London Marathon disrupted as UK Youth Demand protestors storm Tower Bridge

On Apr 27, 2025

This is a breaking news story and is constantly being updated as the story develops

11:10, 27 Apr 2025Updated 11:27, 27 Apr 2025

London, UK. Youth Demand protestors interrupt marathon

Activists stormed the London landmark (Image: Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)

Protestors from UK Youth Demand have disrupted the London Marathon’s elite men’s race with a protest on the city’s iconic Tower Bridge.

Activists stormed the London landmark at 10:30am and threw bright pink powder across the road as the elite runners crossed the River Thames. Pictures taken at the scene show protestors being tackled by stewards, and led away from the course.

The two supporters were seen wearing t-shirts that read ‘Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel.’ City of London police quickly moved to arrest the two of them. Before taking action, Willow Holland, 18, from Bristol, said: “I am taking action with Youth Demand because I have run out of other options: thousands are being killed in Gaza, our government is making no effort to stop it and no other course of action, marches or rallies, has worked.

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Protesters are removed from the bridge. Activists from Youth try to block elite runners as they jump into the middle of the road during the London marathon

They threw pink powder(Image: Marcin Nowak/LNP)

“I refuse to be complicit in a genocide funded by our politicians.

Profit should never be prioritised over basic decency, we’re taking action for human lives and human rights. We don’t want blood on our hands, we don’t want to be forced into complicity with a genocide. We need more people in resistance, refusing to be complicit whilst upholding international law, now more than ever.”

The vast numbers are expected to surpass the roughly 55,646 finishers of the New York Marathon in November, and will be accompanied by thousands more people cheering them on, with massive television coverage following the throngs through the city.

London, UK. A race official tries to remove Youth Demand activists as they throw red powder as the men's Elite runners cross Tower Bridge during the London Marathon.

UK Youth Demand disrupted the protest(Image: Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)

Live coverage of the race started at 8.30 this morning, and BBC One will carry the main race until around 2pm, when it will switch to BBC Two.

London, UK. Youth Demand protestors interrupt runners on Tower Bridge during the London Marathon

Protestors were tackled by stewards(Image: Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)

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London Marathon