Some 200-300 demonstrators – including striking junior doctors – staged a morning-long protest outside the UK offices of Palantir Technologies in London’s Soho Square today (21st December). Palantir, the US-based tech giant, is the lead firm in a consortium, which recently received a contract from NHS England worth £330 million for the supply of data-processing software.
The protest, called by Health Workers for a Free Palestine, highlighted both opposition to NHS privatisation and Palantir’s alleged role in supporting Israeli military intelligence. Demonstrators chanted “Palantir – shame on you” and “Palantir – blood on your hands” as well as “Ceasefire Now!” and “Free, Free Palestine”. The corporation is a key supplier of AI-powered technology to the Pentagon and, according to a recent letter to Palantir shareholders from senior corporation executives: “We are one of a few companies in the world to stand up and announce our support for Israel, which remains steadfast.”
Palantir co-founder and current Chairman Peter Thiel, ranks among the world’s 250 richest people. In addition to being a prominent backer of Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, Thiel has funded campaigns by Republican congressional candidates backing Trump’s false claim that victory in 2020 was stolen from him. He has increasingly identified himself with the hard-right views associated with “national conservatism”.
Today’s demonstration coincided with the 75th day of the Israeli military’s remorseless bombardment of Gaza following the 7th October Hamas-led attacks and marked the latest in a series of protests by Health Workers for a Free Palestine. In recent weeks, the organisation has sought to highlight the deaths of more than 300 Palestinian medics and nurses in Gaza since 7th October along with the extensive damage to the region’s healthcare infrastructure.
Image: Protest for a ceasefire in Gaza, October 21st, London. c/o Labour Hub.
Labour Hub 