Lincoln MP Hamish Falconer labelled ‘spineless’ and ordered to stand up or step down by Palestine protestors

Protesters have urged an MP to stand up for Palestine or step down from his role.

A rally organised by the Lincoln & District Palestine Solidarity Campaign was held at Speaker's Corner in the city centre on Saturday (March 22) in response to Israel breaking an agreed ceasefire.

In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recent airstrikes, which killed more than 400 Palestinians, were 'just the beginning', as reported by The Guardian.

Addressing a crowd of more than 40 people, speakers criticised Lincoln MP Hamish Falconer, who also serves as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, calling him 'spineless', 'trash', and 'one of the worst MPs I've ever had'.

Throughout the rally, the crowd chanted, 'free, free Palestine' and 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'.

Toward the end, chants of 'resign, Falconer' were heard.

Gavyn Graham said 20,000 children have died since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, and that Mr Falconer was in a 'privileged position' to push for halting arms sales to Israel.

"We felt it was important to show the people of Lincoln that we are here as a solidarity action group and that we don't stand with the Israeli terror state," he said.

He added: "Hamish Falconer has had an opportunity as the junior minister for the Middle East to really speak out against the genocide and the continued slaughter of the Palestinian people.

"He says he is against slaughter, that the bombing of Palestinians is abhorrent, but still refuses to speak out against the arming of the Israeli state.

"We feel that is a massive letdown."

Student Mason Crusoe said: "We're here today because Israel has intensified its siege on Gaza, breaking the agreed ceasefire."

He added that the protest was also aimed at political leaders, banks, and other institutions to urge them to divest from Israel, claiming they are "complicit in war crimes."

Mr Crusoe alleged that the University of Lincoln was also complicit due to its connections with certain defence companies, adding that he recently raised the issue with Mr Falconer.

A spokesperson for the university responded: "The University is intrinsically connected to its place in Lincolnshire, and our industry-aligned research supports the region’s capacity and capability in UK defence and security, which is also critical to other regional and national priorities, such as UK food and energy security, including the transition to green energy.

"We have robust oversight structures and policies in place to ensure research and strategic partnerships take place within agreed ethical and regulatory framework."

In response to the protest, Mr Falconer stated: “I know how distressing the situation in the Middle East is for constituents in Lincoln. Since taking office, I've taken action in the face of terrible loss of life.

"The Government prioritised restarting funding for UNRWA upon taking office, sanctioned settler outposts and organisations that have incited or promoted violence against communities in the West Bank and is providing £129m this year in support for Palestinians.

"The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable and we have called on the Israel to respect International Humanitarian Law.

"In September, the government concluded that there was a clear risk in relation to Israel and international humanitarian law, and therefore suspended relevant export licenses for use by the IDF, in military operations in Gaza.

"We continue to call for the release of all hostages still held by Hamas and urge all parties to return to a ceasefire.”