Major artists call on Starmer to accept Israel is committing genocide

Artists including Steve Coogan, Paul Weller, Paloma Faith, and Khalid Abdullah have appeared in a video calling on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to acknowledge that Israel's war in Gaza is a genocide and end UK arms sales to Tel Aviv.

The video, released on Saturday by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), features major celebrities and also includes Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos.

It urges Starmer to publicly declare that a genocide is happening in Gaza, stop arming Israel and impose immediate sanctions.

The video features an image of the prime minister and Israeli president Isaac Herzog, who visited London on 10 September, with clips of the artists denouncing Starmer's refusal to recognise Israel's war for what it is, while listing the growing number of organisations that do, including Amnesty International, which concluded Israel was committing genocide in December.

"Keir Starmer says it's not a genocide. Who says it is a genocide?" the artists say. "Keir Starmer – it's a genocide. Stop arming Israel. Sanctions now."

"The Prime Minister must listen to this growing public outrage and acknowledge the genocide, sanction Israel, and end all arms sales," said PSC director Ben Jamal.

"Gaza is Keir Starmer's Iraq," said actor Khalid Abdulla, referring to Britain's participation in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"The refusal of his government to use the word genocide is a craven way of evading Britain's legal obligations under the Genocide Convention."

"We must do everything in our power to end British complicity in 'the crime of crimes', and stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine."

The video appeared as the Labour Party began to gather in Liverpool for its annual conference, beginning on Sunday, where trade unions and party members plan to force a vote on the Gaza war.

The PSC is set to lead a major national demonstration in Liverpool the day before. Labour MPs John McDonnell and Ian Byrne will be addressing the crowd.

Multiple trade unions and constituency Labour parties have submitted emergency motions in a bid to force a vote at the conference after over 30 resolutions on Palestine were blocked by Labour officials on the Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC).

The CAC will meet at 4pm on Saturday to decide whether the motions will be debated and voted on, following the submission of a wave of emergency motions by Labour members and trade unions.

The current motions came after a UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza on 16 September.