On July 26, 2025 — In a striking display of grassroots activism, hundreds of pots, pans, and cooking utensils were placed outside the constituency office of Hove MP Peter Kyle on Friday, as demonstrators demanded he support a full ceasefire in Gaza.
The protest, organised by local groups including Brighton & Hove for Palestine and Stop the War Coalition, drew dozens of activists who gathered on Church Road from midday. The cookware was used both as a symbolic message and a tool for noise demonstration, as protesters banged the metal items to create an echoing din that could be heard across the street.
A Message That ‘Can’t Be Ignored’
“We’re here today because silence is complicity,” said protester Leyla Mahmoud, who carried a saucepan bearing a message written in marker: ‘No more war crimes’. “Peter Kyle says he supports humanitarian pauses, but people in Gaza are still dying daily. That’s not good enough.”
The protest came amid renewed Israeli airstrikes on Gaza following the collapse of UN-mediated peace talks earlier in the week. Civilian casualties have continued to mount, sparking international outcry and prompting solidarity movements in cities across the UK.
Organisers said the pots and pans symbolised the domestic lives destroyed by war—kitchens turned to rubble, families displaced, and children caught in the crossfire.
Kyle, a senior Labour MP and current Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, has so far stopped short of calling for an unconditional ceasefire, instead backing “a sustainable de-escalation and immediate humanitarian access.”
That position has drawn increasing criticism from pro-Palestinian activists and constituents.
“We voted him in to represent us, and a majority of Labour supporters want an end to this violence,” said local resident Danielle Ross, who added a ladle to the growing pile of metalware at Kyle’s door. “We don’t need statements—we need action.”
Kyle’s constituency office remained closed during the protest, with no staff visibly present. Several letters and ceasefire petitions were taped to the windows, alongside hand-drawn posters featuring messages such as ‘How Many More?’ and ‘Every Pan Is a Voice for Peace’.
Brighton and Hove police monitored the event but made no arrests. Officers confirmed the demonstration was peaceful and dispersed without incident after two hours.
Public reaction was mixed. Some passersby expressed support, while others criticised what they saw as disruptive tactics.
“I get their passion, but leaving piles of dirty pots and pans outside someone’s office? That’s not dialogue, it’s just mess,” said one local business owner, who asked not to be named.
Still, activists insist the symbolism matters.
“If it takes 500 pots to get Peter Kyle to hear Gaza’s pain, then that’s what we’ll do,” said protester Mo Bashir. “Next time, it might be a thousand.”
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