Demonstrators gather outside Saudi embassy to protest Yemen bombings and Khashoggi killing

'Stop arming Saudis!' protesters chant, while others respond 'Justice for Jamal!'

Dozens of people gathered outside Saudi Arabia’s embassy in London on Thursday evening to protest against the gulf state’s war in Yemen and the killing in Turkey of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Demonstrators holding signs and placards chanted outside the residence in Mayfair, with many calling on the UK government to withdraw arms sales from the country in light of its devastating bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“Stop arming Saudis!” protesters shouted, while others responded “Justice for Jamal!”.

Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul at the beginning of October, but never came out. After weeks of denials, Riyadh admitted the Washington Post writer was killed, but claimed it was in a “fistfight”.

Turkish intelligence agencies allege he was murdered in a gruesome operation involving a number of officials close to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“The death of one reporter – a horrible death – was a tragedy, but what about the hundreds and thousands of people in Yemen who are suffering?” one demonstrator told The Independent.

“They’re not just a statistic, they’re people - children, men, women - starving dying because of the illegal actions, the criminal actions of the Saudi regime supported by Theresa May and her government and her need to make profits for the arms industry.”

Another protester said: “It’s an outrage what they’ve done, to suppress free speech, and to put other journalists off expressing their view about the Saudi regime, because I’m sure that’s the purpose of it.”