Lib Dem leader boycotts Trump banquet to stand up for Gaza
As reported on Sky News - Sir Ed Davey to boycott Donald Trump state dinner with King Charles in Gaza protest | Politics News | Sky News - Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has refused an invite from the King to a banquet that would host US President Donald Trump, in order to send a strong message to Trump over the humanitarian crisis that still rages on in Gaza.
The Liberal Democrats were the first major Party to call for an immediate bilateral ceasefire when it became clear that the Netanyahu-led government in Israel had begun a campaign to occupy and clear Gaza. Recently, Sir Ed challenged the Prime Minister to do more to stop the occupation of Gaza, which was, he said, tantamount to “ethnic cleansing”.
Watch the full Sky News interview with Ed Davey on YouTube.
Lib Dem Birmingham Council Group Leader, Cllr Roger Harmer, supported this action, and said:
"I applaud Ed Davey for making this protest. While the people of Gaza are literally starving to death, attending a banquet in honour of Donald Trump, who has the power to stop this appalling disaster, but has failed to do so, would be wrong. As Ed says, “we have to speak up, they have to act, Donald Trump has to end this humanitarian crisis”.
"The world cannot turn a blind eye while children are going hungry, families are displaced, and basic human dignity is stripped away. Choosing to walk away from empty ceremony and instead standing up for those with no voice is the right and moral course of action.
"The UK and the international community must redouble their efforts to demand an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid, and a lasting political solution that guarantees peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis.
“Ed Davey’s decision sends a clear message: silence in the face of such suffering is complicity. We must keep speaking out until action is taken, and lives are saved.”
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