Ex-MP Ian Austin accuses Amnesty of own goal with embassy protest
A former Black Country MP has accused Amnesty International of a "terrible own goal" after the campaign group launched a protest outside the Israeli embassy.
The pressure group installed mock road signs outside the embassy in Palace Green, central London, claiming to have renamed the street "Apartheid Avenue".
The signs featured a strapline below saying "no Palestinians allowed".
But former Dudley North MP Ian Austin said the publicity stunt was in poor taste given its proximity to the Russian embassy.
"What a terrible own goal by Amnesty," he wrote on Twitter.
"Israel’s embassy is on the same street as the Russian embassy and the Russian ambassador’s residence, but guess who the anti-Israel obsessives are campaigning against.
"Amnesty used to be serious but I suggest you donate to Ukraine instead."
Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s crisis response manager, said the organisation was working hard to document war crimes in Ukraine.
"Responding to the invasion by Russia is a top priority for us," he said.
“That doesn’t mean our other work opposing human rights violations should stop.
"Apartheid is a crime against humanity, it's not something we're going to ignore.”
Amnesty International UK is calling for a "major re-assessment" of the UK’s foreign policy position on Israel, having published a 280-page report accusing the Israeli government of crimes against humanity towards its Palestinian population.
"This system is maintained by violations which Amnesty found constitute apartheid as a crime against humanity, as defined in the Rome Statute and Apartheid Convention," said the organisation.
