Greenpeace UK boss arrested over US embassy red dye protest

One of the heads of Greenpeace UK has been arrested after water was dyed red outside the US embassy in London by activists, the environmental group said.

Will McCallum, a co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, was among six arrested, Greenpeace said, after they protested against US sales of arms to Israel.

The Metropolitan Police said six people had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and conspiracy to cause criminal damage.

A spokesperson for the embassy said the stunt "damaged a 1.5 million gallon water supply on the property, wasting a local environmental resource".

A worker cleans away dye from outside the US embassy

"While the US Embassy supports the right to peaceful protest, we strongly condemn any acts of violence or property damage," they said.

Greenpeace UK said the dye used was non-toxic, biodegradable, food-grade pond dye that does not "pose any risk to people, wildlife or the environment".

The police said at around 07:30 BST on Thursday officers at the embassy "became aware of a group of protesters putting red dye into the pond at the side of the building".

The pond is accessible via a public footpath and there "was no breach or attempted breach of the secure perimeter of the site", a spokesperson said.

After a search of the area six people had been arrested, the force said.

Greenpeace UK said 12 activists tipped 300 litres of "blood-red" dye into the water, which partially surrounds the US embassy and features a pond and water feature, to highlight the "death and devastation caused in Gaza as a direct result" of US arms sales to Israel.

In a statement, it said Mr McCallum had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage, with five other activists also arrested.

The group condemned the arrests as "further proof that the right to protest is under attack in the UK".

The Israeli military has relied on imported aircraft and weapons since it launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

More than 50,840 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The US the largest supplier of arms to Israel, which has renewed its aerial bombardment of Gaza - where Hamas continues to hold hostages - since a temporary ceasefire collapsed in March.

Both Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the breakdown in the fragile truce that had been in place since January.