London’s Royal Society of Arts (RSA) says it has launched an internal investigation into a pro-Israel event it hosted for the deputy prime minister and Israeli ambassador that prompted a staff walkout yesterday.
On Thursday afternoon, the arts venue and membership organisation released an official statement claiming the event had been “held by an external client who did not disclose the full event details in advance” and saying it did not endorse the day’s programme. Furious RSA workers were joined outside the building by dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters as Oliver Dowden and Tzipi Hotovely were due to attend.
The event, advertised as ‘Restart Il. Economy London’, was hosted by the Israeli company BMP in collaboration with London’s Israeli embassy with the aim to “create investment opportunities in an environment of support and solidarity” after the 7 October attacks on Israel by Hamas militants. Israeli president Isaac Herzog also addressed the conference virtually with a live-streamed video speech.
