Pro-Palestinian protesters force Czech Foreign Minister to halt London talk

A lecture by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský at University College London (UCL) was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters on Friday afternoon. The protesters, identified as students, disrupted the event after approximately 20 minutes, forcing the minister to leave the lecture hall.

Lipavský had been scheduled to deliver a talk on Czech foreign policy and the role of collective memory. As he began discussing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a group of students stood up, shouting accusations of war crimes and chanting slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and labeling Israel a “terrorist state.” They also accused the Czech Republic of complicity in genocide.

After waiting for around 20 minutes in the hope that the situation would calm, Lipavský left the lecture hall at the recommendation of security services. Protesters had blocked the hallways, preventing him from entering another lecture room or continuing his speech.

"On the recommendation of British security services, I unfortunately had to prematurely end my lecture at University College London today," Lipavský commented on social media following the event, emphasizing concerns for the safety of his delegation.

"It’s not just about me; in such a situation, it concerns the safety of the entire delegation that traveled with me. I had intended to finish my lecture on the topic of collective memory and its influence on foreign policy and to answer questions in the discussion. A few loud individuals decided to prevent the rest of the audience from engaging in the debate."

The planned event, part of UCL’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SEEES), was to include a 15-minute lecture from Lipavský followed by a discussion with political scientist Sean Hanley and a half-hour Q&A session with students. However, the disruption led to verbal exchanges between students, some of whom attempted to calm the protesters.

Attila Mesterházy, from the SEEES Society, issued an apology on behalf of the group, clarifying that the protesters were not members of the SEEES. He noted that the university would be addressing the matter, and expressed hope for a resolution.

"I hope the university can do something about it," Mesterházy said in a statement available to Czech News Agency.

The incident comes amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, sparked by last October's Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people. As of today, Israeli retaliatory actions have led to the deaths of over 43,000 Palestinians, with many more injured, though available figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.