Veterans Minister condemns Gaza protest at the Cenotaph in central London

The new Veterans Minister has condemned the spray-painting of a pro-Palestinian protest message on the ground in front of the Cenotaph in central London as "abhorrent".

A group calling itself Youth Demand released a video on social media showing two women laying flowers and a Palestinian flag in front of the memorial in Whitehall.

They then spray-painted "180,000 killed" on the pavement in front of the Cenotaph.

The women then sat down in front of the memorial holding signs saying "Stop arming Israel" and "Never again for anyone".

Veterans Minister Alistair Carns criticised the protest, saying the Cenotaph was "special for all of us".

"The act of vandalism is abhorrent," he said.

"No matter what is happening in the world, the Cenotaph must be respected. It stands in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we enjoy today."

In a tweet, the Youth Demand protest group said: "Never again means never again.

"Everything that the Cenotaph stands for is contrary to the Labour Government allowing companies to profit from genocide."

The demonstration is the latest in a string of protests calling for the suspension of licences for arms sales to Israel against the background of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The Metropolitan Police said the two women had been quickly arrested on suspicion of criminal damage caused to the road and not the Cenotaph.

The force added: "Everyone has the right to peaceful protest, but where that crosses the line into criminality we will take action."