, Tom (17 July 2024). "Met Police arrest ten Youth Demand protesters ahead of King's Speech". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 July 2024.