Police called after Gaza protest at Folkestone council meeting

Police were called to a heated full council meeting after a protest got out of hand.

Officers attended the debate at the Civic Centre Folkestone at about 8.30pm yesterday.

The police were called to Folkestone Civic Centre last night. Picture: Paul Amos

An hour and eight minutes into the meeting – where councillors were discussing a motion to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza – there was an outburst from the public gallery.

As leader of the Green Group, Cllr Jim Martin, was talking, a man started shouting: “What is the council doing?

“Sitting here talking about drainage and sewage while people are dying in Gaza.”

This prompted a back and forth between the protester and the chairwoman Cllr Abena Akuffo-Kelly (Lab).

She said: “Sir, with all respect – we are district councillors.

“We have responsibility for this district.”

The protester responded: “There are thousands of people that are dying.”

Another man added: “We are in Folkestone, not Gaza.”

Cllr Akuffo-Kelly then asked the disruptor to “please sit down” multiple times.

“I’m trying to keep you in here,” she continued as the man kept speaking.

“Okay – we now have adjournment of the council.

Cllr Akuffo-Kelly was chairing the meeting to which the police were called

“Can we go into the parlour – thank you.”

Following the break up of the meeting, police say the group dispersed and no arrests were made”.

The chairwoman then addressed the chamber and stated: “If you’re watching at home, there was some disruption and we had to adjourn and wait for it to be cleared.

“As you might note, and I think I speak for all the councillors here, we are councillors because we do care about the people, not only in our district but in general about human suffering.

“We also care about being able to make a difference and things we can actually make an impact on.

“We support anything to stop human suffering but we have a duty to deal with the business we were elected to deal with.”

A police spokesman said: “We were called at around 8.30pm on Wednesday, February 28 to a report of a disturbance involving a small group of people in the public chambers at Folkestone Civic Centre.

“Officers attended and the group dispersed. No arrests were made.”