Activists protest Warwick and Leamington MP's abstention in Gaza ceasefire vote

Activists have peacefully protested outside the office of Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western in response to his abstention in the recent parliamentary vote on the SNP amendment to the King’s Speech calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Protesters of all ages and backgrounds led calls for an immediate ceasefire and held signs which stated ‘ceasefire now’, ‘stand with Palestine’ and ‘Jews for justice for Palestinians’.

There were also chants of ‘Matt Western - shame on you’ and ‘free Palestine’.

Kelly Box, former Chair of the Warwick and Leamington Labour, group said: “We utterly condemn Matt Western and the Labour leadership who abstained on a ceasefire.

"Abstention is indefensible and history will judge them for it.

"We are here to peacefully protest for an immediate end to the violence and justice for the Palestinians.”

Protestor Megan Clarke added: “Five thousand children have now been killed in Gaza - the children killed today could have been saved by a ceasefire agreed yesterday.

"Our MP is complicit.”

MP’s rejected the SNP’s amendment but 56 Labour MPs voted in its favour, defying their leader Sir Keir Starmer’s instructions to abstain.

Having spoken at The House of Commons yesterday to reiterate his support of a ceasefire, Mr Western later took to his Facebook page where he explained his reasons for the abstention.

He said he has instead voted in in favour of a Labour amendment, which is likely to be put forward in the coming days.

He said: “The Labour amendment is so important because it is realistic, it is honest, and it is possible.

"It may even materialise next week.

“I reiterate the important need for the UK to work with [US] President Biden and [US] Secretary of State Blinken.

“They are the only ones capable of bringing this about.

"And we need them to succeed.

"If they fail, the likelihood of a Trump presidency becomes real.

“Then there will be no hope of a genuine two state solution, a secure Israel and a sovereign Palestine.

"What we would see is more terrorism and regional fracturing.

“I didn’t vote for the SNP amendment because it was a simple political ploy designed to divide us.

"I voted for a realistic amendment in the strong belief that it will bring about a ceasefire.”

This protest follows similar protests against MPs such as Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester.

The Leamington protestors have said they will continue to call on Mr Western, all MPs and all Governments to call for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and “back their words with action as the catastrophic death toll mounts”.

An estimated 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the last month in what many, including the UN, are calling a humanitarian disaster and possible Genocide.